Influencing Hemingway: People and Places That Shaped His Life and Work

by Nancy W Sindelar

Ernest Hemingway embraced adventure and courted glamorous friends while writing articles, novels, and short stories that captivated the world. Hemingway s personal relationships and experiences influenced the content of his fiction, while the progression of places where the author chose to live and work shaped his style and rituals of writing. Whether revisiting the Italian front in A Farewell to Arms, recounting a Pamplona bull run in The Sun Also Rises, or depicting a Cuban fishing village in The Old Man and the Sea, setting played an important part in Hemingway s fiction. The author also drew on real people parents, friends, and fellow writers, among others to create memorable characters in his short stories and novels. In Influencing Hemingway: The People and Places That Shaped His Life and Work Nancy W. Sindelar introduces the reader to the individuals who played significant roles in Hemingway s development as both a man and as an artist as well as the environments that had a profound impact on the author s life. In words and photos, readers will see images of Hemingway the child, the teenager, and the aspiring author as well as the troubled legend dealing with paranoia and fear. The book begins with Hemingway s birth and early influences in Oak Park, Illinois, followed by his first job as a reporter in Kansas City. Sindelar then recounts Hemingway s experiences and adventures in Italy, France, Spain, Key West, Florida, and Cuba, all of which found their way into his writing. The book concludes with an analysis of the events that preceded the author s suicide in Idaho and reflects on the influences critics had on his life and work. Though much has been written about the life and work of the Nobel prize-winning author, Influencing Hemingway is the first publication to carefully document in photographs and letters the individuals and locales that inspired him. Featuring more than 60 photos, many of which will be new to the general and academic reader, and unguarded statements from personal letters to and from his parents, lovers, wives, children, and friends, this unique biography allows readers to see Hemingway from a new perspective."

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

187 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Micah Cummins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Hemingway biography to read. I started having a growing interest in Hemingway only recently as I have started to write more, I have been using a lot of his guidelines for telling clear narratives, and so I wanted to read a little bit about the man I was getting advice from. Nancy W Sindelar gives a great snapshot look into many aspects of Hemingway's life. While not technically a full biography, I thought it was a great starting point for me, and I think it would be for anyone just started to meet the man that was Hemingway. Four stars.

[Robert Fritz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading a lot of Hemingway lately, and this biography / study of Hemingway's influences came along at a perfect time for me. I really enjoyed how Sindelar presents us with Hemingway's numerous influences - written in a very "readable" manner. The book leaves no stone unturned in uncovering his muses. Her analysis spans his entire life and career.

It was quite pleasurable to have the numerous photographs show up throughout the book - DIRECTLY as they pertain to the writing. It's always been a pet peeve of mine that the photographs in most books are bunched together in one, two, or three sections - not where I (and apparently Sindelar) believe they belong, which is directly when the writing refers to these visual clues.

I also found it helpful that she re-summarized the most important points throughout the book in a "master teacher" manner. Part of the readability that I appreciated in this book was due to the fact that I didn't have to memorize details that were important to his writings.

I quite enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to those who wish to understand what influences were behind Hemingway's writing.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding dual function topic study and biography. Sindelar identifies all of the people, places, and experiences that made Hemingway the person and writer he became. She threads together these influences with the major themes and impacts of his books and short stories. The book is short enough to read quickly but comprehensive enough to give one a clear understanding of Hemingway and his life.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm glad my fiancé chose this book for me while we were in Key West because I don't read a lot of non-fiction. It's not because I don't enjoy non-fiction; it's simply because my personal writing is rooted in fiction. However, I do like reading non-fiction whenever I can and especially when the subject matter interests me, and I am definitely interested in Ernest Hemingway (My prime objective in going to Key West was to go to the Hemingway House and immerse myself in all that it had to offer).
While it was nice learning and re-learning things about Hemingway, I felt myself having deja vu throughout reading, and it's not because I knew some of the information that the author was providing. I felt that certain parts in different chapters were either similar information or the exact information that was already provided in previous chapters. Now I do understand that the novel was broken into different chapters, but the novel did have a logical progression, it went from Hemingway's birth and childhood to his death and influence, so I was unsure why information had to be repeated. Now, like I said before, my background is not in non-fiction, so maybe this is a tactic that has to be employed or perhaps these chapters were written individually in order for the writer to make sure she wrote everything she needed to on that particular chapter's subject. Either way, I was able to push through the deja vu mostly because I'm okay with re-learning information (either from previous chapters in this novel or from my years of schooling) since the perspective is different.

[Ronald Gruner · Rating 4 out of 5]

You probably need to be somewhat acquainted with Hemingway's works to appreciate this nice little book. Full of anecdotes and photos of Ernest Hemingway from his affluent childhood to his death sixty-0ne years later, the author provides the reader a broad perspective on what made Hemingway the unique author he became. His father and paternal grandfather, a Civil War Veteran, were major influences. Both men set examples of manhood for the young Hemingway, namely through hunting, fishing and the glory of war. I learned that his father committed suicide, just as Ernest later would.

Surprisingly, Hemingway's renowned editor, Max Perkins, although often mentioned, is given little mention for Hemingway's early successes. My guess is that the author assumed any lover of Hemingway's works would already understand Perkins' contributions.

An easy and enjoyable read.

[Fredrik Nars · Rating 4 out of 5]

As most books written by Ernest Hemingway are based on his own experiences in Italy, France, Florida and Cuba, it is worthwhile to learn about his life, as it adds to the reading experience of his books. Also, as Hemingway did live an exciting life, the story of his life is a compelling story worth telling.

Sindelar tells the story of Hemingway, of course with lots of references to his books, in an insightful and inspiring way, yet without getting stuck in details. A nice read!

[Ken Proudfoot · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book for those, like me, who grew up reading Hemingway and everything her wrote, and have seen him/used him/engaged him as a mentor and ad mired him as a writer of great style. This book lays out a few of the many people, places and events that influenced and guided his writing and taught him how to write. The writing and photos will be a revelation for even the most experienced Hemingway scholar and the most jaded Hemingway reader. Pick it up and enjoy the trip!

[Annie Garvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sindelar writes a balanced and interesting life of Hemingway with the premise of place influencing character and writing style. You may take Hemingway out of Oak Park, Illinois; but you can't take Oak Park out of Hemingway.

[Brittany | BrittanyIsBooked · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a great look at Hemingway's life and influences that I would suggest for anybody interested in his work. However, the writing style wasn't my cup of tea so I rated this book lower than it probably deserves.

[Hikachi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read a lot of Hem's works. Well, I did some at the univ, but I had to see them in different lights to get good grades.
Anyhow, reading this semi autobiographical works gave me better ideas on Hem and what inspired him for his works. Including how he inspired others.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best Hemingway books I've read so far. It was informative and easy to get through. He was such an interesting person (in my humble opinion).