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The Snows of Kilimanjaro/The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber
Enthält auch die Geschichte „Das kurze glückliche Leben des Francis Macomber“.
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First published January 1, 1936
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About the author
Ernest Hemingway
2,207 books32.4k followersErnest 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
March 28, 2021
In 1933, Ernest Hemingway and his second wife Pauline embarked on a ten week safari in Eastern Africa. Both "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" and "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" were inspired by this trip.
"The Snows of Kilimanjaro":
This short story is about a dying man. Harry and his wife Helen are on a hunting trip near Kilimanjaro. Harry suffers from gangrene after an injury. The car is broken and they are waiting for a plane to airlift Harry to the hospital. While he lays there dying, Harry argues with Helen and reminisces about the past - his wartime experience in Austria, his trips to Turkey... He also regrets that he won't be able to write the books he wished he had written.
I found this short story very strange. On the one hand, it contains a lot of autobiographical elements of Hemingway's life (Harry is a writer too, wartime experience in Europe, living in Paris, multiple marriages, heavy drinking problem etc.). But on the other hand, I didn't quite get the "ramblings". Hemingway wrote this in 1933 which is 28 years before his own death (suicide). Yet it almost feels like deathbed confession. Very depressing short story.
"The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber":
Another couple, Francis and Margot are on a hunting trip in Eastern Africa. They hire a white hunter named Wilson to accompany them on their expedition. During the first hunt, Francis' cowardice reveals itself. Instead of shooting at the wounded lion, he runs away. Margot is ashamed by this "unmanly" behavior and spends the night with Wilson which provokes further anger in Francis. The next day they go buffalo hunting and Francis is a much better hunter. But something bad happens.
The suspense of this story lay in the strained and tense relationships between the three main characters. The events gradually culminate in a shocking ending. Hemingway's relationship with women was very difficult. Again, this was a very strange story and I find it hard to muster any sympathy for hunters. I hate the hunting aspects of these short stories and the colonial feeling of these expeditions. Probably not going to read Hemingway anymore.
"The Snows of Kilimanjaro":
This short story is about a dying man. Harry and his wife Helen are on a hunting trip near Kilimanjaro. Harry suffers from gangrene after an injury. The car is broken and they are waiting for a plane to airlift Harry to the hospital. While he lays there dying, Harry argues with Helen and reminisces about the past - his wartime experience in Austria, his trips to Turkey... He also regrets that he won't be able to write the books he wished he had written.
I found this short story very strange. On the one hand, it contains a lot of autobiographical elements of Hemingway's life (Harry is a writer too, wartime experience in Europe, living in Paris, multiple marriages, heavy drinking problem etc.). But on the other hand, I didn't quite get the "ramblings". Hemingway wrote this in 1933 which is 28 years before his own death (suicide). Yet it almost feels like deathbed confession. Very depressing short story.
"The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber":
Another couple, Francis and Margot are on a hunting trip in Eastern Africa. They hire a white hunter named Wilson to accompany them on their expedition. During the first hunt, Francis' cowardice reveals itself. Instead of shooting at the wounded lion, he runs away. Margot is ashamed by this "unmanly" behavior and spends the night with Wilson which provokes further anger in Francis. The next day they go buffalo hunting and Francis is a much better hunter. But something bad happens.
The suspense of this story lay in the strained and tense relationships between the three main characters. The events gradually culminate in a shocking ending. Hemingway's relationship with women was very difficult. Again, this was a very strange story and I find it hard to muster any sympathy for hunters. I hate the hunting aspects of these short stories and the colonial feeling of these expeditions. Probably not going to read Hemingway anymore.
March 4, 2024
This is the book that contains two of Hemingway’s masterpieces – Kilimanjaro and Macomber. I decided it was finally a chance to read the rest of the stories, one or two of which I had read before. None of the writing is bad. And one or two of the other stories have value. “50 Grand“, for example. Some like “a Clean, Well-Lighted Place.” But there are only two masterpieces in this short collection. Two works of genius in a book of 186 pages. Hemingway was always uneven, of course; some of the best of books (The Sun Also Rises and Old Man and the Sea), and more than a few that are weaker, even overrated. Still, that is quite a ratio. As genius is hard. Even for geniuses. So 5 stars for the masterpieces!
January 31, 2017
I enjoyed The Short Happy Life... better than The Snows Of Kilimanjaro. They were interestingly similar and opposing. Hemingway does an excellent job of describing the natural world but I thought human emotions were captured a bit better in Happy Life. It was so complex and had a genius ending. It was a 5 star story. Kilimanjaro was still well written but didn't capture my imagination as much. I disliked the protagonist. But still 4 stars.
February 6, 2017
Two of Ernest Hemingway's short stories with the setting of Africa. The other work not here is his book The Green Hills of Africa. The stories both occur on safaris. The Short, Happy Life of Francis Macomber involves the hunting of wild animals in the narrative. Animal rights activists would condemn the way the characters go about that activity. Besides the animal victims, there are the three human characters: the hunter and guide Wilson and his customers the lamentable couple Francis and Margot Macomber. Macomber is transformed from fearful to bold during the hunts. The characters' portraits are fascinating, showing the flaws of each one. The surprise ending involving their motivations might be open to interpretation.
In The Snows of Kilimanjaro, there's no hunting for sport as in Macomber. Rather, the couple Harry and a woman referred to as Memsahib linger a couple weeks with Harry's illness. The honorary distinction Memsahib refers to her married state, her being light-skinned, and her privileged social origins. In this narrative, Harry the writer is laid up in camp with an infected leg and Memsahib is countering his pessimism about an expected rescue with reassurances and hopefulness. His mind wanders to the many adventurous stories from his earlier years which he regretfully has yet to pen. Those italicized reminiscences are a lively opposition to his resting state. Memsahib is a devoted wife and a financially independent woman by contrast to faithless Margot in the Macomber tale. I like the ending quite a bit. Hemingway brings the story back around to a frozen leopard from the beginning. The setting is in the shadow of Kilimanjaro, considered Africa's highest mountain. Just for that reason the ending is majestic; but it's also spiritually symbolic as the dead man approaches its peak.
In The Snows of Kilimanjaro, there's no hunting for sport as in Macomber. Rather, the couple Harry and a woman referred to as Memsahib linger a couple weeks with Harry's illness. The honorary distinction Memsahib refers to her married state, her being light-skinned, and her privileged social origins. In this narrative, Harry the writer is laid up in camp with an infected leg and Memsahib is countering his pessimism about an expected rescue with reassurances and hopefulness. His mind wanders to the many adventurous stories from his earlier years which he regretfully has yet to pen. Those italicized reminiscences are a lively opposition to his resting state. Memsahib is a devoted wife and a financially independent woman by contrast to faithless Margot in the Macomber tale. I like the ending quite a bit. Hemingway brings the story back around to a frozen leopard from the beginning. The setting is in the shadow of Kilimanjaro, considered Africa's highest mountain. Just for that reason the ending is majestic; but it's also spiritually symbolic as the dead man approaches its peak.
December 6, 2019
La edición que leí contaba con tres relatos mas, aparte de los dos: Las nieves del kilimanjaro y la corta vía feliz de Francis macomber.
-Las nieves del kilimanjaro: relato que da nombre a éste libro. Relato, el cual transcurre con dos personajes, una pareja de esposos que en un Safari a África, se ven frente a un evento inesperado. El esposo, tras sufrir una herida en la pierna que aparentaba ser inofensiva, y al no tratarse la misma. Ahora padece una gangrena, la cual avanza abruptamente.
En este estado el hombre, el cual aparte de la caza y recorrer el mundo, es escritor. Se verá ensimismado en pensamientos, reflexiones y cavilaciones. De las cuáles las más recurrentes serán aquellas referentes a empresas sin cumplir y un aparente arrepentimiento sobre la vida que al final decidió vivir. Y la que según sería está; llena de comodidades, lujos, dinero y facilidades. La que truncaría todo aquello que hizo a un lado.
Hemingway consigue introducirnos en la piel del protagonistas, sentir como sufrir cada uno de sus recurrentes recuerdos. En los que las vivencias desglosaran tragedias y gratos momentos. Hasta la cúspide del relato mismo en la que el autor hará gala de su pluma al ofrecernos un desenlace tanto onírico como funesto.
-La breve vida feliz de francis Macomber
El segundo relato que compone el presente título, sigue la línea del anterior respecto al escenario en el que colinas y sabana africana hacen parte, además del ser protagonizado de igual forma por un matrimonio con notables fisuras en su relación; llena de irrespeto, desconfianza, interés, monotonía e infidelidad. Acá solo cambia los roles en cuanto al acaudalado, siendo el esposo quien lleve esa batuta. Pero la única por su falta de convicción, seguridad y más que obvia cobardía.
Durante el transcurso del relato se develará aquel principal inconveniente que hacía de éste matrimonio algo más sostenido por las conveniencias que el dinero otorga. Y no lo que en realidad se espera de una pareja de esposos viviendo tanto tiempo.
Hemingway, muestra como hasta en el entorno más inoportuno, logran surgir los típicos baches en una relación. Además del como conseguir la evolución de un personaje y finalmente el darnos nuevamente una conclusión digna para una tragedia griega.
-La capital del mundo
Hemingway durante toda su vida tendrá contadas pasiones, en las que la cacería, el boxeo y la tauromaquia, serían algunas que mas harían eco en sus posteriores biografías. Pero de las cuales, también habrían aquellas por las que el mismo autor optaría como inspiración.
La fiesta brava compone el trasfondo de este relato, contándonos la historia del joven Paco. Al cuál su vida en mas de una ocasión habrá puesto a prueba, residiendo en Madrid y viviendo rodeado de banderilleros, picadores y subalternos, será inevitable el que no surga tal pasión hacía las corridas taurinas.
Es así como el destino y llevado por una euforia canalizada en acto de inmadurez, nuevamente le dará una arremetida.
-Un viejo en el puente
El relato mas breve y conciso del compendio de este libro, pero que igual no deja indiferente y recala muy en el fondo tras su lectura. . Dar mas detalles es mitigar el abrupto golpe que aguardan sus escasas páginas.
-Allá en Michigan
Último relato del presente título, el cual baja el telón dejando una sensación de suma simpleza, en comparación al resto de relatos. Pero que puede servir de ejemplo, de como conseguir hacer descripciones explícitas. Un rasgo muy recurrente en la obra de hemingway, lo cual dota a su pluma de un lenguaje muy simple, pero efectivo.
-Las nieves del kilimanjaro: relato que da nombre a éste libro. Relato, el cual transcurre con dos personajes, una pareja de esposos que en un Safari a África, se ven frente a un evento inesperado. El esposo, tras sufrir una herida en la pierna que aparentaba ser inofensiva, y al no tratarse la misma. Ahora padece una gangrena, la cual avanza abruptamente.
En este estado el hombre, el cual aparte de la caza y recorrer el mundo, es escritor. Se verá ensimismado en pensamientos, reflexiones y cavilaciones. De las cuáles las más recurrentes serán aquellas referentes a empresas sin cumplir y un aparente arrepentimiento sobre la vida que al final decidió vivir. Y la que según sería está; llena de comodidades, lujos, dinero y facilidades. La que truncaría todo aquello que hizo a un lado.
Hemingway consigue introducirnos en la piel del protagonistas, sentir como sufrir cada uno de sus recurrentes recuerdos. En los que las vivencias desglosaran tragedias y gratos momentos. Hasta la cúspide del relato mismo en la que el autor hará gala de su pluma al ofrecernos un desenlace tanto onírico como funesto.
-La breve vida feliz de francis Macomber
El segundo relato que compone el presente título, sigue la línea del anterior respecto al escenario en el que colinas y sabana africana hacen parte, además del ser protagonizado de igual forma por un matrimonio con notables fisuras en su relación; llena de irrespeto, desconfianza, interés, monotonía e infidelidad. Acá solo cambia los roles en cuanto al acaudalado, siendo el esposo quien lleve esa batuta. Pero la única por su falta de convicción, seguridad y más que obvia cobardía.
Durante el transcurso del relato se develará aquel principal inconveniente que hacía de éste matrimonio algo más sostenido por las conveniencias que el dinero otorga. Y no lo que en realidad se espera de una pareja de esposos viviendo tanto tiempo.
Hemingway, muestra como hasta en el entorno más inoportuno, logran surgir los típicos baches en una relación. Además del como conseguir la evolución de un personaje y finalmente el darnos nuevamente una conclusión digna para una tragedia griega.
-La capital del mundo
Hemingway durante toda su vida tendrá contadas pasiones, en las que la cacería, el boxeo y la tauromaquia, serían algunas que mas harían eco en sus posteriores biografías. Pero de las cuales, también habrían aquellas por las que el mismo autor optaría como inspiración.
La fiesta brava compone el trasfondo de este relato, contándonos la historia del joven Paco. Al cuál su vida en mas de una ocasión habrá puesto a prueba, residiendo en Madrid y viviendo rodeado de banderilleros, picadores y subalternos, será inevitable el que no surga tal pasión hacía las corridas taurinas.
Es así como el destino y llevado por una euforia canalizada en acto de inmadurez, nuevamente le dará una arremetida.
-Un viejo en el puente
El relato mas breve y conciso del compendio de este libro, pero que igual no deja indiferente y recala muy en el fondo tras su lectura. . Dar mas detalles es mitigar el abrupto golpe que aguardan sus escasas páginas.
-Allá en Michigan
Último relato del presente título, el cual baja el telón dejando una sensación de suma simpleza, en comparación al resto de relatos. Pero que puede servir de ejemplo, de como conseguir hacer descripciones explícitas. Un rasgo muy recurrente en la obra de hemingway, lo cual dota a su pluma de un lenguaje muy simple, pero efectivo.
November 14, 2025
After reading these two major stories from the collection, I can say honestly: Hemingway is not my author. And this isn’t about “not understanding the classics” — it’s about the fact that his worldview and emotional tone are simply too far from mine on almost every level.
1. “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”
This story hit me — and not in the good, powerful-literature way.
The main character, Harry, is a man whose inner monologue is genuinely unpleasant to inhabit:
— full of contempt,
— emotional coldness,
— and a complete blindness to the woman beside him, who loves him yet receives nothing but bitterness in return.
Hemingway’s stripped-down style didn’t feel deep or elegant to me — just flat. A kind of intentional simplicity that reads less like craft and more like an emotional shutdown.
Behind the short sentences and sparse language, I didn’t find beauty or meaningful philosophy. If anything, the only “depth” comes from what a thoughtful reader brings into the text themselves.
And the portrayal of the woman? Although she’s written as caring, attentive, and genuinely present, she’s filtered entirely through Harry’s disgust. It’s not psychological complexity — it’s simply a narrow, dismissive gaze.
I know this story is often praised for its themes of wasted talent and fear of unrealized potential, but the execution felt chaotic and unanchored. No clear philosophical through-line, just fragments of memory and resentment.
2. “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”
If the first story made me uncomfortable, this one pushed me straight into rejection.
First of all, the woman in this story isn’t a character — she’s a sequence of clichés:
— first portrayed as a naïve, childish figure,
— then as an unprincipled seductress,
— and finally as a manipulative “femme fatale.”
This isn’t layered character work — it says more about Hemingway’s perspective than about the woman herself.
Second, the hunting scenes are written with such cold, vivid brutality that they were physically hard to read.
The blood, the pain, the drawn-out killing of animals — all presented as part of some masculine ritual that we’re apparently supposed to find meaningful or impressive.
I didn’t see honesty or primal force here — only violence presented without question.
And third: the “philosophy” in this story is almost nonexistent.
Instead of a thoughtful exploration of courage, transformation, or inner conflict, the story reduces to a predictable power struggle: fear, dominance, ego.
Conclusion
I’m glad I read these two stories — now I understand both why Hemingway is so admired and why he’s absolutely not for me.
This reading experience illuminated more about a certain worldview than about literature itself, and it’s simply a worldview I don’t connect with.
I don’t plan to continue reading Hemingway.
Too much coldness and brutality — and far too little soul.
1. “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”
This story hit me — and not in the good, powerful-literature way.
The main character, Harry, is a man whose inner monologue is genuinely unpleasant to inhabit:
— full of contempt,
— emotional coldness,
— and a complete blindness to the woman beside him, who loves him yet receives nothing but bitterness in return.
Hemingway’s stripped-down style didn’t feel deep or elegant to me — just flat. A kind of intentional simplicity that reads less like craft and more like an emotional shutdown.
Behind the short sentences and sparse language, I didn’t find beauty or meaningful philosophy. If anything, the only “depth” comes from what a thoughtful reader brings into the text themselves.
And the portrayal of the woman? Although she’s written as caring, attentive, and genuinely present, she’s filtered entirely through Harry’s disgust. It’s not psychological complexity — it’s simply a narrow, dismissive gaze.
I know this story is often praised for its themes of wasted talent and fear of unrealized potential, but the execution felt chaotic and unanchored. No clear philosophical through-line, just fragments of memory and resentment.
2. “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”
If the first story made me uncomfortable, this one pushed me straight into rejection.
First of all, the woman in this story isn’t a character — she’s a sequence of clichés:
— first portrayed as a naïve, childish figure,
— then as an unprincipled seductress,
— and finally as a manipulative “femme fatale.”
This isn’t layered character work — it says more about Hemingway’s perspective than about the woman herself.
Second, the hunting scenes are written with such cold, vivid brutality that they were physically hard to read.
The blood, the pain, the drawn-out killing of animals — all presented as part of some masculine ritual that we’re apparently supposed to find meaningful or impressive.
I didn’t see honesty or primal force here — only violence presented without question.
And third: the “philosophy” in this story is almost nonexistent.
Instead of a thoughtful exploration of courage, transformation, or inner conflict, the story reduces to a predictable power struggle: fear, dominance, ego.
Conclusion
I’m glad I read these two stories — now I understand both why Hemingway is so admired and why he’s absolutely not for me.
This reading experience illuminated more about a certain worldview than about literature itself, and it’s simply a worldview I don’t connect with.
I don’t plan to continue reading Hemingway.
Too much coldness and brutality — and far too little soul.
September 11, 2024
The outlier here wins it for me.
I was familiar with "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" before having seen the 1952 film with Gregory Peck.
In the book, I just can't respect his character for his boorish, unkind way of treating women.
Because the story primarily take place in a tent, the story seems rather flat to me,
It is not until the final scene, and that sentimental. iconic image, that I really enjoyed the story!
Without the mountain, perhaps Hemingway could have named the story. "As I Lay Dying"? ;)
Now the second story, (Which I was totally unfamiliar with), "The Short and Happy Life of Francis Macomber", is the one that I enjoyed the most. In it, there are three main characters, presented mainly through the points of view of the two leading male characters, Francis Macomber and Robert Wilson. Macomber, and his beautiful and restless wife Margot, are wealthy Americans who have hired the tough, field tested British hunting guide - Robert Wilson.
The dynamic energy inside this triangle drives the story.
This story again shows that no one can write a better hunting story than Ernest Hemingway.
I was familiar with "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" before having seen the 1952 film with Gregory Peck.
In the book, I just can't respect his character for his boorish, unkind way of treating women.
Because the story primarily take place in a tent, the story seems rather flat to me,
It is not until the final scene, and that sentimental. iconic image, that I really enjoyed the story!
Without the mountain, perhaps Hemingway could have named the story. "As I Lay Dying"? ;)
Now the second story, (Which I was totally unfamiliar with), "The Short and Happy Life of Francis Macomber", is the one that I enjoyed the most. In it, there are three main characters, presented mainly through the points of view of the two leading male characters, Francis Macomber and Robert Wilson. Macomber, and his beautiful and restless wife Margot, are wealthy Americans who have hired the tough, field tested British hunting guide - Robert Wilson.
The dynamic energy inside this triangle drives the story.
This story again shows that no one can write a better hunting story than Ernest Hemingway.
July 25, 2023
One of the best books ever, and some of Hemingway's best work. This book is comparable in importance to For Whom the Bell Tolls. I don't know how such a masterpiece can be given anything less than a 5.
October 21, 2023
Hemingway’s style has a lovely evolution later in his career — the tenets of his skeletal prose remain, but he dresses it up and makes more subversive narrative choices. The Snows of Kilimanjaro is the superior piece, but both are tightly constructed and immensely satisfying to read.
November 30, 2017
It reads like a well written high-school piece
March 2, 2018
he does paint a picture...
November 27, 2018
The Snows of Kilimanjaro is a depressing and sickening story about a bitter man who takes out his bitterness on his wife before he dies a miserable death. Next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2019
Wonderful examples of Hemingway's short stories.
November 22, 2019
Interesting two short stories with the always succinct and entertaining Hemingway storytelling.
Read
August 16, 2020Kilimanjaro stuck in my mind
May 7, 2022
Two of Hemingway's better known short stories first published in 1936 nicely read by Alexander Adams and both set in Africa.
May 25, 2024
This story hit really close to home.
November 14, 2025
Just read the snows of Kilimanjaro. Not entirely sure I knew what was going on. Potentially not smart enough, or perhaps just not familiar enough with Hemingway. Nonetheless 👍👍
July 7, 2011
I read "The Short happy Life of Francis Macomber). I think I liked this one because of how it got me thinking. Hemingway was so exact with his use of symbols and images - (spoiler alert) and really does anyone know if Margaret really meant to do it?
As a reader we are never privileged to know the thoughts of Mrs. Macomber. We know what she says and we know the thoughts of Wilson, who in the end leads the reader to believe that she shot her husband on purpose. Wilson said, “That was a pretty thing to do…He would have left you too” (671). This comment seems to be Wilsons way of letting Margot know that he has something on her now – a sort of black mail to keep her from telling anyone about his “illegal” hunting practices. The reality is that Margot’s guilt or innocence could be argued either way. She could have been just like her husband, a scared coward in the face of a viscous animal (the knowledge that she had lost control of her husband and life), or she could have been trying to save her husband. Her reaction, “crying hysterically,” causes the confusion in the scene. If she did do it on purpose why would she react this way, unless she was a great actress? Hemmingway seems to want the reader to believe that it was a deliberate act. By allowing us into the thoughts of Wilson he is able to lay the groundwork for that conclusion.
Wilson thoughtfully notices Margot’s different attributes. He sees her physical beauty noting that “she [has a very perfect oval face, so perfect that you expect her to be stupid. But she [isn’t] stupid, Wilson thought, no, not stupid.” Not to misjudge Margot’s abilities he compares her and women in general to the lion, “the hardest, the cruelest, the most predatory and the most attractive and their men have softened or gone to pieces nervously as they have hardened. Or is it that they pick men they can handle? They can’t know that much at the age they marry, he thought.” He realizes that the Macombers marriage is built upon a sound basis, she “was too beautiful for Macomber to divorce her and Macomber had too much money for Margot ever to leave him." Later, on the morning of the buffalo hunting that Wilson thinks to himself, “she looked younger today, more innocent and not so professionally beautiful. What’s in her heart God knows.” This thought sets us up to believe that she is up to something, it is not until the end that Wilson’s conclusion becomes ours as well.
As a reader we are never privileged to know the thoughts of Mrs. Macomber. We know what she says and we know the thoughts of Wilson, who in the end leads the reader to believe that she shot her husband on purpose. Wilson said, “That was a pretty thing to do…He would have left you too” (671). This comment seems to be Wilsons way of letting Margot know that he has something on her now – a sort of black mail to keep her from telling anyone about his “illegal” hunting practices. The reality is that Margot’s guilt or innocence could be argued either way. She could have been just like her husband, a scared coward in the face of a viscous animal (the knowledge that she had lost control of her husband and life), or she could have been trying to save her husband. Her reaction, “crying hysterically,” causes the confusion in the scene. If she did do it on purpose why would she react this way, unless she was a great actress? Hemmingway seems to want the reader to believe that it was a deliberate act. By allowing us into the thoughts of Wilson he is able to lay the groundwork for that conclusion.
Wilson thoughtfully notices Margot’s different attributes. He sees her physical beauty noting that “she [has a very perfect oval face, so perfect that you expect her to be stupid. But she [isn’t] stupid, Wilson thought, no, not stupid.” Not to misjudge Margot’s abilities he compares her and women in general to the lion, “the hardest, the cruelest, the most predatory and the most attractive and their men have softened or gone to pieces nervously as they have hardened. Or is it that they pick men they can handle? They can’t know that much at the age they marry, he thought.” He realizes that the Macombers marriage is built upon a sound basis, she “was too beautiful for Macomber to divorce her and Macomber had too much money for Margot ever to leave him." Later, on the morning of the buffalo hunting that Wilson thinks to himself, “she looked younger today, more innocent and not so professionally beautiful. What’s in her heart God knows.” This thought sets us up to believe that she is up to something, it is not until the end that Wilson’s conclusion becomes ours as well.
October 15, 2013
Hemingway strikes again with these two short stories in which he portrays the feelings of regret and contempt of a writer dying of gangrene. The recollections of lost chances and opportunities is concise, keeping in line with Hemingway's style of writing, but capable of touching you as if they were our own failures.
The second story is about Francis Macomber, a wealthy coward on Safari with his wife, and not-so-trusty guide. Attempting to face his fears, we are granted several glimpses into his marital problems with his wife and the troubles he has with his own self-image.
Both stories come off as quite sincere, this is probably because they were personal to him and were related to his own experiences. All in all, they were short and very well-written (it is Hemingway, after all). Worth reading, if you haven't already. This version was an audiobook and the skill of the narrator made listening to it a great pleasure.
The second story is about Francis Macomber, a wealthy coward on Safari with his wife, and not-so-trusty guide. Attempting to face his fears, we are granted several glimpses into his marital problems with his wife and the troubles he has with his own self-image.
Both stories come off as quite sincere, this is probably because they were personal to him and were related to his own experiences. All in all, they were short and very well-written (it is Hemingway, after all). Worth reading, if you haven't already. This version was an audiobook and the skill of the narrator made listening to it a great pleasure.
December 13, 2015
Hemingway is a gifted writer and he showcases his talent in these two well written short stories.
"The Snows of Kilimanjaro" is a moving story told in flashbacks. A husband and wife are traveling in Africa when he is injured. The husband is near death and reviewing his life. Secrets from his past and his true feelings about his wife are revealed. The most moving part of the story was Hemingway's language and use of imagery in the description of death moving in and out as the husband nears the end of his life. It was exceptionally well done.
"The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" tells the story of a couple on a safari. The husband is a novice hunter and is going out with a safari team to hunt a lion. The husband loses his courage and his pride during the lion hunt. He decides to go out again to hunt buffalo and seeks redemption. It's an interesting story about cowardice, bravery, and betrayal. It read like a mystery.
"The Snows of Kilimanjaro" is a moving story told in flashbacks. A husband and wife are traveling in Africa when he is injured. The husband is near death and reviewing his life. Secrets from his past and his true feelings about his wife are revealed. The most moving part of the story was Hemingway's language and use of imagery in the description of death moving in and out as the husband nears the end of his life. It was exceptionally well done.
"The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" tells the story of a couple on a safari. The husband is a novice hunter and is going out with a safari team to hunt a lion. The husband loses his courage and his pride during the lion hunt. He decides to go out again to hunt buffalo and seeks redemption. It's an interesting story about cowardice, bravery, and betrayal. It read like a mystery.
January 2, 2020
Over the past year and a half, I've started writing fairly seriously. It's been mostly short stories, and I think because of this, I've grown much more fond of short stories. In many cases, I tend to prefer them to novels. It's a lot more compact, and you can really get the punch of a story better if you've read it in one sitting. With a novel, it always takes me long enough that I forget things by the time a given story thread is closed up.
These were both really well-done (who knew Hemingway could write a short story?), and dealt with facing death in different ways. As much as Hemingway's characters annoy me as people (miserable drunks who never say what they mean), they are excellently complex and interesting characters. The execution of both of these stories was great, and makes me want to re-read some of his other stories.
These were both really well-done (who knew Hemingway could write a short story?), and dealt with facing death in different ways. As much as Hemingway's characters annoy me as people (miserable drunks who never say what they mean), they are excellently complex and interesting characters. The execution of both of these stories was great, and makes me want to re-read some of his other stories.
August 6, 2007
As much as Twain is American, Hemingway is un-American. He is the most famous narrator of "losers but proud". He came to the world of literature with Nick Adams, lived as Nick lived, and died as Nick would die! Laconic but efficient, compendious but moving. Wishing for peace he lived in war and came to the coast with the fish skeleton left in his hand, as Santiago did (Old Man and the Sea(
یکی از داستان های خوش ساخت همینگوی است که در فارسی یک بار توسط شجاع الدین شفا (1336)، یک بار توسط جواد شمس (1352) و سومین بار توسط نجف دریابندری به فارسی برگردانده شده است. کاش تمام داستان های کوتاه همینگوی را ابراهیم گلستان، و تمام رمان هایش را نجف دریابندری به فارسی برگردانده بودند.
یکی از داستان های خوش ساخت همینگوی است که در فارسی یک بار توسط شجاع الدین شفا (1336)، یک بار توسط جواد شمس (1352) و سومین بار توسط نجف دریابندری به فارسی برگردانده شده است. کاش تمام داستان های کوتاه همینگوی را ابراهیم گلستان، و تمام رمان هایش را نجف دریابندری به فارسی برگردانده بودند.
June 26, 2021
I recently read several of Hemingway's short stories and found a lot of them hard to read. There's just so much description and so much about shooting lions and buffalo and the loooong detailed descriptions of fishing in "Big Two-Hearted River". Of all that I read, I thought the 2 in this book were very interesting in a way, but my favorite was "Get a Seeing Eye Dog". Although it's very short, I thought it was the best at conveying a pivotal moment in someone's life, as many of Hemingway's stories aim to do.
March 1, 2010
Woah, misogynisitic much, Mr. Hemingway? I won't even say "he never met the right woman" because I think with that frame of mind, he wouldn't have known her if she'd stopped a bullet for him. On the other hand, it seems as though he's unsatisfied with "manly" stuff too (mostly killing different things). Now that I think about it, he seems dissatisfied with gender roles in general and stifled by the expectations attached to gender.
May 9, 2014
I would give the short story "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" 3 stars--I found the main character's journey to death an interesting one--even though he was an ass.
I hated the "Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber". Maybe it is because I am vegan and don't appreciate reading about animals being killed for sport. I was hoping there was some hidden element to this character but there wasn't.
I hated the "Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber". Maybe it is because I am vegan and don't appreciate reading about animals being killed for sport. I was hoping there was some hidden element to this character but there wasn't.
December 7, 2011
Another prep school read. "Macomber" was actually read to us by our teacher Al Wise. I'm not sure why. But I did read "Snows" somewhere along the line. Haven't read much Hemingway. Date read is a guess.
March 10, 2012
I wish half-stars were possible. It'd give it 4.5/5.
I love Hemingway's narrative voice. It's so raw and drawing. If that makes sense. There was only one part that dragged a bit for me: hence the less-than-five.
Read it. It's good. :)
I love Hemingway's narrative voice. It's so raw and drawing. If that makes sense. There was only one part that dragged a bit for me: hence the less-than-five.
Read it. It's good. :)
January 13, 2014
A great Hemingway classic. Poured his heart out, he did. Loved the way he portrayed the the frustrating blabbering of a dying man, and, a writer's fear of not being able to write about all those things that he'd always mused.
January 21, 2008
I reread this short story...it is very memorable. Once you read it, you will remember it, besides I love with a setting in AFRICA!
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