Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

Ernest Hemingway Born on July 21, 1899 and passed on July 2, 1961 by his own hand (as did his father, father-in-law, brother, sister, and granddaughter).

He started out after graduating as a budding journalist for the Kansas City Star which influenced his stripped-down simple style. He served as an ambulance driver in WWI he was awarded the Italian Silver Medal of Bravery. After he returned to the States he worked for the Toronto Star as a foreign correspondent in Paris.

After the birth of his second Son in 1928 he settled in a beautiful home in Key West, Florida. The one of only two homes that has a basement. The Carriage House he turned into his writing studio with his own library in the hall and his hunting trophies on the walls. The home also features 54 descendants of Hemingway’s first cat, which are the famous, six-and-seven-toed felines.

He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 and a year later Hemingway won the Nobel Prize.

Hemingway is famous for his objective and terse prose style. As all the novels typically reflects his unique writing style. The language is simple and natural on the surface, but actually deliberate and artificial. Hemingway’s style is related to his experience as a journalist. The influence of his style is great all over the world. The Novels are full of facts, most of which comes from Hemingway's own experience.

His Best:
1. A Farewell to Arms is not only considered the best American novel to come out of World War I, but is the epitome of all things perfect about the Hemingway style.
2. A Moveable Feast perhaps the most readable book by the gruff American novelist sheds the lens of fiction and enters memoir territory.
3. The Old Man and the Sea is undoubtedly Hemingway’s masterpiece. Has an underlying meaning that some readers miss.
4. The Sun Also Rises includes the fact that he could write a novel about bullfighting, impotence, and love in one fell swoop and proves Hemingway was the manliest of all men!
5. For Whom the Bell Tolls sits in the echelon of Hemingway’s best works, but is unique in its heightened graphic nature describing the brutality of the civil war, which Hemingway saw first-hand as a foreign reporter.
6. Men Without Women
7. The Nick Adams Stories
8. Green Hills of Africa: The Hemingway Library Edition
9. To Have and Have Not
10. Winner Take Nothing

He has written:
7 Novels + 3 Novels (Posthumously)
5 Short Story Collections + 4 Short Story Collections (Posthumously)
2 Non-Fiction works + 3 Autobiographical works (Posthumously)

Please join us in reading one of this Authors work and share below what you hope to read this month.

His Studio in the carriage house (my personal photo)

On the porch (my personal photo)

I plan on reading A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls

Happy to have you with us Jesus!

I read the old man and the sea once but never considered reading his other works so I will definitely be joining the read when I get a copy.

I have a question for those who love his works, what is your favorite thing about his books?

I have a normal reaction I think. I like the simplicity, not flashy or overstated and his own personal experiences reflected in each book.
The Old Man and the Sea to me had a lot of hidden meaning in it.

There are Shorts listed in his best above.
I have read bits and pieces of his shorts, he can get his point across in his shorts.

Wijdan I found this quote from him in the Playboy magazine interview:

Hemingway said of his writing:

'I do most of my work in my head. I never begin to write until my ideas are in order. Frequently I recite passages of dialogue as it is being written; the ear is a good censor. I never set down a sentence on paper until I have it so expressed that it will be clear to anyone.

Yet, I sometimes think that my style is suggestive rather than direct. The reader must often use his imagination or lose the most subtle part of my thoughts.

I take great pains with my work, pruning and revising with a tireless hand. I have the welfare of my creations very much at heart. I cut them with infinite care, and burnish them until they become brilliants. What many another writer would be content to leave in massive proportions, I polish into a tiny gem.'

That's really great thank you for the quote. Now I'm more than ever interested in his books.

I like your photos, Lesle - it must have been interesting to visit the house.
I have read The Old Man and the Sea, which I thought was excellent. I would like to try another of his books this month but haven’t chosen one yet.

We are reading The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories with Samantha later in the Short Stories.

Since we are overwhelmed with great reads every month you might want to find a short Trisha.

I have two books of his shorts so might look into one of those.

Trisha wrote: "I like your photos, Lesle - it must have been interesting to visit the house...."

I really enjoyed visiting his home, I got stuck on the hall looking at his book collection, my Sister had to prod me on! lol

The home is just beautiful inside and out. The pool is huge too!

Lesle wrote: "We are reading The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories with Samantha later in the Short Stories.

Since we are overwhelmed with great reads every month you might want to find a shor..."

A good point, Lesle. There are lots of books I want to read, plus I want to do my personal challenge of reading some books that I abandoned originally.

I think we will just revisit Hemingway with Samantha's upcoming Short Story read in July.

I think we over extended our wish list this year! with so many awesome reads in all the Moderators Genres!!

I am still working my way through For Whom the Bell Tolls, I'm a little behind, but I'm really enjoying it. I find it so easy to read and can visualise everything so easily. I'll be joining for the short story later in the year.
I love the photos Lesle, did you enjoy your visit?

I did Georgina! I loved his studio. He had an cross walk that went from his second story bedroom to his studio. It looked a little scary to me! The home is beautiful a little dated but still very interesting.

The gardens were really lovely and the cats just ignored us all! I spent so much money in the gift shop I got a free tote bag! haha!

Honestly just as Widjan, I only read a few years ago the old man an the sea and I enjoyed so much his adventure by finding himself again in his darkest and loneliest moments and how he overcome the internal surrender dialogue to find his way back

I will definitely read other titles !!

Lesle wrote: "I did Georgina! I loved his studio. He had an cross walk that went from his second story bedroom to his studio. It looked a little scary to me! The home is beautiful a little dated but still very i..."

It sounds amazing, thank you for sharing your pictures :)

Im glad someone else enjoyed a peek. Thank you Georgina!

Ernest quotes plus 6 facts about him:

https://fabbyquotes.com/the-20-best-e...

Panos wrote: "Ernest quotes plus 6 facts about him:

https://fabbyquotes.com/the-20-best-e..."

Thanks for those!