southern left the united states in september 1948, using a g.i. bill grant to travel to france, where he studied at the faculté des lettres of the sorbonne. his four-year stint in paris was a crucial formative influence, both on his development as a writer and on the evolution of his "hip" persona. during this period he made many important friendships and social contacts as he became a central figure in the expatriate american café society of the 1950s. he became close friends with mason hoffenberg (with whom he subsequently co-wrote the novel "candy"), alexander trocchi, john marquand, mordecai richler, aram avakian (filmmaker, photographer and brother of columbia records jazz producer george avakian), and jazz musician and motorsport enthusiast allen eager. he also met expatriate american writer james baldwin and leading french intellectuals jean cocteau, jean-paul sartre, and albert camus.