Comments on: The Hemingway You Didn’t Know: Papa’s Adventures

By: joe

joe — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:45:22 +0000

a man is a man right? and every great man has his flaws…….as does everybody he wasnt a perfect idol to look up too this was just an ordinary man who took initiative in all the things he wanted to do

By: Cal

Cal — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:06:33 +0000

Hey Alan,

Go back to your “Men remaining togeather” seminars.

If you can’t see the good in people and only find the faults you’re a wanker.

You know what’s worse than a loser? Fucking critics like you.

By: Guy

Guy — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 03:01:27 +0000

Ernie had a heck of a life and lived it well during that time period. He had many faults but he lived with gusto and had acomplishements others only dreamed about. From what I understand the electro shock treatments he received for depression blew his mind and contributed greatly to his suicide.

By: West LA

West LA — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:34:20 +0000

If you’re new to Hemingway’s writing and want to see what the fuss is about,
start with the short stories (such as The Snows of Kilimanjaro, The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber, and Soldier’s Home), which was the form he truly mastered, not the novels (the best of which being probably The Sun Also Rises). For sheer style & charisma, check out his 1930’s Esquire non-fiction pieces in a collection called By Line: Ernest Hemingway. One of the best biographies was called By Force of Will, by Scott Donaldson. Also, the Michael Reynolds five volume bio is excellent.

Hemingway’s life story is fascinating, both for 1. the contradictions of the man, and
2. the places he went, the people he knew, events he witnessed, things he did, etc.
Reading about his life can inform you about the world,
including much of 20th Century world history (the first 50 years of it).

Don’t feel bad about not living his adventurous, exotic life. Up until he was almost forty years old, it was financed largely by his wives or by his 2nd wife’s Uncle Gus.
Apparently much of EH’s macho behavior was driven by his deep insecurity about being masculine enough to respect himself. He seemed to be fighting off self-disgust often and contemptuous of most other people. After age 30 or so, his love of being famous and looking heroic reduced his growth as an artist (he still improved and achieved, but probably much less than he otherwise could have done).

Great writer, fascinating individual.

By: Yavor

Yavor — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:32:34 +0000

Thanks for this post. In fact I will go right now and dig one of his novels and embark on my own papa adventure.

Yavor

By: Caca

Caca — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 04:34:10 +0000

Great post! People like him was a product of an era, and like many others, genius and great man, had some kind of mental disorder, depression or social bad behavior, probably this altogether made men like them act without restriction, for good and sometimes for worse too. And even being an admirer of people like Jesus or Mahatma Ghandi, expoents of kindness and goodness, we can’t forget that Ghandy menace to beat her wife when she refused to clean toilets in the comunity that he formed, and even Jesus lost his temper on Jerusalen’s Temple, beating merchants and money traders.

By: John Harrod

John Harrod — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 01:24:22 +0000

There are many new biographies of Hemingway in bookstores or in the library. A.E. Hotchner’s book is not really a good bio and it’s outdated. You shoulld read them all before forming an opinion about the man. He was a complex individual.

By: Ernest

Ernest — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:09:09 +0000

@TomK

Yeah, nowadays we just sit around on the internet to escape. Those guys were suckers.

By: TomK

TomK — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:39:24 +0000

Just remember when reading about tall images from the past, that their adventures although sometimes exotic and daring, should not be confused for what they really were, escapes from real life problems both physically,and mentally…

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 10:34:51 +0000

Great article.

Thanx for clearing that up, Brett.

Next literary article should be on Hunter S Thompson.

By: Brett McKay

Brett McKay — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:33:33 +0000

@Justin-

As this is not a religious site, I think it is obvious that I was referring to mortal men, not gods.

By: Justin

Justin — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:12:39 +0000

Great post!

@ Brett: “Show me the man without a fault and I will devote every article and all my emulation to him!” Answer: Jesus.

By: Darcy

Darcy — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:02:13 +0000

I have to respond to those who say they don’t like Hemingway’s style because of the story “Hills like White Elephants.” Sure, you have to really read the story and the dialogue to understand it–but it can be understood. It’s an emulation of how people talked in those days. Would a couple then, with the strict social norms, talk about abortion in public openly? Of course not. And the symbols embedded in the geography also clue you in to the nature of the dilemma. Even if you don’t “get” the problem the couple has, the writing still manages to give you the theme of the story: men and women act think differently, particularly in stressful situations.

This is the problem with people these days. Any work that demands a bit more effort into understanding it is seen as “obscure” or “vague.” Everything has to be in-your-face and direct. Subtlety is a lost art; an art mastered by Hemingway.

By: Ben

Ben — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 05:43:23 +0000

+1 To Nomad, couldn’t have said it better myself.

Regards~
Ben

By: Andy

Andy — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:18:20 +0000

Great post. As an English teacher / athlete / writer, I really enjoyed it. I wrote a little piece that some of you might like, if you feel a little trapped in your suburban life…
http://growingupwell.org/2009/08/16/minivan-man/