Ernest Hemingway was, arguably, one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century and his work has had an enduring impact on American literature. Many of his works are considered classics and are still widely read. Hemingway was born in 1899 and died in 1961 of a self inflicted gunshot wound. His father, a doctor, had died in the same manner in 1928. One of his brothers and a sister also committed suicide as did his granddaughter. It has been suggested that there is a genetic disease known as haemochromatosis that was the underlying cause of these deaths.
Hemingway lived a very flamboyant life style. He was an avid fisherman and hunter. He travelled extensively and lived in many different places. As a young married man he lived in Paris and was part of what Gertrude Stein called “The Lost Generation.” I t was in Paris that he met many influential writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ezra Pound.
His books and short stories reflect his constant pursuit of adventure. He went on safaris, was an aficionado of bull fighting, enjoyed deep sea fishing and all of these activities play a prominent role in his work. During his military career he met and fell in love with a nurse who later broke of their engagement. This relationship was the source of inspiration for his great novel “A Farewell to Arms”. Hemingway went on to marry four times.
His style of writing in is characterized by economy and understatement. This style is well suited to the genre of short story writing and many of his stories feature the young Nick Adams – a character considered, by some, to be autobiographical.
Throughout his career Hemingway received much critical acclaim and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954 and the Pulitzer Prize for his novella “The Old Man and The Sea” in 1953.
The Temiskaming Shores Public Library has many of Hemingway’s books in its collection including a volume of all his short stories. He writes of a time gone by but the emotions he describes are still relevant in today’s world.
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