The Little Book of Ernest Hemingway

The writer who changed America's literary landscape.

One of the great novelists of the 20th century, Ernest Hemingway's spare, precise prose captivated critics and readers alike, while his swaggering personality made him a star beyond the literary scene. The author's world was full of daring and danger: he drove an ambulance during the First World War, had a love of bullfighting and boxing, and rushed to see action in the Spanish Civil War. His travels and adventures fuelled his art, while his troubled and often chaotic life was central to his creativity. Packed full of insightful quotes and fascinating facts about Hemingway's life and work, this little book creates an intriguing portrait of the complex man behind the writer.

Sample Quotes:

'But man is not made for defeat... A man can be destroyed but not defeated.' - The Old Man and The Sea, 1952

'Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.' - Hemingway, in a personal letter to the publisher, Charles Scribner IV

'But life isn't hard to manage when you've nothing to lose.' - A Farwell to Arms, 1929

Sample Facts:

While serving as an ambulance driver during the First World War, Hemingway was badly wounded by mortar fire. He managed to help an Italian soldier reach safety, an action that earned him an Italian Silver Medal of Valour.

Hemingway was an avid hunter and fisherman. His zeal for both pursuits worked their way into his fiction, such as the prize-winning novel The Old Man and the Sea and the acclaimed short story 'The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber'.