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Dateline Toronto: The Complete Toronto Star Dispatches 1920-24
Dateline: Toronto collects all 172 pieces that Hemingway published in the Star, including those under pseudonyms.
Hemingway readers will discern his unique voice already present in many of these journalistic pieces, particularly his knack for dialogue. It is also fascinating to discover early reportorial accounts of events and subjects that figure in his later fiction. As William White points out in his introduction to this work, “Much of it, over sixty years later, can still be read both as a record of the early twenties and as evidence of how Ernest Hemingway learned the craft of writing.” The enthusiasm, wit, and skill with which these pieces were written guarantee that Dateline: Toronto will be read for pleasure, as excellent journalism, and for the insights it gives to Hemingway's works.
Hemingway readers will discern his unique voice already present in many of these journalistic pieces, particularly his knack for dialogue. It is also fascinating to discover early reportorial accounts of events and subjects that figure in his later fiction. As William White points out in his introduction to this work, “Much of it, over sixty years later, can still be read both as a record of the early twenties and as evidence of how Ernest Hemingway learned the craft of writing.” The enthusiasm, wit, and skill with which these pieces were written guarantee that Dateline: Toronto will be read for pleasure, as excellent journalism, and for the insights it gives to Hemingway's works.
- GenresJournalismNonfiction
478 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1985
About the author
Ernest Hemingway
2,253 books33.9k followersErnest Miller Hemingway (1899–1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Renowned for his economical, understated writing style, which profoundly influenced twentieth-century literature, he became one of the most prominent literary figures of his generation. His adventurous lifestyle and outspoken personality also contributed to his public image. Most of his works were published between the mid-1920s and the mid-1950s, including seven novels, six short-story collections and two works of nonfiction. His writings became classics of American literature, and he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. Several additional novels, short-story collections and nonfiction works were published posthumously.
Hemingway grew up in Oak Park, Illinois. After graduating from high school, he worked for six months as a cub reporter for The Kansas City Star before volunteering for the American Red Cross. During the First World War, he served as an ambulance driver on the Italian Front and was seriously wounded in 1918. His wartime experiences later inspired his 1929 novel A Farewell to Arms.
In 1921, he married Hadley Richardson, his first wife, and moved with her to Paris. There, he worked as a foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star and became part of the expatriate literary and artistic community known as the Lost Generation, alongside influential modernist writers and artists. His debut novel, The Sun Also Rises, was published in 1926. He divorced Richardson in 1927 and married Pauline Pfeiffer the following year.
Hemingway later travelled to Spain, where he worked as a journalist during the Spanish Civil War. The conflict provided the background for his 1940 novel For Whom the Bell Tolls. He married Martha Gellhorn, his third wife, in 1940, but their marriage ended after he met journalist Mary Welsh Hemingway in London during the Second World War. He married Welsh in 1946.
As a war correspondent during the Second World War, Hemingway accompanied Allied troops during the Normandy landings and the liberation of Paris. He maintained residences in Key West, Florida, during the 1930s and in Cuba during the 1940s and 1950s. In 1954, while travelling in Africa, he survived two plane crashes on successive days, sustaining serious injuries that contributed to years of physical pain and declining health.
In 1959, Hemingway purchased a house in Ketchum, Idaho. On July 2, 1961, at the age of 61, he died by suicide at his home.
Hemingway grew up in Oak Park, Illinois. After graduating from high school, he worked for six months as a cub reporter for The Kansas City Star before volunteering for the American Red Cross. During the First World War, he served as an ambulance driver on the Italian Front and was seriously wounded in 1918. His wartime experiences later inspired his 1929 novel A Farewell to Arms.
In 1921, he married Hadley Richardson, his first wife, and moved with her to Paris. There, he worked as a foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star and became part of the expatriate literary and artistic community known as the Lost Generation, alongside influential modernist writers and artists. His debut novel, The Sun Also Rises, was published in 1926. He divorced Richardson in 1927 and married Pauline Pfeiffer the following year.
Hemingway later travelled to Spain, where he worked as a journalist during the Spanish Civil War. The conflict provided the background for his 1940 novel For Whom the Bell Tolls. He married Martha Gellhorn, his third wife, in 1940, but their marriage ended after he met journalist Mary Welsh Hemingway in London during the Second World War. He married Welsh in 1946.
As a war correspondent during the Second World War, Hemingway accompanied Allied troops during the Normandy landings and the liberation of Paris. He maintained residences in Key West, Florida, during the 1930s and in Cuba during the 1940s and 1950s. In 1954, while travelling in Africa, he survived two plane crashes on successive days, sustaining serious injuries that contributed to years of physical pain and declining health.
In 1959, Hemingway purchased a house in Ketchum, Idaho. On July 2, 1961, at the age of 61, he died by suicide at his home.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 12, 2023
By far my favorite Hemingway read. Some of the European political articles get a bit difficult to wade through, but keep going. Bullfighter angst, avalanche winds, and a surprising amount of humor are ahead. I had to check it out twice because the articles are short so it needs to be read in small chunks.
February 20, 2025
Hemingway’s journalism is often overlooked and he wrote some cracking articles for the Toronto Star between 1920 - 1924, both when he was in Canada, and in Europe. He covered the French occupation of the Ruhr to try and force Germany reparations, he interviewed Mussolini, Clemenceau, Lloyd George, and revealed important insights to a North American readership. He rapidly learnt from other reporters, including the cablise language for expensive transatlantic cables. By the autumn of 1923 he had enough and returned to Paris. He was utterly fed up of chasing stories and being treated as a cub reporter when he had quickly gained experience in France, Germany and Italy. From 1924, himself and Hadley, his wife, gambled that his talent for prose would deliver a paid career. The rest is history…
Well worth a read if you want to see how Hemingway’s style in prose was influenced by his journalistic working for the Star.
Recommended.
Well worth a read if you want to see how Hemingway’s style in prose was influenced by his journalistic working for the Star.
Recommended.
April 12, 2022
Gran compilación de textos. Se ve un joven escritor en formación pero con una gran pluma de periodista.
Es interesante como los grandes problemas mundiales de entre guerra son similares a los de hoy en día.
Sus crónicas de viajes son brillantes.
Indispensable para cualquier estudiante de periodismo y para todo aquel que sea admirador de Hemingway.
Es interesante como los grandes problemas mundiales de entre guerra son similares a los de hoy en día.
Sus crónicas de viajes son brillantes.
Indispensable para cualquier estudiante de periodismo y para todo aquel que sea admirador de Hemingway.
November 2, 2026
Look, Dateline Toronto is a fast, fun, slightly ridiculous ride, and I'm not mad about it. Ernest Hemingway throws in car chases, double-crosses, and a villain who's way too charming, and it never pretends to be deep. The ending is predictable, but the ride there is a blast. Great beach read. If you want something that makes you think, keep walking.
October 29, 2026
Short and sweet: Dateline Toronto: The Complete Toronto Star Dispatches 1920-24 is the definition of a palate cleanser. What worked: quick chapters, easy voice, and a surprisingly sweet friendship at the center. What didn't: it's so low-stakes it barely leaves a mark. Recommend for a lazy weekend or a long flight, skip for readers who want a story that sticks with them.
October 14, 2022
Fun in small quantities. Not one of those read-through books.
February 28, 2023
“There is one thing Toronto demands in clothes. That thing is conformation.” EH, 1924
🔥 Might still be true, Hem.
🔥 Might still be true, Hem.
September 12, 2019
Este libro reúne artículos periodísticos de un muy joven Ernest Hemingway. Hay chispazos de su genialidad, especialmente en el texto titulado 'Aludes Suizos'
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews