Ernest Hemingway: A Writer's Life; Catherine Reef
I admit to knowing very little about Ernest Hemingway's life until I read this book, except that he was undoubtedly a talented writer and literary icon, and that he loved cats. In this 192 page biography with young adults as its targeted audience, that all changed for me. Each page was filled with interesting facts about Hemingway, as well as loads photographs at various stages of his life. Some of the facts I found interesting were: POSSIBLE SPOILERS....
He was born on July 21,1899 in Oak Park, Illinois. His writing always reflected what he was feeling. The Sun Also Rises, was inspired by bullfights he saw in Spain. A Farewell to Arms was based on his World War I adventures. In 1953 he won the Pulitzer Prize for An Old Man and the Sea, and in 1954 The Swedish Ambassador to Cuba awarded him the Nobel Prize for Literature. Like his father, he committed suicide on July 2, 1961 in Ketchum, Idaho. His health was failing and he suffered from depression. Many of his books were published after his death. His house in Key West, Florida is a national historic landmark, and is open for tours.
MY THOUGHTS - In my opinion, this book is a great biography for anyone interested in a brief, yet well rounded book about one of the great writers of all time. RECOMMENDED - 4.5/5
(Library Book)
I haven't been a big fan of Hemingway, but I am game for the biography. I suppose he's the kind of author whose life I have to first understand in order to appreciate his works.
ReplyDeleteI just reviewed a Moveable Feast and while I enjoyed parts of it, I felt lost in other part due to my lack of knowledge of Hemingway and his works. Perhaps this book would be a better fit for me until I have the opportunity to read some of his great novels.
ReplyDeleteWhy did you pick this particular read?
ReplyDeleteSB
not too serious i hope
Matt,Molly and SB...I have several of his books I want to read:Island in the Stream, A Moveable Feast and The Sun Also Rises, so I thought I wanted to read a bit more about him first. This YA bio seemed to fit the bill.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds good, too...you're dangerous to my "books I want" list.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your posts backwards, I now have three books from your posts today that I now want. This one will be fabulous for my American Journey challenge. Although I don't quite know where to put him; Illnois, Florida or Idaho. Where would you suggest?
ReplyDeleteI have A Moveable Feast near the top of my tbr pile, too. Sounds like a good idea to learn a little more about his life first.
ReplyDeleteViv,
ReplyDeleteI think I would use this book for FLorida as that is where he wrote a lot of his books, and because it isnow a historic site.
I also know very little about Hemingway, and have only read one of his short stories. It sounds like I could learn a lot from this book, so I will be looking out for it.
ReplyDeleteI've never read any of Hemingway's books, and know nothing about him. Sounds like this is a good read if you need to know about him.
ReplyDeleteI really want to read this book. Nice Review. It also seems like a great book for the library collection. I love to be able to pluck a book like this off my shelf whenever the mood strikes.
ReplyDelete