Ernest Hemingway

I'm with Boom in that I must not have the proper mindset or requisite brainpower to enjoy Hemingway. Since so many hold him in high esteem, I've always considered this some sort of personal deficiency.

I'm willing to give it another try, though. Anyone have suggestions on where I should start?

 

So Moby Dick is just a giant, white sperm whale? It doesn't represent anything else?

 

Glad I'm not alone with my personal deficiency. Perhaps I'll try again but drink
a lot of rum first.

 

Are you a hunter? http://www.amazon.com/Hemingway-Hunting-Ernest/dp/0743225295/ref=pd_sim_b_1

Do you fish? http://www.amazon.com/Hemingway-Fishing-Ernest/dp/074321918X

Are you a writer? http://www.amazon.com/Ernest-Hemingway-Writing-Larry-Phillips/dp/0684854295

Those are all collections that are easily digestible. But if you're just doing one, go with The Sun Also Rises.

 

But if you're just doing one, go with For Whom the Bell Tolls.

 

Was Hemingway a member of The NRA?

 

It took me six months to plow through For Whom the Bell Tolls. I was in college at the time. I wondered why I continued to read it. By the time I finished, though, I was incredibly happy I stuck with it.

 

The Old Man and the Sea -- 128 pages

The Sun Also Rises -- 251 pages

A Farewell to Arms -- 332 pages

For Whom the Bell Tolls -- 480 pages

Each of the first two can be banged out in one sitting.

 

I'm just not a fan.

I admire the man's technical proficiency, his craftsmanship, but I don't enjoy the work.

I guess I'm the opposite of Vers. I expect to enjoy myself - reading, listening to music, watching a movie.

Enjoyment doesn't mean the material should be mindless. Quite the opposite.

I enjoy material that is emotive and/or illuminating in some way. I expect to feel something or learning something about myself, the world, the author, etc.

I want to analyze the technique and creative choices, but technique and creative choices are not ends within themselves. They are means to a greater end - moving the audience in some way, emotionally or intellectually.

For me, Hemingway fails in that artistic end.

 

You must dislike most non-fiction work.

 

One of the greatest nights of my life was partying like a VIP with his grandson John Hemingway in Pamplona during the bullrun a few years back.

 

I have found these short stories of his to be very, very powerful:

"The End of Something"

"Fifty Grand"

"Big Two-Hearted River"

"Soldier's Home"

"My Old Man"

They're all very approachable, beautifully written ... but there's a lot going on there, too.