Conversations with Ernest Hemingway

by Ernest Hemingway, Matthew J. Bruccoli (Editor)

Collected interviews with the legendary twentieth-century author

Genres: Nonfiction

204 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1986

About the author

Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Best known for an economical, understated style that significantly influenced later 20th-century writers, he is often romanticized for his adventurous lifestyle, and outspoken and blunt public image. Most of Hemingway's works were published between the mid-1920s and mid-1950s, including seven novels, six short-story collections and two non-fiction works. His writings have become classics of American literature; he was awarded the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature, while three of his novels, four short-story collections and three nonfiction works were published posthumously.
Hemingway was raised in Oak Park, Illinois. After high school, he spent six months as a cub reporter for The Kansas City Star before enlisting in the Red Cross. He served as an ambulance driver on the Italian Front in World War I and was seriously wounded in 1918. His wartime experiences formed the basis for his 1929 novel A Farewell to Arms. He married Hadley Richardson in 1921, the first of four wives. They moved to Paris where he worked as a foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star and fell under the influence of the modernist writers and artists of the 1920s' "Lost Generation" expatriate community. His debut novel The Sun Also Rises was published in 1926.
He divorced Richardson in 1927 and married Pauline Pfeiffer. They divorced after he returned from the Spanish Civil War, where he had worked as a journalist and which formed the basis for his 1940 novel For Whom the Bell Tolls. Martha Gellhorn became his third wife in 1940. He and Gellhorn separated after he met Mary Welsh Hemingway in London during World War II. Hemingway was present with Allied troops as a journalist at the Normandy landings and the liberation of Paris. He maintained permanent residences in Key West, Florida, in the 1930s and in Cuba in the 1940s and 1950s. On a 1954 trip to Africa, he was seriously injured in two plane accidents on successive days, leaving him in pain and ill health for much of the rest of his life. In 1959, he bought a house in Ketchum, Idaho, where, on July 2, 1961 (a couple weeks before his 62nd birthday), he killed himself using one of his shotguns.

Reviews

[Lucas Schmidt]

A short book with some repetitive interviews that shines a light on Hemingway's true personality. Most of the reporters ask the same questions, so you get similar answers. You can at least be sure that he is consistent in his opinions on writing, fishing, hunting, etc.

Hemingway is not always a big egotist, and the interviews show his true nature. He doesn't like to talk about his books; that's for sure. And he liked to say that a writer has to beat the best writer's, or at least try, otherwise there's no point in writing.

It was sad to see the tail end of the interviews (in the 50s), where it seemed he was getting irritated with everyone and sick of all his popularity (recently from The Old Man and the Sea). People would trespass in his land, supposedly. He would get people who would try to meet him at his gated home in Cuba, but he turned most of them away.

He admitted he is shy. Popularity would definitely destroy a shy person. It was a good book if you're interested in Hemingway speaking about books he likes, writer's he liked, and so on. It doesn't seem like he likes to talk about himself. He changes the subject when it's about his books. He does state he learned a lot when working as a reporter, but that's about it. He talks very little about his books, but it was interesting hearing Hemingway tell stories of his life.

[Stanley Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on various interviews and conversations on one of America’s greatest writers. I especially like is tart answers to some of the silliest questions. I really liked one of his answers when he basically stated the question was “a boring” question and that he really did not have an interest in the question. Now some of the answers to the questions were very informative, especially about how he works and develops his ideas for his books. The work is also semi biographical in that it follows Hemingway from a young age through his life and after his death. Highly recommend for anyone interested in biographies and the life of one of the World’s greatest writers...SLT

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting collection of interviews with Hemingway and articles written about him during his life

[Mikael · Rating 3 out of 5]

useless why do i read these things writers are assholes hem talks and talks and talks all the time about how he doesnt wanna talk about writing i dont wanna talk about writing because i dont wanna talk about writing i dont wanna talk about writing you know i never want to talk about writing

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly interesting but repetitive series of articles and essays, many from Hemingway's last year.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. Wanted more.

[Rye · Rating 4 out of 5]

"We concede nothing, and what we take we hold."