A feather pen, which, obviously, is no longer really a feather pen, but a fountain pen. I have always loved fountain pens. I got my first one when I was in high school, maybe 13 or 14. It was a big and black and fairly messy but I loved it. I practiced calligraphy and discovered I was no good at it or that it required far too much practice so I just used it as a regular pen.
Then for my 21st birthday, I was given a beautiful fountain pen. A Montblanc. It absolutely lived up to its reputation, it was lightweight and a pleasure to write with. I carried it in my bag for years and used it on a daily basis until it was stolen. It was replaced by a Waterman, not quite as nice, but still nice.
When I moved to France, I got a couple more. And then I had some clients who worked for Waterman. They invited me to visit the factory, which I did and they very kindly offered me a high-end fountain pen at the end of the visit.
Over the years I've bought a few more - they kind of float in and out of my life, lost or stolen or just misplaced for a year or two and then found on a raining Monday in June. A Rotring, some Italian brand, several Waterman, two Pilots. I still miss my Montblanc though.
Anyway. I learned from Boy1 (when he was in 3rd grade!) that you're never supposed to let anyone use your fountain pen. They started doing certain homework and in-class assignments with fountain pens that year and they were told that the nib adapts to the user's positioning and pressure and becomes personalized. If you let someone else use your fountain pen it will never write the same. (I have to say that this gave me consider comfort when I think of my stolen Montblanc in the hand of another.)
Of course I believed him, Boy1 can be quite serious, especially about things he has been told at school. But I wasn't quite sure how widespread this knowledge was. Until recently. I was in a meeting, the person sitting next to me needed to borrow a pen. I opened my bag and took out the only two pens I had - both fountain pens. She laughed and said, "Lovely but useless to me Nicole. Don't you have anything I can't ruin?"
I'm quite certain this says something very interesting about the place I live.
10 comments:
Who knew?
A fountain pen is something I should invest in, as I do almost all of my (morning) writing longhand -- something about the physical connection between my dreams, my brain, my arm, my hand, and the paper.
I currently use the Pilot G2 brand of gel pens (bold tip), plastic, can't be refilled, symptomatic of the sick throwaway culture in which I live.
I've often thought about a more permanent pen, the way it might become a talisman of sorts. I might think about all of the words it wrote, and how much those words meant to me and others, and attribute to it magical properties.
Any recommendations?
I didnt know about this at all!
Ali - I know, right?
JMH - I enjoy writing too - actually writing as opposed to typing. As for recommendations - depends on how much money you want to spend. Under 20, Rotring makes really nice pens. Over 50 you can start to get some nice Watermans. And there are probably a lot of brands in the States that I don't know about.
TGFL - The most interesting part of it all is watching my 9 year old write (left-handed!) beautifully with a fountain pen and think it's the most normal thing in the world. And in his, it is.
I would say the French (and most Europeans in general) have much more authority on fountain pen usage than Americans...it's simply not in American culture anymore. I am a boutique retailer in the US for stationery and fountain pen ink, and the VAST majority of Americans hardly recognize a fountain pen, let alone use one, LET ALONE know the etiquette! Most of the fine paper and ink I sell are brands that come from France: Clairefontaine, Rhodia, G. Lalo, J. Hebrin...they are products superior for fountain pen usage to anything made here in the US (of course, not much of anything seems to be made in the US anymore...).
Oops! I typed a little too fast on my last comment, I meant to type 'J. Herbin', not 'J. Hebrin'! Shame on me. This is the first I've come across your blog, and I've often wondered what it would be like to live in France. My ancestors hail from Normandy, and I have French heritage on both sides of my family. I make a living selling mostly French stationery to fountain pen users in the US, and I'm intrigued by the integration of fountain pens in modern European (specifically French) culture. Have you found fountain pens to be commonplace in France, or are they fading in usage due to technology? It's interesting in the US, as technology has increased, I find that though the general public knows less about fountain pens, the accessibility of information online has sparked a whole new generation of fountain pen enthusiasts. Fountain pen users in the US don't use because they are practical (they aren't, quite honestly), but rather because they WANT to use them. The impracticality of using them tends to attract only the most loyal and passionate fountain pen users, who tend to be mostly higher-educated and/or artistic/musical/poetic individuals. It's really fascinating!
Hey Brain - Everyone I know here has at least one fountain pen. Children are taught cursive in first grade and are expected to use fountain pens starting in third grade. If you do a search on this blog, upper left corner, for 'colors of ink' you'll find a bunch of posts I wrote based on the names of ink colors by Herbin. The prettiest fountain pen I have is an Enzo Varini - silver with beautiful black swirls all over it. But I wouldn't say it writes the best. For that I prefer the Rotring and my long lost Montblanc and actually, a very cheap (6 euros maybe)Inoxcrom.
Brain - my mistake, searching for colors of ink won't get you the results - apparently the search bar only searches titles and content, not labels, so - if you're interested - search for 'tears of currant or resin of amber' and at the end of those posts click on the label 'colors of ink'.
Thank you Nicole, that's very interesting. Here in the US children aren't even being taught cursive at ALL in many schools. It's been probably 40 years since schools have taught how to use fountain pens. What's interesting is that though most people here don't know what they're missing, there are many younger Americans who discover fountain pens and completely fall in love...there must be something inherent in them that sparks passion and creativity, something the French certainly are known for!
The look on your face when you first opened that Montblanc can never be stolen...
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