Ернест Гемінґвей. Артефакти з життя

by Michael Katakis, Майкл Катакіс, Роман Клочко (translator)

Ернеста Гемінґвея оточує чимало міфів. Справжній чоловік і безжальний мачо, алкоголік і котолюб, безстрашний мисливець, спокійний рибалка, геній, який пережив війну і «перетворив» її на літературу, самогубець і життєлюб. За цим образом часом неможливо розгледіти людину. Але коли на Гемінґвея дивитися крізь його власні слова і вчинки в контексті подій всього ХХ століття, історія його життя набуває нової глибини.
Книжку «Ернест Гемінґвей. Артефакти з життя» уклав розпорядник літературного спадку Ернеста Гемінґвея, письменник та дослідник Майкл Катакіс, який використав матеріали з найповнішого архіву одного з найвпливовіших і найзагадковіших письменників минулого століття. Десятки листів, понад чотири сотні фотографій, спогади сучасників, передмова сина Патріка та післямова онука Шона — все це відкриває нам не просто автора безсмертних романів, а людину, яка ніколи не пропускала сходу сонця.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Photography, History, Biography Memoir, American

240 pages, Hardcover

First published September 17, 2018

About the author

Katakis was born in Chicago in 1952. His father emigrated from Greece to the United States shortly after World War II. His mother was the daughter of Greek immigrants.
Writer and photographer Michael Katakis has been writing about and photographing a wide range of cultures and geographic locations for the past thirty five years. He has traveled extensively throughout the People’s Republic of China, West Africa, Cuba, Hungary, Morocco, Turkey, the United States, Korea, the Philippines, Taiwan, Italy, Greece, England, France and Spain to name a few.

Michael’s books include Photographs and Words’ with Kris Hardin (British Library 2011).

His other books include; Traveller: Observations From an American in Exile (Scribner, New York 2009), The Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Crown, New York 1988) which is a two year study of the emotional impact the memorial has had on its visitors. Sacred Trusts: Essays on Stewardship and Responsibility (Mercury House, San Francisco 1993). Excavating Voices: Listening to Photographs of Native Americans (University Museum Publications, University of Pennsylvania 1998) and the limited edition book, Despatches ( Foolscap Press, Santa Cruz, California 2008) which a number of institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum and Stanford University have acquired for their special collections.

In 2011 Michael Katakis’s exhibition opened at the British Library’s Folio Gallery to coincide with the publication of his, and Dr. Kris Hardin’s book, Photographs and Words (British Library Publications, 2011).

Michael Katakis and Dr. Hardin were presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth by Baroness Blackstone, Chairman of the British Library, on 10 November 2011.

In 2012 Katakis was invited, by Michael Palin, President of the Royal Geographical Society, to speak to the Society.

Michael Katakis was appointed Ambassador for the British Library and elected Director of Americans for the British Library in 2012.

In 1999 he was elected ‘Fellow’ of the Royal Geographical Society and in 2001 his, and Kris Hardin’s exhibition, A Time and Place Before War, opened at the Geographical Society in London.

Amnesty International chose Michael’s work from Sierra Leone for the cover of their international calendar (1990) and for the book, Thoughts on Human Dignity and Freedom, with a foreword by Arthur Miller (Universe Books, 1991).

Reviews

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book filled with pictures and letters, mementos from Hemingway’s life and I found it really enjoyable to wander through as I got to know a bit about him. Filled with items that give an inside look into him and his life over the years, culled from over eleven thousand pictures, and thousands of letters. Hemingway had been in two world wars and in many foreign countries and had children with two wives. He lived a very full life and as Katakis went through his things, he felt closer to understanding Hemingway’s works to share them in the book. He also grew to know him more through stories told to him by Hemingway’s son Patrick and grandson,


I loved seeing so many pictures of Hemingway and his family. He kept everything and went everywhere for such a slow-travel time in the world before there were jets to fly on, just regular planes, and trains to many places. Reading the correspondence was especially helpful in giving an inside look at him and how he was with friends and family, his sense of humor, etc. My thanks for the advance electronic copy that was provided by NetGalley, author Michael Katakis, and the publisher for my fair review.

Scribner 240 pages
Pub: Oct. 23rd, 2018

My BookZone blog:
https://wordpress.com/post/bookblog20...

[Alan (on December semi-hiatus) Teder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frustrating, even for a Papaphile
Review of the Scribner hardcover edition (2018)

I have close to 100 Hemingway and Hemingway-related books on my GR Ernest Hemingway shelf, so I think I can safely say that makes me somewhat of an amateur Hemingway expert or Papaphile. Even so, I found this overview of the Hemingway Collection at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, MA to be a frustrating read.

There was no problem with the text portion which consisted of introductions and essays by son Patrick Hemingway, grandson Sean Hemingway, editor Michael Katakis, Hemingway Letters Project chief editor Sandra Spanier and others. The chronology was well organized and the selection of Hemingway letters used to tell the bulk of the story was well done.

Where the presentation falls down was that of the few hundred photographs used from the Hemingway Collection, about half of them are completely unidentified. In the most part, this is not a problem for a Papaphile, as the people or situations will be known to you from having seen them previously. For instance on page 128, it is no problem to identify the walrus-moustached gentleman as early Hemingway supporter Ford Madox Ford, but the face looking out of a skeletonized shark's jaw is completely unknown to me and the postage stamp sized marlin trophy photo provides no information whatsoever (with the aid of a magnifying glass I can tell that Hemingway is one of the people in it). In the photos on facing page 129, I think the people in them are Baron Von Blixen (ex-husband of writer Isak Dinesen) and a later wife, but that is just a guess. Anyway, many pages are like this, where the subjects, situations, locations and times remain completely unknown and are left to the guesswork of the reader.

Another such example was on pg. 152 where even movie icon Lauren Bacall was left unidentified.

Veronica (Rocky) Cooper (wife of actor Gary Cooper), Ernest Hemingway and Lauren Bacall at a cafe in Cuba. (I have seen this photo previously also, but with the woman on the left identified as Slim Keith and the location as Spain) Image sourced from Inside Ernest Hemingway's Private Photo Album.

So this was a mixed bag, frustrating for the fan and probably incomprehensible to the casual reader. Scribner's really should have done a proper job for their star author.

Trivia and Link
Curiously, for a photo heavy book, Artifacts from a Life also exists in an audiobook edition, where at least there will be no frustration about the unidentified photographs.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a truly beautiful book that brings part of the Ernest Hemingway Collection at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library to your fingertips. I feel the need to begin this review by explaining how the book came into my life. In May of 2018, I was granted access by the publisher to an advance digital copy of the book, in exchange for an honest review. I immediately downloaded the digital copy and began perusing the photos, and when I saw the artifacts laid out in print, I realized the heaviness and the importance of what I was reviewing. At that time, it was too soon after my father's death and the grief I experienced in taking care of his belongings. I expect that anyone who has had the experience of looking through the artifacts of a departed person will understand the depth of feelings they bring up. When a person is not there to tell their own story, but you see the letters, souvenirs, photos, postcards, and all of the seemingly insignificant papers that they leave behind - there is something beautiful about seeing that part of them and putting together the mystery of a person's lifetime.

Due to the amount of biographies and personal information available, one would assume that Ernest Hemingway's lifetime is less of a mystery to us than someone who is not such a well known public figure. I think that's part of the beauty of this book. It is not a wealth of information about Ernest Hemingway - there are certainly more comprehensive biographies and in-depth information available. The magic comes from seeing so many photos of Hemingway and his family through all stages of his life. The candid look at personal letters he wrote, the clear recreation of news clippings and scrapbook pages, and so many tiny parts of his life that remain to tell his story and give us a glimpse of what was once important to him. It is a very human way of looking at a well-known, larger-than-life personality.

I mentioned before that I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher, however, that is not the same book that I am currently reviewing. After the book was published, I purchased a hardcover copy and read it cover to cover, allowing ample time to marvel over all of the images and artifacts. Most of the handwritten items were also transcribed, but I read the original handwriting nonetheless, just in case there may be some extra meaning or emphasis that could be lost in the transcription.

Having seen both the hardcover version of this book, and a digital copy, I wholeheartedly recommend the hardcover version. To have it in your hands and turn the pages feels only one step removed from having the actual artifacts in your hands. The digital copy has its own benefits as well, but for me, the printed book is worth every penny.

[Софія Радіон · Rating 5 out of 5]

Спочатку я думала дати оцінку 4 бали, бо мені не вистачило розповідей взаємовідносин Гема з дітьми, який він був в сім'ї. Але, в самому кінці, я зрозуміла, що особистість дядечка Гема настільки цікава, що неможливо все вмістити в одну книгу.
Навіть якщо ви не читали всі його твори, то після цієї книги точно виникне таке бажання😏

[Natalia Vus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ця книжка - неймовірний досвід. Як на мене, це видання унікальне. Тут життя Гемінґвея на тлі світових подій. Багато фотографій, листів. Неймовірне задоволення. Я й до того любила читати його твори, а зараз тим більше.
Його життя - як сюжет книги. Хочу прочитати ще одну його біографію ❤️

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique bio of this literary legend, one that adds greatly to the understanding of “Papa.” The author was invited by the Hemingway family to manage his literary estate, so had access to a treasure trove of 11,000 photos, 6000+ letters and an array of memorabilia. A beautifully curated segment is included in this book, giving a glorious peek at Hemingway’s life in a fashion not otherwise possible. 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine. Pub Date 23 Oct 2018. ErnestHemingwayArtifactsFromALife #NetGalley

[Olena Brazhnyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ця книжка не розкриє усіх секретів Гемінґвея, але стане чудовою подорожжю у часі. Вона нагадує старий сімейний фотоальбом, де картки супроводжуються коментарями, вклеєними листами, де можна зустріти незграбні дитячі малюнки і квитки з пам'ятних подій. Не всі фотографії підписані, тому багато чого можна дофантазувати або звернутись до інших джерел у пошуках істини. Ернест говорить до читача рядками листів: до друзів, родини, критиків та видавців (зазначено, що збереглося біля 6 тисяч листів письменника, у цьому виданні є вибране). Можна побачити обкладинки перших видань романів та оповідань і автографи текстів.
Видання складе чудовий тандем із "Гемінгвей" Мері Дірборн, що виходила у Нашому форматі 2018, яка містить жваво написану біографію письменника із розлогим цитуванням, але не містить жодного візуального супроводу, та спогадами Ернеста "Празник, который всегда с тобой".
Наприкінці "Артефактів з життя" є чудова добірка джерел, до яких варто звернутись, вивчаючи спадщину Гемінґвея, але вони переважно англомовні. Натомість же твори автора зараз активно друкуються в українському перекладі від ВСЛ. Онук письменника вважає, що саме вони будуть більш промовистими, аніж будь-яка біографія :)

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this ebook from Scribner Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Katakis has created a masterful examination of Ernest Hemingway's life, which is beautifully accentuated by letters, photographs, musings, and family writings. While I am not always a fan of Hemingway's novels, I have always been fascinated by the life he got to lead and the history he got to experience. This work adds to and explores so much that I did not know, and anyone interested in history, literature, biographies, art, language, and Hemingway would be remiss to not read this wonderful edition.

[Brian Rothbart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read too many books on Hemingway, but he is one of my favorite authors. I have visited his house in Key West and have always admired him. This is a great biography of the man. and I believe those that have never read anything by the man or have read all his books and biographies will equally love this book. Highly recommend.

[Adrika_G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Na pár faktických chýb a obsahových nedostatkov skvelá skvelá skvelá kniha! :) Neviem si predstaviť ako lepšie a intímnejšie spoznať človeka než cez jeho fotografie a korešpondenciu, ktorej tu bolo požehnane. Autor nás previedol všetkými rokmi života Ernesta Hemingwaya a nezabúdal pritom na informácie o tom, čo sa deje vo svete. Za mňa veľký plus vedieť aj toto - v akom prostredí daná osoba žila.

Teraz sa mi pýta ešte ďalšia, obšírnejšia biografia o EH. “Artefakty zo života” sú však must-have buď ako základné minimum o Hemingwayovi alebo ako úžasný doplnok k obšírnejšiemu dielu. Tak či tak vrelo odporúčam. :)

[Barb reads......it ALL! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! I've been fascinated by Papa for decades. The man, the writer, the sportman, the soldier... the legend. All of them captured in this must-have, large format book from Scribners.

[Андріан · Rating 4 out of 5]

«Усі добрі книжки схожі між собою в тому, що вони правдивіші, ніж якби їхні сюжети відбувалися насправді, і коли ви закінчите читати таку книжку, то відчуватимете, що все це трапилося з вами і після цього належить вам: добро і зло, екстаз, каяття та скорбота, люди, місця та погода. Якщо вам вдасться зрозуміти це і передати це відчуття людям, тоді ви письменник».

Якщо чесно, Гемінгвей ніколи не був моїм улюбленим письменником і я сприймав його більше як культурний феномен. І складно сказати, що ця книжка якось інакше відкрила для мене письменника або пояснила його творчість під інакшим кутом. Це швидше естетичні фотографії Ернеста та його родини, уривки листів і творів, які показують бекграунд письменника, його витоки, те, як він творив і для чого. Переглядаючи фотографії та листи я трохи позаздрив тому, як добре задокументоване у цих артефактах його життя. Складно уявити, що ми зможемо на такому рівні відстежити створення тексту або прочитати листування сучасних авторів.

«Якщо люди приносять стільки мужності у цей світ, світ, який повинен їх вбити, щоб зламати, то, звичайно, йому доведеться їх вбити. Світ ламає всіх, і після того багато хто стає сильнішим у зламаних місцях. Але тих, хто не зламається, він вбивае. Він вбиває неупереджено: дуже добрих, лагідних та мужніх. Якщо ви не є одним із таких людей, то можете бути впевнені, що він вбʼє і вас, але без особливого поспіху».

Книжка розкриває його відношення до смерті, стосунки з батьками та особисте життям, це створює трохи реалістичніший образ, ніж це роблять його твори. Вони достатньо щирі, щоб за ними мати змогу оцінити Ернеста як особистість, навіть його онукам старші, щоб пізнати свого дідуся радять читати його твори.

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ernest Hemingway: Artifacts From a Life
by Michael Katakis

Scribner

Biographies & Memoirs
Pub Date 23 Oct 2018



I am reviewing a copy of Ernest Hemingway Artifacts From A Life through Scribner and Netgalley:


Ernest Hemingway was born on July.21.1899 in Oak Park Illinois which was at the time a Conservative suburb of Chicago. His Father Clarence was a doctor and his Mother Grace Hall Hemingway was a musician and a music teacher.


In 1921 Hemmingway Marries Hadley Richardson, they had planned to go to Italy but after learning Paris is the literary center, and offers cheap living they head to Paris.


In 1923 Hemingway’s first book three stories and ten poems is privately published. Hemingway would go on to meet such big names in literature such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein.

Ernest Hemingway and Hadley would have two children together before they are divorced. And on May.10.1927 Ernest Hemingway married Pauline Marie Pfeiffer. He would later divorce Pauline and marry Martha Gelhorn, followed by a final marriage to Mary Welsh Hemingway.



Included in this book are rare photographs and artifacts of Hemingway's life.


This book includes over four hundred images forewords from his Son Patrick and his grandson Sean as well as Letters to all four of his wives. We learn of his running with the bulls in Spain to the mental illness that would lead to his suicide in 1961.


I give Ernest Hemingway: Artifacts from Life five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

In recent years, two publications of essentially photographic reproductions and built around Ernest Hemingway’s life have seen the light of day: 1) Hemingway: A Life in Pictures and 2) Ernest Hemingway: Artifacts from a Life. Both volumes have drawn heavily from the photographs archived in the Hemmingway Collection in the J.F. Kennedy Presidential Library.

Hemingway: A Life in Pictures was published in 2014. Its organization is thematic, ordered around what the editor calls the physical geography of Hemingway’s works. The text offers critical summaries of some of his works. The primary text accompanying Ernest Hemingway: Artifacts from a Life, published in 2018 and written by Michael Katakis, moves the reader through the years of Hemingway’s artistic production, situating Hemingway and his work within some of the major issues and/or activities of each year. While the earlier volume is primarily biographical, the second is situational.

Both provide engaging insights into Hemingway--into the man and his creativity. The photographic reproductions in the more recent volume are, however, less well-known. It is also better edited: the 2014 book has a number of errors that should have been caught by an editor.
But the newer work, although better edited, has its own limitations. The major one is the lack of descriptions for the bulk of the photo and artifacts. A middle section titled “Artifacts from a Life” has 72 pages of photographic reproductions of artifacts mostly unlabeled.

In addition to the text and pictures, the 2018 book includes essays by Carol Hemingway, Tom Putnam and Sandra Spanier—all three engaging and informative. If it were not for the absence of labels, the book would merit 5 stars.

[Charles Knapp · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finished this book because I started it and refused to give up. That's why I gave it two stars, although one-and-a-half is closer. I found it slow reading and mostly letters from the Letters Project. The Project is a masterpiece of scholarship but this application of it is misplaced. Letters are great for scholarly research but make for boring reading when they are lined up one after another.
The pictures are not coherently organized-sometimes they don't relate to the page they are on; for example there is a picture of Gregory hunting in Idaho placed in the section about Hadley and Paris. Another shows EH, with white hair and beard, sitting beside a stream and writing; this is labeled "corridas in Pamplona"; if so, it was very late in his life and it is in color and in the Paris/Pamplona section. A lot of the pictures are not labeled clearly. In fact a lot of the pictures are not labeled at all as far as I could see but the ones that are labeled are not in clear order, and often in VERY small print. The ids are often numbered but not the photos. One is downright poor English, the one labeled "Hemingway stepping out of a canoe with a rifle". Which has the rifle-which BTW is an over-and-under shotgun by all appearances,-Hemingway or the canoe? This goes on and on.
I could edit the book page by page but won't. Neither can I recommend it, especially not at the price.

[Martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ernest Hemingway je spisovateľ, ktorého pozná snáď každý, knihomoli aj tí menej knižne orientovaní, jeho knihy sú jedinečné, jeho štýl vycibrený, pútavý, nadčasový. Aj preto sa jeho texty neustále tešia obľube, a to ako v odbornejších literárnych kruhoch, tak i u širokej verejnosti.

Kniha Ernest Hemingway Artefakty zo života čitateľom neponúka len stručný životopis a zhrnutie Hemingwayových literárnych počinov. Artefakty predstavujú ucelený obraz autorovho života od detstva až po tragický koniec. Hemingwayov život opisujú nielen slovom, doplnený (a v mnohom výstižnejší) je o rozsiahlu fotografickú prílohu a autentickú korešpondenciu.

Listy, ktoré písal príbuzným, priateľom, spisovateľom či kritikom vykresľujú jedinečný portrét E. Hemingwaya a vlastne aj 20. storočia. Približujú jeho detstvo, priateľstvá, manželstvá, rodinné aj obchodné vzťahy. A práve svojou neviazanosťou, spontánnosťou je jeho korešpondencia vzácna.

Spolu s bohatým fotografickým archívom nám predstavuje Hemingwaya nielen ako spisovateľa, ale aj ako človeka.

Bezstarostné dieťa, mladého novinára, vojaka, nádejného spisovateľa, otca, opakovaného manžela, vášnivého lovca a milovníka bíčích zápasov, utrapeného muža, ktorý bojoval a psychickými problémami.

Artefakty sú jednoznačne graficky (i obsahovo) krásny vydavateľský kúsok, ktorý by nemal chýbať v knižnici žiadneho milovníka Hemingwaya.

[Cindy Norton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Katakis did an excellent job researching and writing this biography of Ernest Hemingway. I love the title "Artifacts From a Life" and that is exactly the feel one gets from this reading experience. Katakis includes many letters, photographs, musings, and family writings. Patrick Hemingway, Hemingway’s middle son, was increasing aware of the treasure trove of material his father left to the family. He meet Michael Katakis and they became friends. After his trust and admiration for Michael grew, Patrick asked Michael “if he would be interested in managing his father’s literary estate.” Michael felt it to be a daunting task and turned him down but with much persuading, he finally relented. Ernest Hemingway: Artifacts From a Life is the result of Michael Katakis spending nineteen years pouring through the massive amount of artifacts from Ernest Hemingway and listening to Hemingway's family tell stories about his life. Ernest Hemingway was a complicated man. In this biography one gets a sense of his human side which, as in all humans, includes good and not so good. It is a great read for anyone who likes history, biographies, and learning about authors. Even if you are not a big fan of Hemingway you can find it interesting to see this window into his life.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Для того, щоб написати про життя, ви спочатку мусите його прожити" Е. Г.

"Е.Г. Артефакти з життя" не є біографією письменника в класичному розумінні цього, це швидше альбом з найяскравішими моментами, які насичували його життя та водночас п��тівник життям автора, яке яскраво переплітається з гострими подіями 20 ст. В книзі наведено основні факти з життя Ернеста Гемінґвея та людей, що його оточували, листи Ернеста до друзів, коханих жінок та батьків, а також "власне артефакти", а саме - квитки на бої биків, телеграми, вирізки з газет, де були опубліковані його перші оповідання, обкладинки перших видань його книг та ін. Книга насичена великою кількістю фотографій, як і з дитинства, так і з дорослого життя автора, які власне показують, що старий добрий Ерні вмів жити зі смаком. Книга дуже чудово та якісно оформлена, рекомендується всім прихильникам творів автора, кому було завжди цікаво зазирнути "за лаштунки". Однак, варто зауважити, що тут ви, можливо не знайдете для себе якихось конкретних відповідей ��ро його життя, скоріше, ця книга підштовхне вас до роздумів і подальшого дослідження його біографії. В плані дизайну і друку книга виконана чудово і дуже якісно - читати, гортати і візуально насолоджуватись.

[Darcysmom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review.
I have spent most of my reading life having very mixed, leaning toward negative feelings about Ernest Hemingway. I will freely admit that these feelings were based on a small selection of his writing that didn't do much for me. When I had the opportunity to read Ernest Hemingway: Artifacts From A Life, I was actively looking to learn more about Hemingway the man and the author. This book delivered all I was looking for and more.
The introduction and corresponding text were thoughtful and well researched. The artifacts were amazing! Letters, pictures, and drafts of his work were shared with the reader, and in my case opened the world and work of Ernest Hemingway in a whole new way. He became human and fascinating. His work was put in context with his life and world events.
By the end of the book, I found myself wanting to delve deeper than a few short stories and A Farewell to Arms. I am very much looking forward to exploring his writing with a new and more educated perspective.

[Justine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aside from Ernest Hemingway's tragic death, I don't know much about him outside of his literary work. I suppose through his own words I thought I got a sense of the sort of man he was. I often wondered what inspired his stories. Authors usually draw inspiration from their own lives and put it into their work.

I feel as though after reading Ernest Hemingway: Artifacts From Life by Michael Katakis, I learned a lot more about this man that is both loved and hated by people well-versed in contemporary works of literature. I appreciated being able to look at the compilation of artifacts from Hemingway's life. There is always something so alluring about learning about another person's life, even more so when you can see tiny details from the life they lived, the places they went, the letters they wrote, and so on. I know several people who would love to own something like this and I would without hesitation recommend this book to them.

Received review copy from #NetGalley

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ernest Hemingway: Artifacts from a Life provides a unique and intimate look at the life of one of the literary greats of all time.

Michael Katakis was asked by Patrick Hemingway, Hemingway's middle son, to manage his father's literary estate. As many of Hemingway's books were based on his own life experiences, he was in the habit of keeping everything to aid his memory. As a result, there are 11,000 pictures, over 6,000 letters and a wide variety of memorabilia covering Hemingway's life. Katakis does a phenomenal job of selecting photos, letters, and other artifacts from that collection, and intertwining them with world events happening at the time, and facts about Hemingway's life to create this book. It is one of the best biographies I have ever read. I found it so enthralling, I read it in one sitting.

My thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this exceptional book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

[Patricia Romero · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always been fascinated with Papa Hemingway. The legends are many and larger than life. What is true and what is just colorful tale? He was so many things besides a writer. 

I've read many books about the man and his wives and children. Some not so flattering. This author tells the story of his life through his own documents, letters and things he kept for his own reasons. There are photographs documenting his public and private lives, although he seemed to be pretty up front and public about everything he did.

He was driven to be in the middle of the action. To me he seemed to have an insatiable curiosity about everything and every one. The author has done a wonderful job of putting together all of these things and we get a really good look at the life of a man who was bigger than life.

Very Well Done!

Netgalley/ Scribner October 23, 2018

[Pavlo Shchepan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Підходив до книжки з настроєм, що Гемінгвей — складна особистість, лицемір, весь просякнутий удаваною маскулінністю, пʼяниця. В книжці ж цього майже нема. Книжка натомість показує людину, якій варто поспівчувати (принаймні в останні роки життя).
У ній начебто нічого й не приховується, але й не загострюється. Все можна зрозуміти самому, з листів, з фотографій. Так, у нього був складний характер, але він не був якимось монстром. Натомість писав про улюблене — життя. Хоч і помер не зовсім, як життєлюб.
Після такої історії вкотре переконуєшся в тому як же важливо слідкувати за своїм ментальним здоровʼям. Скільки людей загинуло через незнання і нерозуміння того, що в них є ще цей інший ментальний бік, який часто вимагає підвищеної турботи.

[Bonnie Irwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is truly a beautiful book. Filled with just a sampling of letters and artifacts from Hemingway's life, the book covers the entire span of his life, from his birth in Oak Park, IL, to his death in Ketchum, ID. In between, Europe, Africa, Key West and Cuba, and scores of writers and artists he met along the way. In the end, I agree with others that to truly know him, one has to read his books as well, but this volume is a great start to learning more about the man and the twentieth century he inhabited.

[Sjors · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated but at times poorly captioned collection of various things (letters, pictures, items) once owned by or related to the writer Ernest Hemingway. There is a very thin biographical thread through the book, but this "highlights of the Hemingway collection" project had so much more potential in my view. It seems that someone wanted to churn out a quick coffee table book, and they succeeded. Missed opportunity, Katakis!

Still, for the Hemingway aficionado there is a lot of material to feast the eyes on and fill in some of the visual gaps in serious biographies.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my very first read of a biography for this titan of American literature. Great choice as it was not lengthy and it was presented in a creative way through letters, history and direct quotes. It has certainly piquied my interest greatly, to visit the John F. Kennedy Library in MA where all of Hemingway's artifacts and writings are kept. Well done, especially as read by Michael Katakis himself. Truly grateful that writers of today are still interested and intrigued enough to writer about the past, especially Hemingway's.

[Pat Rolston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a concise and exceptionally well done rendition of Hemingway’s life largely through his letters. The author weaves in basic, but very interesting background regarding EH and then provides letters from the tender age of eight to his late fifty’s. The timeline of his life is also supplemented with brief commentary on seminal events of each year. Hemingway’s life was certainly rich with material, but there is almost too much attempted by most folks who take on his biography. There are few authors who deliver information as efficiently and with such effect as this fine fellow.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great effort to share the archived Hemingway photos and documents, but assumes one already is very familiar with the books and biographies. What isn't there is important in order to interpret what is, in my opinion. Also, the choice of font and ink, the photographed documents being so often unreadable, and the long section in the middle of great photos with no captions, hindered the book's presentation.

[David Russomano · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book seemed to have a bit of an identity crisis. It didn't know what it wanted to be. Was it a scrapbook? A volume of selected letters? A collection of essays? A short biography? All of these components could've been brought together in a more coherent fashion than they were here. Despite that, it was interesting and insightful, especially for anyone who is curious about Hemingway's life, times, and work.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Artifacts From a Life is a collection of letters and photographs from Hemingway's life, with accompanying explanatory text. It was pretty good, and I enjoyed it. But then, I'm a big Hemingway fan. I had hoped, however, for a little more variety in the "artifacts." Like I mentioned: it's letters and a few photographs. That's it. You're likely to learn a good bit about Hemingway (especially if you hadn't read up on him before), but you won't see pictures of his favorite rum glass.