There is little I can add to the above reviews. Long before this final volume of Michael Reynolds' masterpiece came out, he had already taken his place as our finest Hemingway scholar and one of the five or six greatest literary biographers of our time. This last volume merely confirms his position. Tragically, he succumbed to cancer shortly after this book appeared, but he left us a daunting legacy as a scholar. I doubt anyone ever understood the infinitely complex Hemingway as well as Professor Reynolds did. It is a cause for celebration when a major writer and a great biographer come together; these volumes will never grow old.

Reviewed by TOMA 1999

Here's one to add to your Hemingway collection. Michael Reynolds tells us the story of Ernest Hemingway's last score years from the era of World War II to his suicide in Ketchum, Idaho on July 2, 1961. We have here the Hemingway hero we love and wish we personally knew: the articulate man full of high sentence, the man among men, the behemoth drinker, the virtuoso hunter, the dedicated idealist to his craft, the continent jumper, the fun-loving and cherished father especially to his three boys, the husband now going on his third wife in Martha Gellhorn and the literary lion in his last years where the Victor finally reaps the spoils of a lifetime pitted against the dragon called writing. Icon would be too small a word for such a colossal figure. Hemingway through all his own growling, fist-fighting, taunting of literary figures, strutting in and out of wars, promenading through world events, and arguing with his own publisher in Charles Scribner remains like the figure of the Greek Odysseus, the figure as Tennyson put it who set his life "to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield." This is why many admire this American son while others see him as full of sh--, a braggart, and fraud for having never truly experienced the larger than life adventures he immortalized in his war books: For Whom The Bell Tolls, To Have and Have Not, and A Farewell To Arms not to mention his slew of other relevant stories set in exotic locations. At the date marking the century of his birth and with the latest Hemingway piece-meal work to be drawn together by his son Patrick in True at First Light, and the dozen or so other "timely" biographies, fancy-covered reprints, and photobooks presented during the summer of 1999, Reynolds does his duty to his subject with skill, organization, and insight. Although sentiment is not always unbiased, for it is obvious this research has been a labor of love, this book marks Reynolds' fifth and apparent last volume in a series of the chronologically-based Hemingway biography. In this final version, Hemingway is never idolized but shown in the somewhat balanced color of black and white where Hemingway can not but create his own shadow like some vibrant oak towering above Finca Vigia in Cuba or with his skeleton crew of "agents" monitoring the inland waterways for German submarines or as the bespectacled ancient literary lion much like his own tiger at Kilimanjaro, worn and heavy, resting within the expanse of Idaho country far below the mountains at his Sun Valley Lodge. Other exotic landscapes nicely slip into view along the journey: Hong Kong, Venice, Paris, Key West, New York, and Mombasa like a set of snapshots upon a reel. We find the sensitive Hemingway trying to keep together a marraige that seems over just as it has begun. We have a vivid image of Martha Gellhorn, the reluctant housewife and bonafide journalist torn between the woman Hemingway wishes and the one she desires to be. We feel him sparring with Scribner's over language in his novels and courtroom battles. We get a feel for the atmosphere of Finca Vigia with its bug-ridden sunburnt rooms, and for the silent, pine-washed Ketchum ranch where the echo of a rifle blast stills remains today. Characters saunter in and out of the story like locals into their corner bar. The quoted material from various personages of the times has been expertly chosen to move the Hemingway legend along its way. These haunting voices create such atmosphere and setting that the imagination has little to do but continue to create a story that unfolds in cinemagraphic slow motion. Moreover, we seem to capture a panoramic view of our literary past so important to reflect upon as we step over the century divide. This is a joyous read especially for summer reading not only for the enthusiast but for the academic who wishes to gain a fuller insight into the one of our greatest literary figures this nation has ever produced.

In all respects -- in terms of research, sensitivity, perception, analysis, and style -- Mr. Reynolds has written the finest biography of one of the most fascinating and complex personalities the world has ever known.

Three citicisms, if I may: First, though very well written, there are occasional lapses in editing. Second, Mr. Reynolds owes it to his appreciative readers, as well as to himself, to provide somewhat more in-depth and revealing final thoughts than he has. My final "gripe" is admittedly extremely trivial. It irritated me, though -- in such a superbly researched endeavor, such a silly mistake should have been easily avoided. Hold on to your hats, ladies, because here it is: At one point, Mr. Reynolds mentions that Hemingway met Barbara Stanwyck and her husband, Robert Montgomery. Well, Robert Taylor, not Mr. Montgomery, was Miss Stanwyck's husband. A trivial mistake, to be sure, but why make it?

Despite the mix-up with the Roberts (which can be easily made right in future editions), this is an outstanding biography, which I heartily recommend.

For me, this is the best of Hemingway's novels. It combines all the things he could do best as a writer and sustains them throughout an epic story. The basic subject matter is that of much of his work - courage and fear and their consequences, the world of the senses as felt through the enjoyment of food, drink, sexual love and the natural world. As a man, he experienced these things first-hand, and as an artist he rendered them truly. The book's hero is Robert Jordan, an American, who leaves his relatively safe life in the States to fight against the Fascists in 30s Spain. He posseses the attributes of the essential Hemingway hero - an outward simplicity of manner , a knowledge and acceptance of death combined with a love of life, stoicism and integrity. Hemingway's heroes were presented as heroes; not as John Wayne-type caricatures of "manliness" but as men (and women) faced with the forces of death and doing their best. They become afraid, they sometimes do foolish things, but we are never asked to consider them craven or ignoble. We are shown human weakness but the overall message is that of the strength and nobility of human beings. "A man can be destroyed but not defeated" (or vice-versa) was an expression Hemingway used. He never seeks to make less of the human spirit, as so many modern anti-heroes of literature have done (eg the central character in Dostoevsky's "Notes From Underground", the disenchanted figure in Celine's "Journey To The End Of The Night" or the cynical, amoral Renton in Irvine Welsh's "Trainspotting".) The overall effect of "For Whom The Bell Tolls" is of a broad work with several viewpoints. We have the Spanish Civil War as seen by the peasant rebel forces based in forests and caves, the behind-the-scenes look at the military players and politicians and the propaganda machine with its figures such as "La Pasionara" These run simultaneously over the several days of the book's plot, and we see the cause-effect relationship between them. Like some mathematical equation or some structure of taut wires and connections, we are carried along to the plot's climax in which we see how all these threads have run together. This book does it all for me. The characters are just as real as they need to be, the country is beautifully evoked, we are given wonderful descriptions of simple things (the moisture-beaded pitcher of beer in the hotel room after Pablo and Pilar had made love in the hot afternoon) and in the dialogue the way Hemingway has literally translated the Spanish language - the use of "thou" and "thee" and the Spanish expressions that he has avoided rendering into the English equivalent. Hemingway loved Spain - its land,its people and its culture, and this is very evident in the book. He was also a very knowledgeable lover of bulllfighting, boxing and hunting and indeed seemed fascinated with violence and war. This tendency has been used as a stick with which to have a poke at the man, which, in our sanitized, politically-correct times is (sadly) understandable. We may not like the sight of blood and agony, but it is a lot older and more real than the glossy social veneer which tends to coat much of what is modernly offered as art/entertainment/philosophy. When we see death, the fear of death and the triumph of courage, we see some portion of what is still a basic truth in this world. So, maybe those who criticize Hemingway's interest in violence have a point. Bullfighting is certainly no fun for the bull and I'm sure that getting shot in a war has its drawbacks. What I would say to those who condemn the artist along with the man is to consider what kind of work (if any) an artist can produce who stays within the safe harbour of the middle-class, academic world of proffesorships and literary grants. Perhaps Picasso was a nightmare as a husband and perhaps Beethoven had bad breath, but I will opt every time for that which I find true and moving.

The title of this great novel gives me chills everytime I hear it. It perfectly reflects Hemingway's purpose. I love his clear and "true sentences" style, but it doesn't appeal to everyone. Thus, if you read a review of this book that is leaning on the negative side, it may be more a reflection of the reviewer's stylistic preferences rather than specific drawbacks to the setting, characters,or plot of For Whom the Bell Tolls. This may not always be true, of course, but Hemingway is unique and tends to polarize readers.

The protagonist/hero of For Whom the Bell Tolls is Robert Jordan, an American who feels passionately enough about The Spanish Civil War to act bravely on behalf of the cause. Robert Jordan doesn't seem to have a national identity at all; another person's life is truly his own--the bell really does toll for him.

The understated love affair between Robert and Maria is wildly romantic. The ending is haunting- it took my breath away. Do read this; it's an unforgettable experience.

I must admit when I started reading this book I was bored, but that quickly changed as I realized how deep and meaningful this book was. I have NEVER read a book that so simply went to the roots of what it is to be human. Sure some parts were a little simplified like the relationship between Jordan and Maria, but even that made a point of how quickly people can come together in a difficult situation. Plus, I have never read a better scene in a book than that of El Sordo's last stand. In my opinion, that is the best part of the whole book and is what merits this book being a classic. There is one paragraph in the section of El Sordo's last stand that moved me as deeply as any work of art or musical piece ever has. It was truly sublime. And that to me is what makes this book great.

A Review on The Old man and the sea

The Old Man and the Sea, a story that pursues persistence and determination, but also a book which I think should have won the Pulitzer Prize. I don't think the book is deserving of the Pulitzer Prize because the story confuses readers by going back and forth from Santiago's past and his present. For example Santiago reflects on his past, dream wise and as for as how he used to be or what he used to like. Santiago always goes back in time in his mind and talks about how he used to be. He talks about how he "used" to dream about women, but "presently" he dreams of lions instead.
Likewise he also says how turtle hunting used to be and talks about his three day arm wrestle with the African American man. He compares, later on his turtle hunting and how it used to be and how different it is now. He talks of his past strength and emphasizes how old and weak he is now.
In conclusion, that explains how some readers may get confused or lost in Santiago's past and present since he is always reflecting on or comparing them. I'm not sure if I would recommend this book to someone, it depends if the person likes a book that is very detailed and repetitive. For example, a repetitive part of the book is when Santiago keeps wishing that the boy was there with him to help him fish. Whenever he doesn't he think he can do something or if he gets exited about something in specific, he wishes that the boy was there with him. I think there are too many examples of both very detailed and repetitive parts in the story.
Another important thing is that some of the sentences are very detailed and clocklike. An example of the book being detailed is when he goes into detail about certain things such as his personal life and his worries and him using big words to explain small things such as "treachery". I think that the author (Ernest Hemmingway) could of made things a little more simple and understandable for readers.
Concluding, the old man and the sea is a story that pursues persistence and determination but also a book that, I think should not have deserved to win the Pulitzer Prize.

although i have not read any other short story in this collection except the title story, i still gave it 5 stars just because that story alone would give me the reason to buy this book (because i don't own it yet). i don't think i would be interested in any of hemingway's novels; i doubt if i could get any sort of satisfaction reading about his hunting expeditions and stuff like that. even "the old man and the sea" bored the hell out of me. i just seem to lack the patience with this writer. for the most part, i just can't read him. but "the snows of kilimanjaro" i read, and it is one of the greatest short stories there is. it is the best story about death, in my opinion. and i knew that hemingway had BEEN there, and had brought this story back to us. (and this was before i knew anything about his travels to africa, or any details about his personal life in general). i read this story, and i am very impressed by hemingway's ability to write simply, yet deeply. it is a very admirable trait for any writer to have - to be able to evoke images and express oneself using as few words as possible... that takes talent. william burroughs has said that "the snows of kilimanjaro" is hemingway's best, if not only, true writing.

"The Snows of Kilimanjaro" contains some of Hemingway's finer short stories. And like many of his works, they resemble his life. Everything from his childhood to his later years in Africa are material for these tales. The stories of Hemingway's recurrent character, Nick Adams, who some say is Hemingway himself, are contained in this book also. All the works bear his distinct imprint, even though many are under ten pages in length. "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" is what I consider Hemingway's most potent short story of all. This collection is a great primer for those who are unacquainted with Hemingway's work and wish to discover his talent.

I read this book for my college class and found it extremely interesting with a lot of symbolism throughout. There was a lot of intense imagery used by Hemingway such as the darkness of the night outside. As well, the old man's deafness is also a powerful image used in the story. Deafness shuts the old man out from the rest of the world. In the day, everything must be a reminder to him of his disconnection from the world. The busy streets, the marketplace, the chatter in the cafes along the street, the animals, and the motor vehicles fill the town with noise all day long. There are also imagery about nothing or "nada" which the old man was suffreing. Overall, this story is incredibly deep and was a bit hard to understand.

This story epitomizes the most thoughtful aspects of Hemingway's thinking on the underdog. Unlike some of his other stories, he is not presumptious nor does he regress to sentimentality; instead, with all his dignity, he illuminates the nature of two men's despair. The writing contains nothing inessential, and the content touches an abstract of all our worst fears. If I taught a course on Hemingway, I'd probably use Clean Well-lighted Place as an entrance.

this is one of my favorite stories of hemingway. I think it is very insightful, and deep. It shows how the society treats people, no matter they are old or young they are treated differently. Like the old man in the story got kicked out of the cafe, and hemingway is trying to tell us that we will follow the old man's steps if we don't change how the world is like. It shows that this world is a lonely place, and a clean, well-lighted place makes us feel good and pleasent. And that is what everyone needs not just old people.

Please, does anyone knows if the book "Hemingway, in love and war" has been traslated in italian?. Thank you very much, Massimo.

Its just really a deep analyse of the dream in Ernest his life.
I agree agree totally with Dr. Verheyen:

Hemingway and (the false) Agnes in projection of real life!.

Romance of oné site (Ernest Hemingway anyway).

I am doctorating in psychology in beautiful Rome: Italy.

I live back in New York City (after my doctorating?).

As a Dr. in Psychology, I can antherstand Hemingway and obvious Agnes. I suppose this romance was to beautiful to hold stand!. Anyway I antherstand 1961( Ernest did suicide WITH Agnes her letters next to him) AFTER 4 TRYING? to forget Agnes! MARRIAGE'S. This prover real eternity love exists, only both have to FORGIVE, and that's the hard way (I do know personnell). They were really made for each other, sad, so sad: stubborn Ernie and WHY?. Dr. Patrick Verheyen (U.S. Graduated ;-).

Lacking the crisp focus of Death in the Afternoon this work still has many wonderful parts and should be read by anyone with an interest in Hemingway or bullfighting. Written near the end of his life the book rambles at points but still treats the principal subject, the competition between two legendary Spanish Matadors, with the studied Hemingway eye. His descriptions of Franco's Spain provides an interesting overall context for this account.

Considered literary non-fiction, this is the account of the 1959
season of bullfighting in Spain and the intense competition between
two competing matadors for the glory of that season. It is his last
major work at age 60; he killed himself the following year.

In an
introduction by James Mitchner, it is explained that this piece was
commissioned by Life Magazine. The assignment was for Hemmingway to
revisit the bullfights he had written about in his classic novel
"Death in the Afternoon" published in 1940. Hemingway was
supposed to write 10,000 words for the article. Instead, he submitted
120,000 words. It was edited down to 70,000 words and ran in three
installments.

This book I read, however, was only about 45,000 words
and focuses specifically on the particular contests between two
competing matadors who happened to be brothers in law. Hemingway had
a personal relationship with both of them and brings the reader to the
dinners and the parties as well as to the infirmary after a goring,
the painful healing process in Spanish hospitals that do not
administer painkillers, the long rides on bad roads between bullfights
and the dirt and heat and fatigue and glory.

I have not read much of
Hemingway and knew nothing at all about bullfighting when I started
reading. Yet, by the end of the book a portrait of the author emerges
as well as an understanding of the history, tradition choreographed
performance of skill that occurs in the bull ring. Somehow, I was
able to move beyond my personal feelings about the slaughter of the
bull, and get into the mindset of Hemingway and the people of Spain,
where bullfighting is a national passion.

It has to do with courage.
And it has to do with facing death.

Hemmingway said it all it better
than I ever could:

"This was Antonio's regular appointment with
death that we had to face every day. Any man can face death but to be
committed to bring it as close as possible while performing certain
classic movements and do this again and again and again and then deal
it out yourself with a sword to an animal weighing half a ton which
you love is more complicated than facing death."

The Dangerous Summer is truely a consuming work of Hemingways. Drawing you in a not letting go until he decides to let you go. Very colorful and descriptive the only draw back being the bias created by the friendship of Hemingway and Ordonez. This is a must read.

This is the fourth installment in Reynolds's five part Hemingway biography. During this period Hemingway lived mostly in Key West. He wrote his first non-fiction bullfight book, Death in the Afternoon, To Have and Have Not and For Whom the Bell Tolls. He also spent a lot of time in latter part of this decade as a journalist covering the Spanish Civil War. He meets the journalist Martha Gellhorn in Key West and begins the relationship that will break up his second marriage.

Reynolds does a good job here but it is not as good as the two previous installments. There is much less detail given here compared to those books especially with regards to Hemingway's thoughts and state of mind while writing the books of this period. The other books had a nearly page by page account of what the great man was doing and thinking while he wrote The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms. This is noticeably lacking here. The account of the writing of For Whom the Bell Tolls is especially curt. That book, which is regarded as Hemingway's masterpiece, doesn't get the attention Reynolds gave to earlier works. I read somewhere that Hemingway contacted his publisher Charles Scribner during the writing of For Whom the Bell Tolls, telling him that one of the Spanish Civil War short stories he was writing had taken off in his mind and that he already had written 40,000 words. This information is nowhere to be found here. Instead there are gossipy details of the relationship with Gellhorn and the unkind treatment Hemingway's second wife, Pauline, received at the end of their marriage.

There is a long account of Hemingway's first African safari which I found uninteresting. Reynolds stresses his subject's need to recreate the "summer people" of his youth, the group of friends that would gather at Walloon Lake in Michigan every summer of Hemingway's boyhood. Reynolds's tries to force every single relationship to fit this "summer people" thesis even when it is less than apt. There is overlong attention given to hunting trips and less attention to the actual writing than I would have liked. Reynolds has a disturbing tendency here to introduce a new person into Hemingway's life story without much explanation of how they came to meet and what caused them to be friendly. On several occasions a new friend will enter Hemingway's life and without any explanation immediately become the center around which the narrative revolves. This is unsettling and made me page back on several occasions looking for the first appearance of this person. Overall, a poor follow up to the previous books in this series.

Though this is the fourth of a five book series, and the first I chose to read, I had no trouble keeping up. You could argue that Hemingway the man was more interesting than his fiction and Reynolds goes a pretty good distance to show why. Hemingway takes his first safari, catches Marlin in Key West and fights in the Spanish Civil War, and switches women before the end of the decade.

Reynolds paints a fairly descriptive portrait of Hemingway, but also reminds us of other current events as the decade unfolds. Hemingway begins the decade mostly apolitical, but he is very critical of the New Deal Programs he sees running in his hometown of Key West Florida. In 1936 he likens President Roosevelt's plan to socialism, but his support two years later of antifascist guerrillas in the Spanish Civil War allies him with downright communists.

It was also interesting to watch Hemingway's friendships crumble. Reynolds describes how Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Sherwood Anderson went their separate ways from Papa for various reasons, but mostly because Hemingway was an explosive character. His larger than life dominating personality coupled with his fatigue for certain personality types doomed a great deal of one-time friendships.

What I like mostly of Reynolds work is that he likes Hemingway a great deal, and this comes through, despite Papa's many flaws.

Hemingway: The 1930s is the fourth installment in Mr. Reynold's series; he does not "dump you into the story midstream." Anyone with even a little knowledge of Hemingway is familiar with this series and knows that Mr. Reynolds is THE Hemingway biographer. My advice - do at least a little research before expressing an opinion.

This book, although kind spirited, is only for the die hard Hemingway fan who must read everything, true or false, about the man. I found this book to be tedious at times and sometimes just simply less than truthful. At the end I felt that the authors attempted to pull the wool over my eyes but were unsuccessful, even though I was a willing participant and wished to believe their outlandish stories. ...

I picked this book up at a local bookstore. I've never read anything by Hemingway (that I remember, anyway), so I thought I'd give it a shot. I couldn't believe the treasure I'd found! I've been lucky enough to travel a bit..through India, northern Europe and some of the Bahamas, and this book just made me ache for more travel. I couldn't put it down! I didn't read anyone else's review, because I didn't want it to taint my own, so here's the scenario: Ernest's brother's daughter (Ernest's niece) has a cassette of her father telling tales, in breathtaking precision and detail, of his hunting expeditions with his brother Ernest. This tape comes to her after her mother's death, and she is swept up in the emotions of hearing her father's voice and sharing the experience with her own family. I'm not a huge hunting buff, but this book showed a respect for life unlike what I've seen in many others. The way a place is described...a taste...a moment...it's difficult to read this and not imagine yourself exactly in the moment. I spent hours curled up in a papasan chair on my sun porch, transported and lost in Africa, India, on the seas...I can't praise it enough. It was breathtaking. I have just this morning started reading "True At First Light", hoping it will captivate me the way the other has done.

My husband and I and two of our friends, which we bought a copy for each of their birthdays, have all agreed that this is a wonderful book with some surprises, some whimsy and also found the love of the Hemingway family was much like our own families. Ms. Hemingway and Mr. Lindsay have a winner.

This book is a "matter of fact" gathered from the thoughts of a fellow who enjoyed the outdoors more than his own life. Within the pages of this 'compilation' a person can understand a little more about a poet that was not revealed through many of the original passages. As I have personally read, many of Hemingway's articles, short stories and novels are written from hindsight and many personal experiences, albiet great compositions; there was a literate outcome and method.
Nick Lyons is a great writer on his own and he has had much of a collection to work with in preparing this book. His [Lyons] piecing of this puzzle has made good sense and his additions have overwhelmed the possibilities.

This is an excellent collection of Hemingway's writings about fishing, each taken from a larger work. It is a great introduction to Hemingway if your new to him, and a great refresher to him if you've been away for awhile. Read this book and you won't be disappointed, but please do each work the respect of reading the book it came from, and experience each work in it's original context.

Hemingway On Fishing gathers Hemingway's writings about angling, and while it fits into our 'literature' section quite neatly with its flowing prose and evocative descriptions, it's the fisherman who will appreciate Hemingway's passion for the sport. Nick Lyons edits the presentation and provide an introduction, Jack Hemingway the foreword in this classic treatise.

Some have questioned the accuracy of Hotchner's representation of Hemingway. Malcolm Cowley put it best when interviewed by Denis Brian: "You know what he did? I could spot it because I knew the sources. When he said 'Hemingway said,' actually he was quoting from Hemingway's letters to him. Because Hemingway's will said: 'You must not quote from my letters. They're protected by copyright.' So Hotchner just put the letters in place of the conversations."

For more on the factual inaccuracies present in "Papa Hemingway," one should consult Denis Brian's "The True Gen: An Intimate Portrait of Ernest Hemingway by Those Who Knew Him" (1988).

I do not doubt that Hemingway and Hotchner were friends. At a Hemingway conference several years ago, I had the opportunity to hear Hotchner speak. His love and respect for EH seemed very genuine. However, I do question the accuracy of some of Hotchner's recollections in this book.

A friend rec'd this out of print book to me. He has rec'd many great ones, but this blew my mind. One of the best books I've ever read by one of Heminway's closest friends for the last 14 years of his life. The True, uplifting, and sad novel, left me with 2 regrets: 1.) That I did not read it sooner, while I was younger, and 2.) That my life will be nothing like a life touched by, or experienced like Hemingway's.

Anything I say here will simply detract from this wonderful book, so I will keep it short. I've read a number of Hemingway biographies, but this is unquestionably the best. Hotchner only new Ernest for approximately the last 14 years of his life, so if you're looking for a comprehensive biography, try elsewhere (I wouldn't feel comfortable recommending any of the other Hemingway bios I've read). What Hotchner can give us is a portrait of Papa (Hemingway) from the perspective of a very close and dear friend (Hotchner hunted and travelled with Papa, helped edit and publish his books and essays, and even named A Moveable Feast). And Hotchner is no fool. He knows that Hemingway had a propensity towards exaggeration, and seems to have a pretty good B.S. detector.

If you want all the facts, and want to know everything Hemingway ever did, read one of the opuses written by a college professor who got all of his or her information third-hand. If you want to know what Hemingway the man was like, read this book.

After finishing, I think it is fair to say that Hemingway's most tragic character turned out to be himself. Read this book.