Beautiful Exile: The Life of Martha Gellhorn

by Carl Rollyson

Martha Gellhorn died in February 1998, just shy of her 90th birthday. Well before her death, she had become a legend. She reported on wars from Spain in the 1930s to Panama in the 1980s, and her travel books are considered classics. Her marriage to Ernest Hemingway, affairs with legendary lovers like H. G. Wells, and her relationships with two presidents, Roosevelt and Kennedy, reflect her campaigns against tyranny and deprivation, as well as her outrage at the corruption and cruelty of modern governments. This controversial and acclaimed biography portrays a vibrant and troubled woman who never tired of fighting for causes she considered just.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, History, Journalism

330 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2002

About the author

Carl Rollyson, Professor of Journalism at Baruch College, The City University of New York, has published more than forty books ranging in subject matter from biographies of Marilyn Monroe, Lillian Hellman, Martha Gellhorn, Norman Mailer, Rebecca West, Susan Sontag, and Jill Craigie to studies of American culture, genealogy, children’s biography, film, and literary criticism. He has authored more than 500 articles on American and European literature and history. His work has been reviewed in newspapers such as The New York Times and the London Sunday Telegraph and in journals such as American Literature and the Dictionary of Literary Biography. For four years (2003-2007) he wrote a weekly column, "On Biography," for The New York Sun and was President of the Rebecca West Society (2003-2007). His play, THAT WOMAN: REBECCA WEST REMEMBERS, has been produced at Theatresource in New York City. Rollyson is currently researching a biography of Amy Lowell (awarded a "We the People" NEH grant). "Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews, a biography of Dana Andrews is forthcoming in September from University Press of Mississippi. His biography, "American Isis: The Life and Death of Sylvia Plath" will be published in February 2013, the fiftieth anniversary of her death. His reviews of biography appear regularly in The Wall Street Journal, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, The Raleigh News & Observer, The Kansas City Star, and The New Criterion. He is currently advisory editor for the Hollywood Legends series published by the University Press of Mississippi. He welcomes queries from those interested in contributing to the series. Read his column, "Biographology," that appears every two weeks at bibliobuffet.com

Reviews

[Douglas Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on reader comments on various sites, Gellhorn fetishists really hate this book. Perhaps it's because, unlike Caroline Moorehead's bigger, more ambitious "Gellhorn" (which I haven't read), this biography of the celebrated war correspondent (and Ernest Hemingway's third wife) isn't written by an officially sanctioned fan. Perhaps it's because Rollyson attempts to detail Gellhorn's sexual trysts and dares to suggest that she sometimes slept with men to advance her career. Whatever the case, the vitriol is misplaced. True, "Beautiful Exile" is not elegantly written, but the research appears to be solid and the analysis of her work never goes over the top. It's also obvious that the author admires his subject enormously, even while doggedly pursuing the ragged edges of her life.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Beautiful Exile" is the first Gellhorn biography I have ever come across, and I bought it to round out my knowledge of the author.

As a long-time collector and reader of Hemingway biographies, I was familiar with Martha Gellhorn's name and knew about her whirlwind romance with, brief marriage to, and acrimonous separation and divorce from him. His biographers consistently include scant details about her life outside their marriage, and I was curious. This book did not disappoint me.

Her family background and growing up years in St. Louis came to life on these pages. The precocious daughter of a prosperous German Jewish doctor and socialite mother, she fled from university life into journalism and a series of relationships. Gellhorn fondled and discarded men the way many suppose that men use women. Her mother's concern over Martha's lifestyle led to an introduction to Eleanor Roosevelt, an association that would last for many years.

Martha was divorced and a published author of some note when she met Hemingway. That episode in her life is well documented. "Beautiful Exile" fills in the Martha Gellhorn story after that marriege ended.

Her fiction was recognizably influenced by Hemingway, but has its own ample merits. She nevertheless did not ever receive as much recognition as a writer of fiction as she received for her journalistic reporting. Indeed, Rollyson includes excerpts from her fiction that are stupendous because of Gellhorn's eye for detail.

Gellhorn's later years, her relationships and her self-exile from the United States are detailed if not justified. Opinion on these years is left to the reader. There is a touching description of the final act she requested of her stepson.

This is recommended reading not only for Hemingway buffs but also for those who want to read about a truly independant woman.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never heard of Martha Gellhorn until I read a free Amazon book last month about her life with Hemingway. Her worst fears were true for me. I got the book because of his name and found out all about Martha. She had a very interesting life as described in this book by Rollyson. I kept hoping for some secrets about Martha but she was an excellent journalist but not so great as a fiction writer. She may have helped make her more unknown by burning all of the letters sent to her by Hemingway. She was too strong for him and probably for most men. She knew her own mind and was able to enjoy her solitude when she could mix with others as she chose. I admired her but expect she had a very lonely life. She was never content and was always wishing to be on the forefront of battles, almost any battle would do. She started with the Spanish Civil War and ended with the US in Vietnam and then in El Salvador. Not the best face of America but then neither is the year 2018. Martha is a stunning woman, tall with blond hair and enough money to do her own thing. I am glad I discovered her. Makes me think there are more women who did their own thing but we never hear of them because most writers are men.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is truly not a word for how much I dislike Ernest Hemingway. I don’t find his writing compelling in any way, and his personal life was a stone solid shambles.
For the life of me, I have no idea how a woman as smart and ambitious as Martha Gellhorn got mixed up in this madness.

Also: I could go on for at least three times longer than you want to read about what his pathological need to assign nicknames to literally everyone he ever met signifies about his deep psychological issues. (For the record, I feel this way about everyone with a compulsion to bestow multiple nicknames on Every. Damn. Body. they know, and that includes Queen Elizabeth I. I see you, Bess.)

I felt like Ms. Gellhorn would have been better served by this book if it also focused on her post-Hemingway life. She covered the invasion the US invasion of Panama, for God’s sake. And she must have been in her 80s. She despised (according to this book) the appellation of “Hemingway’s wife”. Give her some posthumous credit by showing she made a successful life without him. (To be clear: it’s covered here, but not nearly enough to make up for having to live with Ernest Effing Hemingway.)

[Lisa Ashbaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll admit that I knew nothing of Martha Gellhorn before reading this book but it sounds like she was a fascinating woman. I struggled at time with her and Ernest’s relationship and her penchant to forgive and explain away his appalling treatment of her. I’ve always heard Ernest was a pig of a man and this book only reinforces that image. It was a thoroughly interesting read and I’d definitely recommend it! It was really interesting to hear more about the wars from a journalist’s perspective too.

[Melina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm just fascinated by Hemingway's wives. I read The Paris Wife about his first wife earlier so I was intrigued by the story of his third wife. I found Martha to be strong and ambitious and enjoyed learning about her. Now I want to read her own books!

[Belinda LaPierre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enlightening

Awesome read. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and learning about the early war correspondents. Martha was as insightful Individual who had a passion for people less fortunate.

[Jacob Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amazing woman. The writing is one that reels you in at time and pushes you away at others. Although you so get a deep sense of her especially towards the end of her life. Her death while known to be a suicide from other sources is shrouded in this writing.

[Kelly Overstreet · Rating 5 out of 5]

There aren't nearly enough books about Martha Gellhorn! Luckily, this is a good one. It is well-researched and shows exactly why Gellhorn should be known as one of the great journalists and authors of the 20th century, and not just Hemingway's third wife.

[Seán · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gellhorn's books are fascinating but this biography is vital to gaining insight and perspective on Gellhorn's life.

[Art In Your World · Rating 4 out of 5]

For reviews and recommendations, check your shelf at https://artinyourworld.com
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[NANCY SNELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about one of Hemingway's wives.

[Marilou]

I listened to the Audible version of this book. It was alright, but a bit too factual for my taste. Maybe I'm not a big fan of biographies.

I was curious about Martha Gellhorn because she seemed like a courageous and rebellious woman and I wanted to know everything she did. This book is interesting because it reveals her vulnerabilities. The author's goal seems to be to make people see another side of her. I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more if I knew more about her before listening to this.

[Dorothy Reimers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. Martha Gellhorn was quite the spirited adventuress. Coming from St. Louis, it was interesting reading about her mother's involvement in the city and Martha's dislike for the city. She became very cosmopolitan at an early age and in my mind was very brave wanting to cover the wars. I have now read other books about Gellhorn and Hemingway and cannot understand that I hadn't heard about her as I was growing up.

[Mary]

Added by mistake -- it is Beautiful Exiles