southern frequented the cinémathèque française in paris and saw jazz performances by leading bebop musicians including charlie parker, dizzy gillespie, bud powell, thelonious monk, and miles davis, evoked in his classic "you're too hip, baby". during the early 1950s he wrote some of his best short stories, including "the butcher" and "the automatic gate", both published in david burnett's "new-story" magazine. his story "the accident" was the first short story published in the "paris review" in its founding issue (1953); it was followed by "the sun and the still-born stars" in issue #4. southern became closely identified with the "paris review" and its founders, peter matthiessen, harold l. "doc" humes, and george plimpton, and he formed a lifelong friendship with plimpton. he met french model pud gadiot during 1952; a romance soon blossomed and the couple married just before they moved to new york city.