The Wild Years

by Ernest Hemingway, Gene Z. Hanrahan

"The Greatest Ever Under The By-Line"
(Caption from intro)
Before Ernest Hemingway turned to writing fiction, he already had become one of the great reporters of our time.
Here-in the inimitable Hemingway style-is Paris at her most glorious...Italy and Germany in their darkest hours...the bloody birth pangs of new nations in the Near East...explosive excitement of Pampona and the stark drama of the bull ring...the virie pleasures of fishing and hunting in the American north woods...and much, much more.

Genres: Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

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

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to read for historical snippets. I couldn't resist quoting the editor's little epilogue,circa 1967, which stated "Not all of Hemingway's observations would prove out, of course...A weakness for occasional melodrama caused him to inflate the threat and importance of the Afghans..." Heh heh.

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an awesome look into Hemingway's style of writing from when he was a reporter. Great stories...and very interesting accounts of history in the making during his reporting career from about 1920 to 1924.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wavering between 3.0 and 3.5 stars on this one. This collection of newspaper articles written before be became a full time fiction writer (and eventually a published and world famous author) are a little uneven. Some are really great and definitely point out that this guy has juice and some are really kinda weird and make you wonder 1) why he wrote them and 2) how they got printed (slow news day?). Some are funny and some are serious. Some show really great insight for someone so young. Some are just Hemingway talking about hunting and fishing. And in one of them he even teaches you how to bake a pie! Who knew?! I am leaning towards 3.5… so I guess it gets the bump to 4.0.

[Mason Lee Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The discussion of international politics and world events from the time of Hemingway's writing is dated and albeit, oftentimes boring. It can be rather enlightening to those who haven't read pieces discussing such topics from the era.

Hemingway's writing on fishing, hunting, camping, and avalanches were absolutely outstanding. The last page of his chapter on avalanches was by far the most interesting from my perspective.

[Ghighi Eftimie · Rating 5 out of 5]

(╬☉д⊙)⊰⊹ฺ

[George L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hemingway’s early writings are a little uneven. The sections on Germany between the wars and on his outdoor experiences are great.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was worthwhile in that there are lots of little historical details and such that I was unfamiliar with, and Hemingway has a fun way of relating a lot of these things. On most of the subjects in this book, he's kind of snarky and wry, which is not really journalistic integrity to me, but it's still fun reading. When he is serious, such as when he's talking about fishing, he makes me want to go to sleep a little, but that may just be my lack of interest in the topic.

[Mischa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a bit up and down but the great stuff far outpaces the more pedestrian articles. Great to read about him stomping around the streets of Toronto. And well worth the read just for the mental image of him peering over Mussolini's shoulder and realizing the book he was 'reading' was upside down.

[Lisa James · Rating 3 out of 5]

These snippets of articles he wrote while still a young newspaperman showed so much promise of the classic novelist he developed into. Written in his signature style, with some pretty sarcastic quirks of humor, his views on everything from gangsters to Prohibition to style is amusing, insightful, & all around a good read!

[Frankie · Rating 3 out of 5]

more of a journalist endeavor, hemingway wrote this just before beginning to write fiction. i love how it fits into his body of work, but alone it's too early in his career to compare to most of his other novels. read this only if you're a true fan.

[Matthew Hurley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hemingway was such a boss. Also, perceptive and hilarious.