The Killers

by Ernest Hemingway

"Ernest Hemingway's 'The Killers' is a masterpiece of short fiction. With sparse and precise prose, Hemingway delivers a tense and gripping story that explores themes of violence, courage, and the inevitable approach of death. From the moment the hitmen enter the diner, readers are caught up in the drama, and the story's haunting conclusion leaves an indelible impression."

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Classics, Crime, American, Literature, School

18 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1927

About the author

Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Best known for an economical, understated style that significantly influenced later 20th-century writers, he is often romanticized for his adventurous lifestyle, and outspoken and blunt public image. Most of Hemingway's works were published between the mid-1920s and mid-1950s, including seven novels, six short-story collections and two non-fiction works. His writings have become classics of American literature; he was awarded the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature, while three of his novels, four short-story collections and three nonfiction works were published posthumously.
Hemingway was raised in Oak Park, Illinois. After high school, he spent six months as a cub reporter for The Kansas City Star before enlisting in the Red Cross. He served as an ambulance driver on the Italian Front in World War I and was seriously wounded in 1918. His wartime experiences formed the basis for his 1929 novel A Farewell to Arms. He married Hadley Richardson in 1921, the first of four wives. They moved to Paris where he worked as a foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star and fell under the influence of the modernist writers and artists of the 1920s' "Lost Generation" expatriate community. His debut novel The Sun Also Rises was published in 1926.
He divorced Richardson in 1927 and married Pauline Pfeiffer. They divorced after he returned from the Spanish Civil War, where he had worked as a journalist and which formed the basis for his 1940 novel For Whom the Bell Tolls. Martha Gellhorn became his third wife in 1940. He and Gellhorn separated after he met Mary Welsh Hemingway in London during World War II. Hemingway was present with Allied troops as a journalist at the Normandy landings and the liberation of Paris. He maintained permanent residences in Key West, Florida, in the 1930s and in Cuba in the 1940s and 1950s. On a 1954 trip to Africa, he was seriously injured in two plane accidents on successive days, leaving him in pain and ill health for much of the rest of his life. In 1959, he bought a house in Ketchum, Idaho, where, on July 2, 1961 (a couple weeks before his 62nd birthday), he killed himself using one of his shotguns.

Reviews

[Agir(آگِر) · Rating 3 out of 5]

دهانم بسته می‌شود...کَسِ دیگر سخن می‌گوید...آنچه که از روحِ همینگوی موقع خواندن داستانش در جانم حلول کرده است...آری اوست که به کلام در می‌آید:

قبلش بگم من پایا هستم یه قلچماق به تمام معنا...ولی بخاطر ساختار لعنتی داستان باید اسممو بذارم پسر...حالا بریم سر اصل مطلب...اول یک صلیب بکشید

به نام هومر خدای خدایان و شکسپیر روح قدسی و خودم ینی پسری که به گلوله کشاند خودش را

آهای تو!
که نامت را خواننده گذاشته‌ای
هی تو!!
آن طرف را نگاه نکن
با تک‌تک‌تان هستم!!!
شلوارت را بکش بالا
تا کی باید طفل بمانی
و لقمه رو بچپونن توی دهنت
لامصب خودت آنجاتو بشور!!!
خودتو جمع کن
یالا
قراره این‌بار بیوفتیم دنبال لقمه‌ها
خوب یاد بگیر
برای اینکار به اون بالایی و یه کمی هم شانس شدیدا نیازه
آسمونو نگاه نکن
اینجوری نگام نکن احمق
کاری به اعتقادِ
آدمها ندارم
منظورم از اون بالا، کله بود
اونو باید به کار بندازی
دوره لفاظی و شاهنامه‌نویسی گذشته
باور کن خودت را احمق جان
اینبار تو مهمتری
قرار نیست مرده متحرک باشی
که هرجا بخوایم ببریمت
این تویی که ناخدایی
نترس!!!
باور کن حماقت هم جزیی از وجود آدم‌هاست
فقط آن برداشت لعنتیتو داشته باش
خلاص
(دود بلند می‌شود)



روایت من:

مي‌گويند روزی عطار در دكان خود مشغول به معامله بود كه درويشي به آنجا رسيد و چند بار با گفتن جمله «چيزی براي خدا بدهيد» از عطار كمك خواست ولی او به درويش چيزی نداد. درويش به او گفت:‌ ای خواجه تو چگونه مي‌خواهی از دنيا بروی؟ عطار گفت: همانگونه كه تو از دنيا مي‌روی. درويش گفت: تو مانند من می‌توانی بميری؟ عطار گفت: بله. درويش كاسه چوبي خود را زير سر نهاد و با گفتن كلمه الله از دنيا برفت

برداشت مذهبی و اخلاقی روایت بالا به کنار...چیزی درش هست که در دو داستان "آدمکش‌ها" و "اردوگاه سرخپوستان" هم هست...ما در مقابل مردانی هستیم که سرنوشت محتوم خود را پذیرفته‌اند...با بی‌خیالی در تخت‌شان دراز شده‌اند و به انتظار مرگ نشسته‌اند...آیا آن همان چیزی نیست که همینگوی می‌خواست به آن برسد...جلال و عظمتِ انسان در روبرو شدن با مرگ!!!
ماشه کشیده می‌شود و مرگ همینگوی را در برمی‌گیرد...با آنکه هنوز از مرگ همینگوی متاثریم اما هنوز کنجکاوم بدانم آیا انگشتان همینگوی رو ماشه لرزیده است یا نه!؟
این برای من مهم است...چون اگر نلرزیده باشد دیگر متاثر نخواهم بود

دهانم دوباره بسته می‌شود...همینگوی است دوباره... می‌گوید بس است تخیلاتو اینقدر نریز تو زندگی واقعی من!!!

[Flo · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a great TV show once. A brilliant sitcom known as “the show about nothing”. But even though it was perceived as a show about nothing, it was about nearly everything. Well, “The Killers” is a story about almost nothing. Could I say it is about nearly everything? I don't know, but it is certainly not as entertaining as the aforementioned sitcom. It might be interesting for academics wanting to study words and structures and other fun things. From that hilarious perspective, yes, it caught my attention that, besides the “almost nothing happens” issue, that “almost nothing” is told in the simplest way possible. That is quite coherent, I guess. The writing is simple, straightforward. You are given a bunch of characters that lack all development; you have to settle with only knowing their names. Passivity is this short story's trademark. The somewhat lack of action is something that leaves you wondering about possibilities and limitations, being and nothingness. It is rather unsatisfying. Too many “what ifs” frustrate me.

I just read about the Iceberg Theory. I am certainly not a fan of an extreme minimalist style but I think I can take it on small doses. I do not ask for meaningless details, daily minutiae that no one cares about; but I want something that allows me to connect with the characters. Use your words and give me emotions. Give me thoughts, feelings, doubts, melancholy, some joy. I do not seek obvious revelations nor redundant thoughts. I would reread The Alchemist, in that case. But again, give me something more... If Hemingway used this style on an entire novel, I can see why the whole reading experience can be tiresome. Even Rory G. described him as painful. So, reader, Hemingway fan, let me know what novel I should try first.

Back to the short story. Some characters deal with a situation that in any world would be considered as stressful, and yet, nothing happens. They stay still, unable to move because of some strange force. You cannot think of something else rather than they are already surrendered, they feel doomed and think that any action is futile having in mind the inevitability of life. It is probable that you do not see all this. Maybe this is me trying to find something meaningful. Maybe there is. Okay, I am sure there is; I simply cannot see it... that well. I guess.

Verdict.
Hemingway, regarding short stories, I think we can be friends. However, concerning novels... you are that estranged acquaintance I would send a Christmas card to, but I'm not sure if we are ready to meet and sing Christmas carols together across town.
We need time. And more small doses.



Oct 17, 15
* This review was written on April 3, 2015; I just found it today. I don't remember the story. I don't know why I wrote what I wrote but... there it is.

** Also on my blog.

[Ayz · Rating 5 out of 5]

pop-quiz hotshot: which author birthed the terse prose style of classic hard-boiled fiction? was it dashiel hammett with “red harvest” in ‘29 or was hemingway even earlier with his short story “the killers” in ‘27?

i recently showed my younger brother the film adaptation of “the killers” for the first time. it features the original short story almost verbatim in the opening scene. afterwards he said: “well, that opening was better written than 99% of modern crime movies.”

that’s how good this short is.

the dialogue crackles back & forth — and it precedes, if not foreshadows, other great crime writers like cain, chandler (who arguably got his entire style from this short), mamet, tarantino, and ross macdonald.

the first time you read it, you might perceive the ending a misstep or confusing, but if you give it a minute to sink in, you might see there’s a point to the structure and where it ends. hemingway doesn’t really write genre stories. he’s writing things as they are or as they were experienced by someone like nick adams. it’s supposed to ring true, not pat and tidy. its why i often find myself thinking about this story, without even meaning to. really the earliest example i can find of great back & forth urban dialogue that feels as authentic as an elmore leonard novel or a david mamet play.

a seminal classic in my books.

[Peiman E iran · Rating 3 out of 5]

دوستانِ گرامی، داستان نکتۀ خواستی نداشت... ولی احساس میکنم چندتا فیلم دیدم که امکان داره از این داستان الهام گرفته باشن، یا حتی فقط اتفاق هایی که تو رستوران افتاد رو برداشت کرده باشن، نمیدونم
همینگوی فضایِ داستان رو به نحوی شکل داده بود که جر و بحث هایِ «آل» و « مکس » با اعصاب و روانِ خواننده هم بازی میکرد، چه برسه به « جرج» و « نیک»!... حرف هایِ بی ربط، سؤال جواب هایِ پشتِ سرِ هم و تحقیرِ آشپز، « جرج» و « نیک» توسط این دو آدمکش، همه و همه رو اعصاب بود
و در نهایت « همینگوی» شخصی به نامِ « اله اندرسون» رو واردِ ماجرا میکنه، و داستان رو به نحوی جلو میبره تا انتخاب و حتی کشفِ این که پیامِ داستان چی بوده! به عهدۀ خواننده باشه
از دیدگاهِ من، میخواست نشون بده بعضی اوقات و در زندگی یک انسان ممکنه به هر دلیلی مواردی پیش بیاد که اون انسان آنقدر که دیگران به فکر زندگی و نجاتِ جانِش هستن، خودش به فکر خودش نباشه
ویا ممکنه پیام این باشه که، یک مرد، مرگ براش آسونتر هستش تا فرار کردن از این محل به آن محل و زندگیِ همراه با استرس و نگرانی
امیدوارم داستان رو بخونید و با نظراتِ شما راجبِ پیامِ این داستان آشنا بشم

پیروز باشید و ایرانی

[Sarah Far · Rating 3 out of 5]

خود داستان،یه داستان کوتاه معمولی حالِ حاضر ولی جذاب برای قرن بیستم بود.
اما وقتی که نقد این داستان رو خووندم،روایت داستان رو بیشتر متوجه شدم و خیلی واسم جالب و جذاب شد.
پیشنهاد میکنم همراه داستان،حتما نقد رو بخوونید.

http://cafe-dastan.ir/نقد-داستان-آدم‌...

[صان · Rating 5 out of 5]

چقدر عالی بود! یک داستان ساده ولی جذاب و کامل! آدم باورش نمی‌شه که به این سادگی می‌شه داستان کوتاهی به این خوبی نوشت!
به درد اقتباس برای تئاتر هم می‌خوره!

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Oh, to hell with the clock," the first man said. What have you got to eat?"
Ernest Hemingway, The Killers



Sorry Hemingway! I love most of your short stories, or at least the ones I've read. But this -- not for me.

It's about two killers who are looking for a specific person. The thing here is its all about the dialogue.

It goes at whiplash speed and some have mentioned how they liked that but it didn't do anything for me, I was mostly bored.

I also did not like repeated use of the N word. Yes, I know it was written in a different time period and yes other classics gave done the same, but it just didn't sit well with me.

And even though I love Noir and could see why someone would really appreciate the dialogue, I did not. Sorry.

[Daren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story from Hemingway is mostly dialogue, and consists of only a few characters. Set in Summit, Illinois during the 1920s, during Prohibition, two hitmen enter a lunchroom, run by George. The only other people in the lunchroom are Sam, the cook and Nick, a customer.
The story rolls out very quickly, with lots of tough-guy dialogue. Short statements, limited explanation, all in keeping with Hemingway and his style.

A good way to spend 10 minutes, if you don't have a lot of deep thought to spare!
Available free on Project Gutenberg

Clearly a very early story from Hemingway (1927), and no doubt it a practice run for characters.

3 stars

[Maedeh_P1H · Rating 1 out of 5]

در اینکه همینگوی نویسنده ی خوبیه و قلمش عالیه که شکی نیست..اما این داستان کوتاه واقعا چیز خاصی نداشت...
تنها نکته جذابش بیخیالیه اندرسن بود وقتی که فهمید میخوان بکشنش..
یه ستاره فقط برای نویسنده

[Thomas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Almost no plot, very little character development, and only an ounce of setting to give us context for the story. Lots of violence. Typical Hemingway. If this is one of the greatest writers in the American canon, I know we can do a heck of a lot better.

Five more Hemingway reviews left. I am thankful for all the books I read that rise above excessive displays of aggression and misogyny. I appreciate that Hemingway has made me grateful for those works, I suppose.

[Théo d'Or]

X and Y wants to kill Z. Admirably. We all have to eat a piece of bread, right ?
But here is the twist - Z is not too thrilled with the idea of X and Y, but he realizes that he has no chance. As Michael would say - This Is It . Mmm...Pesci and De Niro would fit perfectly here. ..
But as in all the stories by H, the ending is as clear as a theory by Derrida.
So, the killing of Z is up to the reader.
Btw, have you ever killed ? No ? Not even just like that, out of boredom ? Ça peut arriver, you know..
I think adding Sharon Stone wouldn't have been a bad idea, though. No one would die anymore.

[Astraea · Rating 2 out of 5]

لحن و بیانش خوب بود...خوبه که داستانو سریع جمع و جور کرده و این داستان کوتاه رو شاخ و برگ نداده بود...اینجوری اثربخشی داستان بیشتر بود.
قسمت جالبش زمانی بود که به اندرسون خبر میدن دونفر میخوان تو رو بکشن و اون بیخیال روی تختش دراز کشیده...تو اوج زمانی که کاری باید برای خودش بکنه براش مهم نیست....
حالشو خوب درک میکنم!!!!!!!!!

[Ehsan'Shokraie' · Rating 1 out of 5]

آدمکشان: روایت جنایت در خونسردی
..افتضاح..

[Baktash · Rating 2 out of 5]

ضعیف بود. نقدش رو هم که دوستان گفته بودن بخونین درک بهتری به داستان پبدا میکنین رو هم خوندم و به نظرم یاوه ای بیش نبود. کلاسترو فوبیا!! اگرا فوبیا!! خدا نکنه یه نفر معروف بشه و چند نفر ازش تعریف کنند! واسه یک عده تبدیل به یک نیمه خدا میشه!

[Medisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

چه اتفاقی باعث میشه یکی تصمیم بگیره آدم بکشه؟ و بدتر چه اتفاقی باعث میشه آدم دست رو دست بذاره تا کشته بشه؟ این داستان کوتاه ذهن رو با این سوال‌ها مشغول می‌کنه اما هیچ جوابی نمی‌ده، هیچ.

[Fatemeh (Samin) Mehrasa]

هر سطر که جلوتر می رفتم با خود می گفتم بالاخره شد! من هم از همینگوی خوشم خواهد آمد! ...... هیج پایانی جز سرنوشتی که همینگوی بر این اثر خود رقم زد، نمی توانست این اثر را این چنین در نظرم معمولی و کم خاصیت جلوه دهد.... .

در رابطه با این که هرگز نمی توانم با قلم همینگوی ارتباط بگیرم به قطعیت رسیدم.

[Adriana Scarpin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conto conciso de atmosfera desoladora que nasceu pra ser filmado, que o diga Tarkovsky.

[Abolfazl Sheybani]

داستان را در برنامه اکنون، یاسین حجازی به زیبایی خواند و لحظات لذت بخشی رو خلق کرد. همزمان با خوانش داستان توسط حجازی، فیلمی که با اقتباس از این داستان ساخته شده بود هم پخش میشد که لذتمان را دو برابر کرد.

[Federico DN · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wait time is over.

Two mob men, Al and Max, enter George's lunchroom and ask for a meal and some drinks. Shortly after they order the cook and bright boy out of the room; apparently they are expecting a visitor, and they mean serious business.

Not bad, yet not great either. All in all, one of few only exceptions I haven't exactly hated so much by this author. Acceptable even. But it's Hemingway, so whatever.



-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1927] [11p] [Fiction] [2.5] [Not Recommendable] [Ole Andreson]
-----------------------------------------------

★★☆☆☆ The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories <--

-----------------------------------------------

La espera se acabó.

Dos mafiosos, Al y Max, entran al comedor de George y piden comida y algunas bebidas. Poco después ordenan al cocinero y al chico brillante que salgan de la habitación; aparentemente están esperando un visitante, y tienen algo serio entre manos.

No está mal, aunque tampoco genial. Dentro de todo, una de pocas excepciones que no he odiado tanto de este autor. Aceptable incluso. Pero es Hemingway, así que lo que sea.



-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1927] [11p] [Ficción] [2.5] [No Recomendable] [Ole Andreson]
-----------------------------------------------

[Mai · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tedious 🗑 

I cringed every time they said “Bright Boy” — which was A LOT.
Another pointless tale from Hemingway. So let me get this straight: a couple of guys go after an old man and wait for him in a diner. They take the cook, Nick, and George (“the bright boy”) as hostages, spill all their plans right in front of them — brilliant move — and then when the old man doesn’t show up, they just… leave. Free the hostages, walk out. Sure, that makes perfect sense.

Later, one of the diner guys goes to warn the old man, who looks miserable because he knows his death is inevitable. The messenger then goes back to the diner to tell the others what he saw. And that’s it. The end.

So… where’s the story? The idea? The plot? Even a logical flow of events?
If Hemingway was trying to convey existential dread, maybe I’d have understood it — if we’d actually spent more time with the old man, felt his despair, or saw his world fall apart. Instead, we got a glimpse so brief it left no emotional mark.

Another failure from Hemingway, in my opinion.

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

A waste of ink, paper, and time.

The only bright side is that, come winter, I can use Hemingway's stuff for kindling. That's it.

Also, here's an afterthought: Is it possible to file a restraining order against a dead author and his books? Because, yes, hello, I'd like to file a restraining order against Ernest Hemingway and his mislabeled "classics."

[Setayesh Dashti · Rating 2 out of 5]

قلم همینگوی مسحورم می‌کند. همین.

[Ritu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ernest Hemingway is weird.

[ناصر سليم]

چند تا داستان کوتاه از ارنست همینگوی خوندم یا چیزی نفهمیدم یا تاثیری تو من نکرد
داستان های کوتاه چخوف کجا داستان های کوتاه دیگر نویسندگان کجا!!

[Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

coen brothers wya?

[Eghbal · Rating 1 out of 5]

همینگوی بزرگوار یه تنه اوریج ریتینگ گودیدز منو پایین آورده
بخوام جمع بندی کنم یک کلمه کافیشه
"کشک"

[Cloudy · Rating 3 out of 5]

داستان کوتاه عمیقی بود. خوندنش جالب بود واسم..مخصوصا که بعدش نقدش رو که توو ریویوها پیشنهاد شده بود خوندم. اینکه نشون میده به سادگی از نوشته‌های همینگوی نگذریم.

[B. P. Rinehart · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those cases of the hype simply not hitting for me. I thought maybe it was my own mind-state or I was not sitting with it long-enough, but reading other reviews has shown me that it is not just me. Even Hemingway said it was one of his most minimalistic work. I feel, for me, this would work for me going through a novel, but it might be a bit much for short-stories...or maybe not. I can't say, but I saw the glimmer of something, but this was all shell, no gunpowder.


I read this as a part of The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway.

[Maissa Daas · Rating 3 out of 5]

انقطعت عن القراءة لفترة طويلة نوعا ما ،أعود اليها عبر هذه القصة القصيرة "عودة اضطرارية" وهذا بسبب صف الأدب الأمريكي .تدوركل أحداث القصة تقريبا في مطعم حيث جاء قاتلان اليه بحثا عن ملاكم يدعى اولي اندرسون . للأمانة ،ربما لو كنت قرأتها خارج إطار الدراسة لقلت أنها قصة بسيطة بدون شيء يميزها لكن قرائتي لها في إطار الدراسة مع تحليل عميق هو ما جعلني أقدر أسلوبها. همنغواي محترف كتابة بين السطور، كتب في هذه القصة عن الموت ، الحياة ، الخيبة ، الجريمة ، المظاهر الخادعة لكن كل شيء قدم لنا على شكل أحجية للقارئ ان يبذل جهدا كبيرا في تجميعها .

[Alisa Cupcakeland · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not only that I did not like it, I think I just didn't get it, or maybe the trick is that there is just nothing to get.