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Islands in the Stream
A later, posthumously published classic following the adventures of a painter in the midst of World War II.
First published in 1970, nine years after Hemingway's death, this is the story of an artist and adventurer—a man much like Hemingway himself. Beginning in the 1930s, Islands in the Stream follows the fortunes of Thomas Hudson, from his experiences as a painter on the Gulf Stream island of Bimini through his antisubmarine activities off the coast of Cuba during World War II. Hemingway is at his mature best in this beguiling tale.
First published in 1970, nine years after Hemingway's death, this is the story of an artist and adventurer—a man much like Hemingway himself. Beginning in the 1930s, Islands in the Stream follows the fortunes of Thomas Hudson, from his experiences as a painter on the Gulf Stream island of Bimini through his antisubmarine activities off the coast of Cuba during World War II. Hemingway is at his mature best in this beguiling tale.
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
1123 people are currently reading
17332 people want to read
About the author
Ernest Hemingway
2,080 books31.8k followersErnest 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 969 reviews
February 13, 2008
The book is good. It's good but it's sad. It's a good, sad book about a good, sad man, and that's what Hemingway intended. He knew that writing a good book is a fine thing, because people will enjoy reading it.
I tell myself that he's right: reading a good book is a good thing. You can be glad that the book is good, and you can be glad that you are not a character in the book, because Hemingway books are sad books, and characters in Hemingway books do not have an easy time of it. But it's a good, fine thing to enjoy as a good read.
Lots of books you are not reading, because you are reading this one right now, may be better - hell, some must be - but do not dwell on that. No, do not dwell on that, but read the good book you have, because you know it is good and is nothing to complain about. You've got a good book and it's a pleasure to read, and it's a damned sight better to read than it is to be one of the characters in the book.
If you are a character in a Hemingway book you will probably get shot. You'll get shot and it will hurt like hell and there will be blood and you might die. If you do not die, you may get shot again, later in the book. That will hurt like hell, too, and if you get shot a second time you might as well die because Hemingway has it in for you.
So be glad that you are reading the book, you bastard, and that you aren't one of the bastards in the book.
I tell myself that he's right: reading a good book is a good thing. You can be glad that the book is good, and you can be glad that you are not a character in the book, because Hemingway books are sad books, and characters in Hemingway books do not have an easy time of it. But it's a good, fine thing to enjoy as a good read.
Lots of books you are not reading, because you are reading this one right now, may be better - hell, some must be - but do not dwell on that. No, do not dwell on that, but read the good book you have, because you know it is good and is nothing to complain about. You've got a good book and it's a pleasure to read, and it's a damned sight better to read than it is to be one of the characters in the book.
If you are a character in a Hemingway book you will probably get shot. You'll get shot and it will hurt like hell and there will be blood and you might die. If you do not die, you may get shot again, later in the book. That will hurt like hell, too, and if you get shot a second time you might as well die because Hemingway has it in for you.
So be glad that you are reading the book, you bastard, and that you aren't one of the bastards in the book.
August 8, 2025
Hemingway was one of my favorite writers during my teenage years, but I've forgotten why I loved him. From the first pages of these "Islands on the Stream," I remembered why he was one of the significant writers of the 20th century.
Holidays with his children around a fishing trip, a stay in Havana between his cats and his daiquiris at the Floridita, then a submarine hunt around Cuba; each episode of this book tells a significant event in the life of the painter Thomas Hudson, who also looks a lot like Hemingway.
It all seems to revolve around love, flight, and death. But love is, above all, paternal and filial. The relationship between the painter and his children is dissected in a seemingly simple style, with endless but captivating dialogues. Hemingway examines his characters and makes them human. He loves them all, and the reader feels so close to them that he knows them.
A great and beautiful novel.
Holidays with his children around a fishing trip, a stay in Havana between his cats and his daiquiris at the Floridita, then a submarine hunt around Cuba; each episode of this book tells a significant event in the life of the painter Thomas Hudson, who also looks a lot like Hemingway.
It all seems to revolve around love, flight, and death. But love is, above all, paternal and filial. The relationship between the painter and his children is dissected in a seemingly simple style, with endless but captivating dialogues. Hemingway examines his characters and makes them human. He loves them all, and the reader feels so close to them that he knows them.
A great and beautiful novel.
August 24, 2008
Oh how I wish Hemingway had lived to revise and compile this book. Published posthumously and with only minor attention given to copy editing by Papa's publisher and last wife, the book limns its main character in three parts: as an artist living in the Gulf before WWII, as a grief-stricken u-boat hunter in Cuba following the loss of his sons, and in a final hunt for German fugitives. The unifying theme is in line with the Hemingway code: man is powerless before the abyss, but can behave with grace and courage anyway. When I began reading, I was surprised how delighted I was by his prose, but I'd admittedly probably be happy reading one of the man's grocery lists. Chapter X, after a significant passage on suicide, ends, "'Fuck Oblivion,' said Roger." Chapter XI begins, "Lunch was excellent. The steak was browned outside and striped by the grill. A knife slipped through the outer part and inside the meat was tender and juicy. They all dipped up juice from their plates and put it on the mashed potatoes and the juice made a lake in their creamy whiteness." Now how can you not love that? The first part of the book is the best for classic Hemingway people-, men-, land-, sea- and food-writing, complete with a fishing struggle that surely inspired The Old Man and the Sea. Part two will test readers who don't love reading about cats and drinking. Part three is all action unless your literature professors have hammered the Hemingway-Code Hero into your head so indelibly that you can only see it as man struggling to perform duty and maintain "ideals" in the face of great personal loss, the chaos of world at war, and imminent death. If you are already on the Hemingway train, read it. If you're a reader who still needs some convincing, the three parts can seem indulgent and disconnected, so stick to his best short stories until he's convinced you.
September 14, 2019
I picked this book up on a whim, and I'm so glad I did! What a strange, melancholy, compelling story! It was published posthumously and not edited by Hemingway, which makes me wonder what it might have been like if he'd finished it himself, but as it is, I liked it a lot. It might be one of my favorites this summer, which is odd, because when one thinks of summer reads, one usually thinks of light fiction or fun nonfiction, neither of which this book could be called by any stretch. Yet in summer, when it's light and warm, I feel more willing to read books that are darker and deeper, books that might make me feel rather glum on a gray winter's day. I won't go into the story, because it's difficult to describe, segmented as it is, but the first part and the last were my favorites, though the in between was engaging as well. It shouldn't make me want to take up deep sea fishing and go to Cuba, but it does;-) Slightly at a loss what to read next!
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
August 24, 2016
The Most Interesting Man in the World: The Novel(s). I removed Islands in the Stream from my “currently reading” shelf because I wasn’t sure I would ever finish it. The first part, “Bimini,” is the best part of the novel, and could probably have stood alone as a short novel. It tells the story of Thomas Hudson, a somewhat famous painter, and the visit of his three sons. It’s fishing and drinking and eating and story telling, with a tragic ending . Pure Hemingway, with some wonderful passages to return to again and again. What doesn’t work so well as far as this story goes, is the character Roger Davis, a writer friend of Hudson’s. It seems like Hemingway is doing a bit of the Conradian “double” here. Hudson represents a more contemplative type, being a painter, while Roger is more of a two-fisted man of action. I could write a paper on this alone. Put the two of them together, you have the complete package – though Davis seems to have quit writing, or hasn’t written anything worthwhile in some time. One can’t help but feel that the ghost of the terrible novel, Across the River and into the Trees is being exorcised by Hemingway. To my mind, it is exorcised. The creaky sterility of that previous novel is gone, Hemingway is trying new stuff. Truly.
However, in the second part of the book, “Cuba,” he stumbles. But magnificently! This is some of the best bad Hemingway – ever. There’s something ridiculous about an artist (Hudson again) being driven by a chauffeur to a military station, where he is apparently viewed as The Man. (He’s not in the military mind you, and this is World War II.) Hudson has found out that his last son, Tom, has been killed in action. Grieving, he proceeds to get blitzed at a bar, and most of the story is bar talk with friends, and a whore. At one point, while talking with a Cuban prostitute, Hudson recounts his sexual escapades with three Chinese prostitutes! This is before Viagra. Oh, and there’s an earlier recounting of an affair with a princess that is quite romantic, and a bit kinky, as they do what they do while standing on a ship at night. This scene is a reworking of another “standing” moment from the earlier Farewell to Arms. I found this a little sad, probably because I felt Hemingway was basically cannibalizing himself. Whatever, it’s still pretty cool.
Anyway, by the time of the Chinese prostitutes’ adventure/story, an ocean of alcohol has been consumed, and it’s still morning. Out of the blue, Hudson’s first (ex)wife shows up (great noirish entry). She’s evidently some beautiful actress, now serving in the USO. There’s some fine snappy dialogue, for a while at least, but what punctures this encounter is that she doesn't even know her son is now dead (and he’s been dead for a couple of weeks). Hudson, being The Man – and The Most Interesting Man in the World at that, is aware, due to his connections – and importance (and yet he couldn't call on contact her?). Anyway, they drink some wine (!!!), and make love (which would seem virtually impossible at this point). And then suddenly the Call to Action comes, and The Man is off to war. The jaw simply drops at the wonderful, stagey badness of this. Still, all of that said, there is some wonderful writing to admire in this part.
Part three has Hudson pursuing Germans on the islands. Whatever, my interest really started to wane here, due to the fact that I was finding Hudson so unbelievable at this point. Overall, Islands is a mixed bag, but if you’re into Hemingway, a necessary read. I think as a whole it fails, but there’s a lot of good writing to enjoy. The parts are greater than the whole.
However, in the second part of the book, “Cuba,” he stumbles. But magnificently! This is some of the best bad Hemingway – ever. There’s something ridiculous about an artist (Hudson again) being driven by a chauffeur to a military station, where he is apparently viewed as The Man. (He’s not in the military mind you, and this is World War II.) Hudson has found out that his last son, Tom, has been killed in action. Grieving, he proceeds to get blitzed at a bar, and most of the story is bar talk with friends, and a whore. At one point, while talking with a Cuban prostitute, Hudson recounts his sexual escapades with three Chinese prostitutes! This is before Viagra. Oh, and there’s an earlier recounting of an affair with a princess that is quite romantic, and a bit kinky, as they do what they do while standing on a ship at night. This scene is a reworking of another “standing” moment from the earlier Farewell to Arms. I found this a little sad, probably because I felt Hemingway was basically cannibalizing himself. Whatever, it’s still pretty cool.
Anyway, by the time of the Chinese prostitutes’ adventure/story, an ocean of alcohol has been consumed, and it’s still morning. Out of the blue, Hudson’s first (ex)wife shows up (great noirish entry). She’s evidently some beautiful actress, now serving in the USO. There’s some fine snappy dialogue, for a while at least, but what punctures this encounter is that she doesn't even know her son is now dead (and he’s been dead for a couple of weeks). Hudson, being The Man – and The Most Interesting Man in the World at that, is aware, due to his connections – and importance (and yet he couldn't call on contact her?). Anyway, they drink some wine (!!!), and make love (which would seem virtually impossible at this point). And then suddenly the Call to Action comes, and The Man is off to war. The jaw simply drops at the wonderful, stagey badness of this. Still, all of that said, there is some wonderful writing to admire in this part.
Part three has Hudson pursuing Germans on the islands. Whatever, my interest really started to wane here, due to the fact that I was finding Hudson so unbelievable at this point. Overall, Islands is a mixed bag, but if you’re into Hemingway, a necessary read. I think as a whole it fails, but there’s a lot of good writing to enjoy. The parts are greater than the whole.
August 3, 2023
"Being against evil doesn't make you good ...when you start taking pleasure in it you are awfully close to the thing you're fighting"
A manly story about a very manly man, doing the things manly men do: hunting, fishing, fist fighting, a few quick trips to the local brothel, then off to capture nazi u-boat survivors. This novel just oozes with testosterone, yet Hemingway still conveys a sense of warmth and vulnerability. His protagonist is a loving father, a kind-hearted exhusband, who is fanatically devoted to his cats.
He had me at 'fanatically devoted to his cats'
A manly story about a very manly man, doing the things manly men do: hunting, fishing, fist fighting, a few quick trips to the local brothel, then off to capture nazi u-boat survivors. This novel just oozes with testosterone, yet Hemingway still conveys a sense of warmth and vulnerability. His protagonist is a loving father, a kind-hearted exhusband, who is fanatically devoted to his cats.
He had me at 'fanatically devoted to his cats'
February 26, 2023
After this second reading, some 11 years following the first, my opinion of Islands in the Stream remains unchanged. I still have the feeling that the final step in Hemingway’s writing process, the cutting, honing, and polishing that is so evident in the books that were published during his lifetime, has been omitted from this novel. However, a Hemingway novel is still a Hemingway novel, and the immersion into his attitudes towards life brings forth certain elements of life that are constant and true.
First Reading, January 2012…
As a Hemingway fan, there is a lot to like and enjoy about this book. For instance, we’re lucky that it is here in the first place. Being the first of the posthumously published works, Hemingway had no intention of publishing it himself, but here it is. Islands in the Stream is filled with lines that could only come from Hemingway. Filled with his crisp style of writing that leaves so much to the imagination that the story transforms into truth in the minds of his readers.
The problem with Islands in the Stream is that Hemingway, presumably, had no intention of publishing it, at lease in its present form. There is simply too much between the covers. Consider that Islands in the Stream and For Whom the Bell Tolls both have about 450 pages. Now consider that For Whom the Bell Tolls addresses virtually every aspect of the Spanish Civil War, from its effects on the Spanish people to the war’s meaning on an international stage. At best, Islands in the Stream covers the tragic relationship that Hemingway had with his sons and supports this tragedy with page after page of symbolic depictions of his failings as a father. As it presently sits, this book is Hemingway’s iceberg, still attached to the glacier, and waiting for a Hemingway that will never exist to carve it into the story that it was intended to be.
First Reading, January 2012…
As a Hemingway fan, there is a lot to like and enjoy about this book. For instance, we’re lucky that it is here in the first place. Being the first of the posthumously published works, Hemingway had no intention of publishing it himself, but here it is. Islands in the Stream is filled with lines that could only come from Hemingway. Filled with his crisp style of writing that leaves so much to the imagination that the story transforms into truth in the minds of his readers.
The problem with Islands in the Stream is that Hemingway, presumably, had no intention of publishing it, at lease in its present form. There is simply too much between the covers. Consider that Islands in the Stream and For Whom the Bell Tolls both have about 450 pages. Now consider that For Whom the Bell Tolls addresses virtually every aspect of the Spanish Civil War, from its effects on the Spanish people to the war’s meaning on an international stage. At best, Islands in the Stream covers the tragic relationship that Hemingway had with his sons and supports this tragedy with page after page of symbolic depictions of his failings as a father. As it presently sits, this book is Hemingway’s iceberg, still attached to the glacier, and waiting for a Hemingway that will never exist to carve it into the story that it was intended to be.
October 24, 2020
I think I may have an atypical relationship with Ernest Hemingway. I’ve never been absolutely blown away by anything of his I’ve read but I’ve always enjoyed his work and really like his robust, no-nonsense prose style. This book is no exception to this. In fact, it might be my favourite of his works so far.
June 13, 2025
*** 2025 reread -
Ernest Hemingway died in 1961 and this novel, first published in 1970, was compiled by his surviving spouse, Mary Hemingway, and his editor, from notes and outlines found in his papers. Originally intended as a trilogy about the sea, this is comprised of three sections, the first set in Bimini in the 30s, the second set in Havana during the war, and the final section, set at sea as the protagonist hunts for survivors of a German U-boat in the islands around Cuba.
Rough around the edges and with some unfinished, loose ends, this is nonetheless good Hemingway writing and reveals emotional depths and an unguarded sentimentality rarely seen in his work. This also demonstrates some of his better action scenes.
Reminiscent of For Whom the Bell Tolls and, obliquely, like A Farewell to Arms, this is solid and should be read by Hemingway fans.
Ernest Hemingway died in 1961 and this novel, first published in 1970, was compiled by his surviving spouse, Mary Hemingway, and his editor, from notes and outlines found in his papers. Originally intended as a trilogy about the sea, this is comprised of three sections, the first set in Bimini in the 30s, the second set in Havana during the war, and the final section, set at sea as the protagonist hunts for survivors of a German U-boat in the islands around Cuba.
Rough around the edges and with some unfinished, loose ends, this is nonetheless good Hemingway writing and reveals emotional depths and an unguarded sentimentality rarely seen in his work. This also demonstrates some of his better action scenes.
Reminiscent of For Whom the Bell Tolls and, obliquely, like A Farewell to Arms, this is solid and should be read by Hemingway fans.
June 9, 2013
Look at me, reading Hemingway! :D
It's off to a great start. I'm really enjoying this book so far.
Not sure if I got lucky or if Hemingway truly is a good writer. I no longer, though, have an aversion to Hemingway's works and will gladly read more in the future.
This story of Thomas Hudson had me glued to the pages. Hemingway has a way of blending his personal life with his fiction. He brings elements of his life into this story and builds around them. It's not all autobiographical but enough so that Hemingway is interwoven into his story in a real and lasting way.
The first part of this story is awesome. It's life at its best: family, love, good times. The story of David and his fish was so well told....I could picture the scene, feel the pain and determination of David, see the waters and the fish.....Hemingway painted a picture.
At times this story is gritty, at times its light. Hemingway did a great job of balancing all the elements of a man finding his way through some good and some terrible personal times.
Hemingway could bring strong emotions to the page in few concise words, he manages to get right to the point of what he's trying to say.
After a bad Hemingway experience in high school, its taken me years to try again. I'm glad I did and I look forward to more Hemingway in my reading future.
It's off to a great start. I'm really enjoying this book so far.
Not sure if I got lucky or if Hemingway truly is a good writer. I no longer, though, have an aversion to Hemingway's works and will gladly read more in the future.
This story of Thomas Hudson had me glued to the pages. Hemingway has a way of blending his personal life with his fiction. He brings elements of his life into this story and builds around them. It's not all autobiographical but enough so that Hemingway is interwoven into his story in a real and lasting way.
The first part of this story is awesome. It's life at its best: family, love, good times. The story of David and his fish was so well told....I could picture the scene, feel the pain and determination of David, see the waters and the fish.....Hemingway painted a picture.
At times this story is gritty, at times its light. Hemingway did a great job of balancing all the elements of a man finding his way through some good and some terrible personal times.
Hemingway could bring strong emotions to the page in few concise words, he manages to get right to the point of what he's trying to say.
After a bad Hemingway experience in high school, its taken me years to try again. I'm glad I did and I look forward to more Hemingway in my reading future.
August 10, 2010
Falling in love at an advanced age you would think would be a little bit different. But I am like a school girl. I'm not writing Me and Ernie 4 Eva on my notebooks but I might as well be the way I am mooning around about Papa Hemingway these days. Without a doubt I'm head over heels and “Islands in the Stream” only confirms it.
Even though this book was never highly praised by his critics and is one of his later works it is, to me, one of the finest literary works to pass before these tired eyes. His use of literary devices makes any wanna be author sit up and cry.
Speaking of crying, there was more than once when I had to shut this stunning piece when I was reading it on a public bus because of the tears rolling down my face.
It is a clearly wrought piece of brilliance that takes the reader deeply into each scene and weaves you delicately into the mind of Tom Hudson (Papa?) and leaves you breathless for the journey and thirsty for a drink of coconut water, gin and bitters.
Thank you Papa for showing me that great writing does exist and that I am capable of falling in love again.
Even though this book was never highly praised by his critics and is one of his later works it is, to me, one of the finest literary works to pass before these tired eyes. His use of literary devices makes any wanna be author sit up and cry.
Speaking of crying, there was more than once when I had to shut this stunning piece when I was reading it on a public bus because of the tears rolling down my face.
It is a clearly wrought piece of brilliance that takes the reader deeply into each scene and weaves you delicately into the mind of Tom Hudson (Papa?) and leaves you breathless for the journey and thirsty for a drink of coconut water, gin and bitters.
Thank you Papa for showing me that great writing does exist and that I am capable of falling in love again.
May 24, 2020
You have to make it inside of yourself wherever you are.
*
Happiness is often presented as being very dull but, he thought, lying awake, that is because dull people are sometimes very happy and intelligent people can and do go around making themselves and everyone else miserable. He had never found happiness dull. It always seemed more exciting than any other thing and capable of as great intensity as sorrow to those people who were capable of having it. This may not be true but he had believed it to be true for a long time and this summer they had experienced happiness for a month now and, already, in the nights, he was lonely for it before it had ever gone away.
*
On the eastward crossing on the Ile de France Thomas Hudson learned that hell was not necessarily as it was described by Dante or any other of the great hell-describers, but could be a comfortable, pleasant, and well-loved ship taking you toward a country that you had always sailed for with anticipation. It had many circles and they were not fixed as in those of the great Florentine egotist. He had gone aboard the ship early, thinking of it, he now knew, as a refuge from the city where he had feared meeting people who would speak to him about what had happened. He thought that on the ship he could come to some terms with his sorrow, not knowing, yet, that there are no terms to be made with sorrow. It can be cured by death and it can be blunted or anesthetized by various things. Time is supposed to cure it, too. But if it is cured by anything less than death, the chances are that it was not true sorrow.
*
Happiness is often presented as being very dull but, he thought, lying awake, that is because dull people are sometimes very happy and intelligent people can and do go around making themselves and everyone else miserable. He had never found happiness dull. It always seemed more exciting than any other thing and capable of as great intensity as sorrow to those people who were capable of having it. This may not be true but he had believed it to be true for a long time and this summer they had experienced happiness for a month now and, already, in the nights, he was lonely for it before it had ever gone away.
*
On the eastward crossing on the Ile de France Thomas Hudson learned that hell was not necessarily as it was described by Dante or any other of the great hell-describers, but could be a comfortable, pleasant, and well-loved ship taking you toward a country that you had always sailed for with anticipation. It had many circles and they were not fixed as in those of the great Florentine egotist. He had gone aboard the ship early, thinking of it, he now knew, as a refuge from the city where he had feared meeting people who would speak to him about what had happened. He thought that on the ship he could come to some terms with his sorrow, not knowing, yet, that there are no terms to be made with sorrow. It can be cured by death and it can be blunted or anesthetized by various things. Time is supposed to cure it, too. But if it is cured by anything less than death, the chances are that it was not true sorrow.
July 18, 2021
Written during his decline in Key West, this is far from Hem's great work. An interesting read, but please don't take this as any indication of his ineffable ability to write.
September 6, 2018
It has been about 40 years since I read Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" in High School which I plan on re reading that next. I have several of his novels on my "to read" shelf but decided on reading "Islands in the Stream" after a Goodreads' friend recommend this book to me, it being a favorite. I had no idea what this novel was about except what the name implies and it was published in 1970 about ten years after his death. I enjoy going into a book blind because I rather not have any influence on my perspective. I did see that someone suggested reading "The Old Man in the Sea" after; hence my next read. Not being familiar with these Islands and sea life and boats, I enjoyed looking certain fish and other things unknown.
While I was reading this wonderful story, I was wondering how much of this was his life and others he might have known and to the very end I was thinking in those lines. These stories were found by Mary Hemingway, rough but seemed finished. He started this story in 1950, when his novel "Across the River and Into the Trees" was not well received. Added that story to my list "to read" because many times I enjoy stories not deemed popular, so I will give that a try at some point. How much was added because this was "rough but finished", when I was reading this I had no idea of this sentiment but as I reading it seemed quite complete. As I found out later, Hemingway had experiences in these Islands and had an American painter friend, Henry Strater, and also friends, The Murphys who had something happened to them that caused Hemingway to notice and use it in his story. Last Hemingway's boat, Pilar, was used during World War 2 in hunting U-Boats near these Islands.
If you like a straight forward story with things spelled out, you will not find it here. The way to take this novel is to read not expecting to know all right away and even then many things are not told or quite clear but when you finish you will see it in the whole and how important each part plays in Tom Hudson's life and in his heart and mind, which encompasses his whole being. The narrator is third person but knows all in Tom's mind and everything around him. The characters not present are unknown to him and us, except once I remember when this rule was broken briefly near the end of the "Cuba" part 2.
Part 1- Bimini, we are introduced to painter, Tom Hudson, who lives on this island and his family and friends visit him. He has a routine he adheres by that helps him keep structure in his life. I loved this section which had describes his three sons and the differences in them. We learn about something in his life and his fondness for drinking. I cried at the end of this section and the beginnings of part 2.
Part 2- Cuba, This section has "The Lost Weekend" film feel but not to that extreme. If you had seen this movie, you remember Ray Milland's portrayal of a hopeless alcoholic in "The Lost Weekend" but Tom Hudson is different. Note, I found out that this movie was based on Charles Jackson's novel, added it. Hemingway's Lady of the Night are mentioned in this section a fair amount and it reminds me a little of Steinbeck but it is all Hemingway. This part seems to be about 15 years later but that is my guess.
Part 3- At Sea, It is not clear that this part is during World War 2 or after but the use of Tom Hudson's boat and his being the leader of this melange of men in the hunt for Germans near the Islands. This section is as interesting as the other two parts but with added adventure in chasing down the enemy. In this section we find out Tom's dependence on drinking and we know the difference between him and Ray Milland. A comment I noted on Wikipedia, that the ending is ambiguous, I have to differ; if you read the last several paragraphs, you know how things end. An author does not need to "spell" things out but the words he uses makes it quite evident how this ends.
I came away knowing I enjoyed this story and when I thought about all three sections and how they played into Tom Hudson's life and how he acted, I see the humanity in its whole. I see that a person lives their life the best they can but that life throws curve balls, mistakes made but intentions are not always clear but trying to live and dealing with our lives in our own way. The more I think of this novel, the more I see the genius that was Ernest Hemingway and it earned its place on my "favorite" shelf. 🌼💕💖
While I was reading this wonderful story, I was wondering how much of this was his life and others he might have known and to the very end I was thinking in those lines. These stories were found by Mary Hemingway, rough but seemed finished. He started this story in 1950, when his novel "Across the River and Into the Trees" was not well received. Added that story to my list "to read" because many times I enjoy stories not deemed popular, so I will give that a try at some point. How much was added because this was "rough but finished", when I was reading this I had no idea of this sentiment but as I reading it seemed quite complete. As I found out later, Hemingway had experiences in these Islands and had an American painter friend, Henry Strater, and also friends, The Murphys who had something happened to them that caused Hemingway to notice and use it in his story. Last Hemingway's boat, Pilar, was used during World War 2 in hunting U-Boats near these Islands.
If you like a straight forward story with things spelled out, you will not find it here. The way to take this novel is to read not expecting to know all right away and even then many things are not told or quite clear but when you finish you will see it in the whole and how important each part plays in Tom Hudson's life and in his heart and mind, which encompasses his whole being. The narrator is third person but knows all in Tom's mind and everything around him. The characters not present are unknown to him and us, except once I remember when this rule was broken briefly near the end of the "Cuba" part 2.
Part 1- Bimini, we are introduced to painter, Tom Hudson, who lives on this island and his family and friends visit him. He has a routine he adheres by that helps him keep structure in his life. I loved this section which had describes his three sons and the differences in them. We learn about something in his life and his fondness for drinking. I cried at the end of this section and the beginnings of part 2.
Part 2- Cuba, This section has "The Lost Weekend" film feel but not to that extreme. If you had seen this movie, you remember Ray Milland's portrayal of a hopeless alcoholic in "The Lost Weekend" but Tom Hudson is different. Note, I found out that this movie was based on Charles Jackson's novel, added it. Hemingway's Lady of the Night are mentioned in this section a fair amount and it reminds me a little of Steinbeck but it is all Hemingway. This part seems to be about 15 years later but that is my guess.
Part 3- At Sea, It is not clear that this part is during World War 2 or after but the use of Tom Hudson's boat and his being the leader of this melange of men in the hunt for Germans near the Islands. This section is as interesting as the other two parts but with added adventure in chasing down the enemy. In this section we find out Tom's dependence on drinking and we know the difference between him and Ray Milland. A comment I noted on Wikipedia, that the ending is ambiguous, I have to differ; if you read the last several paragraphs, you know how things end. An author does not need to "spell" things out but the words he uses makes it quite evident how this ends.
I came away knowing I enjoyed this story and when I thought about all three sections and how they played into Tom Hudson's life and how he acted, I see the humanity in its whole. I see that a person lives their life the best they can but that life throws curve balls, mistakes made but intentions are not always clear but trying to live and dealing with our lives in our own way. The more I think of this novel, the more I see the genius that was Ernest Hemingway and it earned its place on my "favorite" shelf. 🌼💕💖
August 6, 2014
I have often thought that there should be a reluctance on the part of the estate of a deceased writer to publish any of an author's works posthumously. Seriously, if the book was finished and the writer hadn't bothered to take it to the publisher, what would you assume his motives to be? An aversion to money, perhaps? This book is one of several that was published after Hemingway's suicide, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if he hadn't published it simply because he felt that it wasn't good enough. If that was the case, I agree with him completely.
There are some parts of the book that I found engaging; Hemingway knew fishing and firearms and draws the reader in when he writes on those topics. Regrettably, there is far too little of that in this book. When he is not writing about physical action, he bogs down in unlikely and tedious dialogue and improbable thought processes. His protagonist, Thomas Hudson, seems detached and dispassionate, almost to the point of being uninvolved in the whole story. And that, incidentally, is a name I will never forget...because Hemingway uses the full name each and every time he refers to the protagonist; Thomas Hudson did this and Thomas Hudson did that. I got heartily sick of the name by the time I toiled through the book.
Overall, the book has a dark and brooding tone, more in keeping with Conrad than Hemingway although Hemingway is never exactly a ray of sunshine in any of his works. I don't think Hemingway ever intended it to be printed. In any event, I feel that I have been robbed of some of my reading time.
There are some parts of the book that I found engaging; Hemingway knew fishing and firearms and draws the reader in when he writes on those topics. Regrettably, there is far too little of that in this book. When he is not writing about physical action, he bogs down in unlikely and tedious dialogue and improbable thought processes. His protagonist, Thomas Hudson, seems detached and dispassionate, almost to the point of being uninvolved in the whole story. And that, incidentally, is a name I will never forget...because Hemingway uses the full name each and every time he refers to the protagonist; Thomas Hudson did this and Thomas Hudson did that. I got heartily sick of the name by the time I toiled through the book.
Overall, the book has a dark and brooding tone, more in keeping with Conrad than Hemingway although Hemingway is never exactly a ray of sunshine in any of his works. I don't think Hemingway ever intended it to be printed. In any event, I feel that I have been robbed of some of my reading time.
November 15, 2024
He thought that he would lie down and think about nothing. Sometimes he could do this.
Behold the Monster. It is fair to regard this triptych as such from a number of angles. The work is likely very raw. I haven't explored the biographical provenance, but I suspect it grew as a monolith, an ongoing surge between tempests. Had the author persisted, there would have been editing. A polishing away of dross leaving acute angles and inchoate philosophy.
The product is undoubtedly dasein. There's also much of the abyss here, a deliberate staving off of Das Mann-- the herd here is an intraguild predator. The responses to such are phenomenological and occasionally violent, even lethal. This is parley by other means. This novel is a rapture of sorts, but one revealed in a chemical noumena, a dark matter informed by trauma and the uncanny. Alongside the scarred neuroses is a physical detachment, an appreciation of the biosphere but not bound by nation-states or primary language.
The first 200 pages were beyond beautiful. The next section, however, was detached tissue, a litany of drunken coitus under a miasma of grief. The concluding section was a miracle.
Behold the Monster. It is fair to regard this triptych as such from a number of angles. The work is likely very raw. I haven't explored the biographical provenance, but I suspect it grew as a monolith, an ongoing surge between tempests. Had the author persisted, there would have been editing. A polishing away of dross leaving acute angles and inchoate philosophy.
The product is undoubtedly dasein. There's also much of the abyss here, a deliberate staving off of Das Mann-- the herd here is an intraguild predator. The responses to such are phenomenological and occasionally violent, even lethal. This is parley by other means. This novel is a rapture of sorts, but one revealed in a chemical noumena, a dark matter informed by trauma and the uncanny. Alongside the scarred neuroses is a physical detachment, an appreciation of the biosphere but not bound by nation-states or primary language.
The first 200 pages were beyond beautiful. The next section, however, was detached tissue, a litany of drunken coitus under a miasma of grief. The concluding section was a miracle.
September 20, 2018
I actually enjoyed this Hemingway story. Maybe it was because it was edited by someone either than the author. I have found that I like the posthumous Hemingway writings better than what he put out when he was alive.
I felt like I was in the Caribbean while reading this story. And in doing so I was able to relive my trip that I had to the Caribbean over twenty years ago.
One caveat though, if you like Calypos music, parts of this book will get the songs stuck in your head. At one point I was singing bits of the songs at work and I was getting odd looks.
So give this one a go and enjoy the picturesque writing.
I felt like I was in the Caribbean while reading this story. And in doing so I was able to relive my trip that I had to the Caribbean over twenty years ago.
One caveat though, if you like Calypos music, parts of this book will get the songs stuck in your head. At one point I was singing bits of the songs at work and I was getting odd looks.
So give this one a go and enjoy the picturesque writing.
November 13, 2013
Disclaimer: this was the first Hemingway book I've read. I wish I'd started off with something else, like one of his "masterpieces", because this one left me frustrated, exhausted, and disappointed, even a bit disgusted. I started out thinking I was really going to enjoy it, and liked the affectionate tones and his style of writing. By the end of the novel I felt like I was stuck in a room with a drunk man that was making me listen to a drawn out, glorified, story of his life and all the indulgences and machismo and booze-fueled sentimentality that is unbearable when you're the sober one listening. I really had to muscle through the third part of the novel and did not enjoy anything about that part. I will try Hemingway again but I think I'll have less patience for the paternal arrogance.
September 15, 2022
Far from his best novel, though completely forgivable given its posthumous publication. When he writes about loneliness, the constant challenge of writing well (painting, for the novel's hero), the love of his children; the honesty and humanity--which is that relatable thing and a large part of the beauty of EH's art--comes through. There is still goodness in this flawed work and I'm glad I read it.
I recently watched the PBS documentary on Hemingway by Burns and Novick and greatly enjoyed it. Highly recommend it.
I recently watched the PBS documentary on Hemingway by Burns and Novick and greatly enjoyed it. Highly recommend it.
February 25, 2022
Vyrauja nuomonė, kad E. Hemingvėjus nusižudė todėl, kad nebegalėjo rašyti (nebeturėjo siužetų, nes juos sėmėsi iš savo asmeninės patirties, o fizinė būklė nebeleido keliauti ir kvailioti), primenamas jo alkoholizmas, sunki psichinė būklė... Aš vis dėlto manau – ir ypač po to, kai perskaičiau po jo mirties išleistą romaną "Salos vandenyne" – kad pagrindinė savižudybės priežastis buvo ne idėjų, minčių ar siužetų stoka, o pajautimas, kad nieko kokybiško jau nesukurs. Todėl ir liko nebaigta mano paminėta knyga, nors ji iš esmės buvo parašyta (žmona Merė įžangoje teigia, kad su redaktoriumi nepridėjo nė vieno žodžio, tik kai ką sutrumpino). Būtent tai, kad rašytojas nebesugebėjo užbaigti kūrinio, ir lėmė jo apsisprendimą... Tai baisi situacija, nes kiekvienas rašytojas nori, kad jo kūrinys būtų išleistas toks, kokį jis parašė, tad kokioje būklėje reikia būti, kad šito savanoriškai atsisakytum?.. Romanui "Salos vandenyne" akivaizdžiai trūksta Hemingvėjaus glaustumo, žodžio disciplinos, bet knygoje daug puikių epizodų, minčių, pastebėjimų. Visa laimė, kad rašytojas nesunaikino rankraščio.
Romanas buvo išleistas po autoriaus mirties praėjus 9 metams (1970). Koks būtų buvęs romanas, jei jį būtų leidęs pats rašytojas, šiandien atsakyti labai sunku – kūrinys atrodo ir baigtas, ir ne. Jis rašytas labai ilgai, ko gero, ilgiausiai iš visų Hemingvėjaus knygų, nes rašytojo biografijose užuominų apie tai, kad jis ruošiasi rašyti kelių dalių romaną apie jūrą, galima rasti nuo 1934 metų, o jis pats laiške leidėjui apie tokius planus užsiminė 1948 metų pabaigoje – norįs parašyti taip gerai, kaip niekad savo gyvenime dar nėra rašęs. Nors romano nepavyko užbaigti, bet vieną geriausių savo kūrinių – apysaką “Senis ir jūra” (ko gero, turėjusią didžiausią reikšmę gaunant Nobelio premiją), laikė ketvirtąja nebaigtos knygos dalimi. Kitas biografas (A. E. Hochner), kuriuo irgi negalima netikėti, nes iki gyvenimo pabaigos buvo rašytojo draugas, tvirtina, kad 1951 metais, kai buvo sukurta apysaka “Senis ir jūra”, Hemingvėjus planavo jos neišleisti tol, kol nebus parašyta visa trilogija – apie jūrą, žemę ir orą; nes ji – tik dalis tos trilogijos. Tada rašytojas pasakęs garsiąją frazę: žmogų galima sunaikinti, bet ne nugalėti.
1954-ųjų pabaiga – rašytojo didžiulio meistriškumo pasaulinio pripažinimo metas – Hemingvėjus gauna Nobelio premiją, prestižiškiausią literatūros apdovanojimą. Vėl aibė rūpesčių – šventės su draugais ir artimaisiais, laureato kalbos parengimas (nors į Stokholmą nevyko), galybė interviu ir naujų pasiūlymų. Kaip dažnai būna, po didelių pergalių kūrėjus apima ištuštėjimo jausmas, nerimas, kad nieko geresnio nebesukurs. Neaplenkė tai ir Hemingvėjaus. “Salos vandenyne” niekaip nejudėjo į priekį... Pyktis, nusivylimas, baimė – viskas persimaišė. O dar korespondentų, fotografų apgultis... Kas galėtų išgelbėti? Paryžius, kur jis buvo neturtingas, bet labai laimingas, Ispanijos koridos – kur rasta tiek naujų draugų, patirta tiek malonių akimirkų? Vyksta į Europą, o “Salos vandenyne” guli pamirštos... Biografijose vos viena kita užuomina, kad 1955 metais buvo parašyti keli skyriai, o 1956 - 1957 metais jau net jokių užsiminimų. 1958 metai buvo skirti prisiminimams apie Paryžių, kur gyveno su pirmąja žmona Hedli (knyga irgi nebuvo baigta), o 1959-ieji – kelionei į Ispaniją ir knygai “Pavojinga vasara” (apie koridas ir matadorus).
Trilogiją “Salos vandenyne” (labiau tiktų versti “Salos tėkmėje” (“Islands in the stream”), nes jos esmė – žmonių likimai laiko tėkmėje) rašytojas ilgai nešiojo savyje, rašė protarpiais, nutoldamas ir vis grįždamas, nes niekaip nesiklijavo jos visuma – o juk užsibrėžė, kad bus geriausia iš visų! – kol galų gale pajuto (įsivaizduoju, koks apėmė siaubas...), kad nesiseka sudėlioti taip, kad būtų jo kūrybos viršūnė...
Vis dėlto – ir labai gerai! – trijų dalių knygą “Salos vandenyne” turime. Visai neblogą: romantinė dalis; bohemiškoji dalis; vyriškoji dalis. Dailininkas Tomas Hadsonas, pagrindinis romano herojus, labai spalvinga asmenybė, rašytojo sukurta nepaprastai įtikinamai – ar ne todėl, kad jame daug Hemingvėjaus? Kvailiojantis ir mylintis, drąsus ir ištikimas draugas, kenčiantis ir lengvabūdis – ar ne toks buvo pats Hemingvėjus? – dalyvavimas trijuose karuose (I pasaulinis, Ispanijos pilietinis, II pasaulinis), begalinė meilė vaikams ir nuojauta, kad su jais atsitiks kažkas baisaus, daugybė moterų ir nostalgiški prisiminimai apie pirmąją žmoną Hedli, pagarba jo dviejų vaikų motinai Polinai (mirusiai 1951 m.) – jei toks nebūtų buvęs pats rašytojas, argi taip jaudintų skaitytojus Tomo Hadsono prisiminimai apie prarastas moteris, skausmas netekus vaikų? Man “Salos vandenyne” jausmų romanas netgi tada, kai rašoma apie kates ir šunis... Beje, labai gražiai ir tikroviškai.
Kiekviena romano dalis – kaip atskira knyga. Pirmoji – Hadsono atostogos su trimis sūnumis (taip ne kartą atostogavo rašytojas, suderinęs su abiem buvusiomis žmonomis). Nerūpestingos, džiugios, meilės ir rūpesčio vaikais kupinos penkios savaitės saloje, iškylos kateriu į jūrą, didžiulių žuvų žvejyba ir... tragiška baigtis – autokatastrofoje žūsta du sūnūs. Antroje dalyje – karo pradžia, sužinom, kad Europoje dingo be žinios vyresnėlis sūnus lakūnas, aprašomas Hadsono gyvenimas Kuboje su katėmis ir šunimis, daug alkoholio, prisiminimai apie princesės meilę (labai talentingai ir įtikinimai parašyti – ko gero, kažkas panašaus būta Hemingvėjaus gyvenime). Hadsonas po visų nelaimių – ne žlugęs žmogus, net girtas jis simpatiškas, pagarbiai bendrauja su kur kas žemesnio lygio žmonėmis (neaišku kuo užsiimantys draugeliai, šliundros, tarnas), bet ypač visas jo žmoniškumas – jo tikrasis aš – išryškėja susitikus su pirmąja žmona. Čia ji ištaria nuostabiąją frazę: “Mudu visą laiką mylėjom vienas kitą, tik kartais darydavom klaidų”. Hadsonas atsako: “Didžiausias darydavau aš”. Ši scena – be abejo, Hemingvėjaus duoklė pirmąjai žmonai Hedli, kurią jis visad prisiminė tik gerai. Trumpas dviejų tebemylinčių vienas kitą žmonių susitikimas, nuostabiai autoriaus perteikta graudi atmosfera, sielų ryšys. Trečioji dalis – Hadsono ir jo bendražygių ekspedicija kateriu – hitlerininkų povandeninio laivo paieška. Laivo neranda, jis, ko gero, nuskendęs, bet išsigelbėję jūreiviai siautėja salose. Reikia juos rasti ir sunaikinti. Ilga paieška baigiasi kautynėmis ir Hadsonas sunkiai sužeidžiamas. Ar draugai spės jį pargabenti namo – lieka neaišku...
Taip, kadangi tai nebaigtas kūrinys (tiksliau – siužeto prasme beveik baigtas, bet galutinai nesuredaguotas), nes autorius nespėjo sutrumpinti (visad tai darydavo labai kruopščiai ir atsakingai), todėl akivaizdus (ypač dialogų) ištęstumas, stiliaus šiurkštumai, veikėjų reakcijų dialoguose stoka. Kiek mažiau pastebimas labai svarbus Hemingvėjaus kūrybos “aisbergo“ metodas: daugiau paslėpto negu matomo, daugiau poteksčių negu tiesmukų minčių. Bet tuos nedidelius trūkumus atperka Hemingvėjaus talento jėga, jo minčių krūvis, tikri herojų jausmai: meilė, skausmas, nerimas, džiaugsmas, “pergalės pralaimėjime” galimybė. Tie skaitytojai, kuriems artima Hemingvėjaus kūryba, tikrai nenusivils skaitydami ir šią, taip sunkiai gimusią, knygą.
Romanas buvo išleistas po autoriaus mirties praėjus 9 metams (1970). Koks būtų buvęs romanas, jei jį būtų leidęs pats rašytojas, šiandien atsakyti labai sunku – kūrinys atrodo ir baigtas, ir ne. Jis rašytas labai ilgai, ko gero, ilgiausiai iš visų Hemingvėjaus knygų, nes rašytojo biografijose užuominų apie tai, kad jis ruošiasi rašyti kelių dalių romaną apie jūrą, galima rasti nuo 1934 metų, o jis pats laiške leidėjui apie tokius planus užsiminė 1948 metų pabaigoje – norįs parašyti taip gerai, kaip niekad savo gyvenime dar nėra rašęs. Nors romano nepavyko užbaigti, bet vieną geriausių savo kūrinių – apysaką “Senis ir jūra” (ko gero, turėjusią didžiausią reikšmę gaunant Nobelio premiją), laikė ketvirtąja nebaigtos knygos dalimi. Kitas biografas (A. E. Hochner), kuriuo irgi negalima netikėti, nes iki gyvenimo pabaigos buvo rašytojo draugas, tvirtina, kad 1951 metais, kai buvo sukurta apysaka “Senis ir jūra”, Hemingvėjus planavo jos neišleisti tol, kol nebus parašyta visa trilogija – apie jūrą, žemę ir orą; nes ji – tik dalis tos trilogijos. Tada rašytojas pasakęs garsiąją frazę: žmogų galima sunaikinti, bet ne nugalėti.
1954-ųjų pabaiga – rašytojo didžiulio meistriškumo pasaulinio pripažinimo metas – Hemingvėjus gauna Nobelio premiją, prestižiškiausią literatūros apdovanojimą. Vėl aibė rūpesčių – šventės su draugais ir artimaisiais, laureato kalbos parengimas (nors į Stokholmą nevyko), galybė interviu ir naujų pasiūlymų. Kaip dažnai būna, po didelių pergalių kūrėjus apima ištuštėjimo jausmas, nerimas, kad nieko geresnio nebesukurs. Neaplenkė tai ir Hemingvėjaus. “Salos vandenyne” niekaip nejudėjo į priekį... Pyktis, nusivylimas, baimė – viskas persimaišė. O dar korespondentų, fotografų apgultis... Kas galėtų išgelbėti? Paryžius, kur jis buvo neturtingas, bet labai laimingas, Ispanijos koridos – kur rasta tiek naujų draugų, patirta tiek malonių akimirkų? Vyksta į Europą, o “Salos vandenyne” guli pamirštos... Biografijose vos viena kita užuomina, kad 1955 metais buvo parašyti keli skyriai, o 1956 - 1957 metais jau net jokių užsiminimų. 1958 metai buvo skirti prisiminimams apie Paryžių, kur gyveno su pirmąja žmona Hedli (knyga irgi nebuvo baigta), o 1959-ieji – kelionei į Ispaniją ir knygai “Pavojinga vasara” (apie koridas ir matadorus).
Trilogiją “Salos vandenyne” (labiau tiktų versti “Salos tėkmėje” (“Islands in the stream”), nes jos esmė – žmonių likimai laiko tėkmėje) rašytojas ilgai nešiojo savyje, rašė protarpiais, nutoldamas ir vis grįždamas, nes niekaip nesiklijavo jos visuma – o juk užsibrėžė, kad bus geriausia iš visų! – kol galų gale pajuto (įsivaizduoju, koks apėmė siaubas...), kad nesiseka sudėlioti taip, kad būtų jo kūrybos viršūnė...
Vis dėlto – ir labai gerai! – trijų dalių knygą “Salos vandenyne” turime. Visai neblogą: romantinė dalis; bohemiškoji dalis; vyriškoji dalis. Dailininkas Tomas Hadsonas, pagrindinis romano herojus, labai spalvinga asmenybė, rašytojo sukurta nepaprastai įtikinamai – ar ne todėl, kad jame daug Hemingvėjaus? Kvailiojantis ir mylintis, drąsus ir ištikimas draugas, kenčiantis ir lengvabūdis – ar ne toks buvo pats Hemingvėjus? – dalyvavimas trijuose karuose (I pasaulinis, Ispanijos pilietinis, II pasaulinis), begalinė meilė vaikams ir nuojauta, kad su jais atsitiks kažkas baisaus, daugybė moterų ir nostalgiški prisiminimai apie pirmąją žmoną Hedli, pagarba jo dviejų vaikų motinai Polinai (mirusiai 1951 m.) – jei toks nebūtų buvęs pats rašytojas, argi taip jaudintų skaitytojus Tomo Hadsono prisiminimai apie prarastas moteris, skausmas netekus vaikų? Man “Salos vandenyne” jausmų romanas netgi tada, kai rašoma apie kates ir šunis... Beje, labai gražiai ir tikroviškai.
Kiekviena romano dalis – kaip atskira knyga. Pirmoji – Hadsono atostogos su trimis sūnumis (taip ne kartą atostogavo rašytojas, suderinęs su abiem buvusiomis žmonomis). Nerūpestingos, džiugios, meilės ir rūpesčio vaikais kupinos penkios savaitės saloje, iškylos kateriu į jūrą, didžiulių žuvų žvejyba ir... tragiška baigtis – autokatastrofoje žūsta du sūnūs. Antroje dalyje – karo pradžia, sužinom, kad Europoje dingo be žinios vyresnėlis sūnus lakūnas, aprašomas Hadsono gyvenimas Kuboje su katėmis ir šunimis, daug alkoholio, prisiminimai apie princesės meilę (labai talentingai ir įtikinimai parašyti – ko gero, kažkas panašaus būta Hemingvėjaus gyvenime). Hadsonas po visų nelaimių – ne žlugęs žmogus, net girtas jis simpatiškas, pagarbiai bendrauja su kur kas žemesnio lygio žmonėmis (neaišku kuo užsiimantys draugeliai, šliundros, tarnas), bet ypač visas jo žmoniškumas – jo tikrasis aš – išryškėja susitikus su pirmąja žmona. Čia ji ištaria nuostabiąją frazę: “Mudu visą laiką mylėjom vienas kitą, tik kartais darydavom klaidų”. Hadsonas atsako: “Didžiausias darydavau aš”. Ši scena – be abejo, Hemingvėjaus duoklė pirmąjai žmonai Hedli, kurią jis visad prisiminė tik gerai. Trumpas dviejų tebemylinčių vienas kitą žmonių susitikimas, nuostabiai autoriaus perteikta graudi atmosfera, sielų ryšys. Trečioji dalis – Hadsono ir jo bendražygių ekspedicija kateriu – hitlerininkų povandeninio laivo paieška. Laivo neranda, jis, ko gero, nuskendęs, bet išsigelbėję jūreiviai siautėja salose. Reikia juos rasti ir sunaikinti. Ilga paieška baigiasi kautynėmis ir Hadsonas sunkiai sužeidžiamas. Ar draugai spės jį pargabenti namo – lieka neaišku...
Taip, kadangi tai nebaigtas kūrinys (tiksliau – siužeto prasme beveik baigtas, bet galutinai nesuredaguotas), nes autorius nespėjo sutrumpinti (visad tai darydavo labai kruopščiai ir atsakingai), todėl akivaizdus (ypač dialogų) ištęstumas, stiliaus šiurkštumai, veikėjų reakcijų dialoguose stoka. Kiek mažiau pastebimas labai svarbus Hemingvėjaus kūrybos “aisbergo“ metodas: daugiau paslėpto negu matomo, daugiau poteksčių negu tiesmukų minčių. Bet tuos nedidelius trūkumus atperka Hemingvėjaus talento jėga, jo minčių krūvis, tikri herojų jausmai: meilė, skausmas, nerimas, džiaugsmas, “pergalės pralaimėjime” galimybė. Tie skaitytojai, kuriems artima Hemingvėjaus kūryba, tikrai nenusivils skaitydami ir šią, taip sunkiai gimusią, knygą.
December 20, 2015
Ernest Hemingway first discovered Cuba in 1928. He spent a good portion of his life in Cuba. His fondness for the island is evident in his life and in some of his writings. Most of Hemingway's time in Cuba was spent in Havana. From 1932 to about 1939, Hemingway took up residence in Room 511 of Havana's Hotel Ambos Mundos. In 1939, Hemingway became a permanent resident of Cuba with his purchase of the Finca La Vigía, a villa in the suburbs of Havana. Finca La Vigía was built in 1886 and was Hemingway's home from 1939 to 1960. Hemingway wrote many books while living at Finca La Vigía including - Islands in the Stream.
Along the north side of Cuba there are many strings of small island keys. These are home to a wilderness of coral in bright turquoise waters. Thousands of flamingos live in these untamed, verdant sanctuaries. Ernest Hemingway spent a lot of time in the waters of these island chains during World War II - hunting German Nazi U-boats in his thirty-eight foot boat, named -The Pilar. The secrete code name for Hemingway's covert operations was "Friendless," which he had coincidentally named after one of his favorite, big, black, sassy cats. Hemingway's adventures and the time he spent here were the inspiration for his classic novel, Islands in the Stream. Like Hemingway, the main character of Islands in the Stream spends time tracking German U-boats in the north side of Cuba.
Hemingway was known to frequently haunt two of old Havana's bars in particular. One of his favorites was the El Floridita which was originally founded in 1817 under the name of La Piña de Plata, meaning "The Silver Pineapple." Over time, the name eventually changed to El Floridita. Hemingway liked to order his modified version of a daiquiri, a drink with white rum, grapefruit juice, lemon juice, cane syrup, maraschino syrup, and crushed ice, all well shaken. The other bars weren't interested in accommodating Hemingway's daiquiri request. Because the El Floridita was the only bar that would, this became the place that Hemingway continually patronized for his modified daiquiris. Today, at El Floridita, there is a statue at one end of the bar honoring the exact spot where Hemingway always sat.
Islands in the Stream has been described as a quasi autobiography of Hemingway. A good portion of the book involves ordering daiquiris in a bar called El Floridita. The spot where Hemingway sat in the actual El Floridita is also described in the novel: "He took his seat on a tall bar stool at the extreme far left of the bar. His back was against the wall toward the street and his left was covered by the wall behind the bar."
Hemingway started writing this novel in the early 1950's. He mysteriously set it aside, and it was not found until after his death. Mary Welsh Hemingway, his fourth wife and widow, discovered it. Islands of the Stream was posthumously published in 1970.
Along the north side of Cuba there are many strings of small island keys. These are home to a wilderness of coral in bright turquoise waters. Thousands of flamingos live in these untamed, verdant sanctuaries. Ernest Hemingway spent a lot of time in the waters of these island chains during World War II - hunting German Nazi U-boats in his thirty-eight foot boat, named -The Pilar. The secrete code name for Hemingway's covert operations was "Friendless," which he had coincidentally named after one of his favorite, big, black, sassy cats. Hemingway's adventures and the time he spent here were the inspiration for his classic novel, Islands in the Stream. Like Hemingway, the main character of Islands in the Stream spends time tracking German U-boats in the north side of Cuba.
Hemingway was known to frequently haunt two of old Havana's bars in particular. One of his favorites was the El Floridita which was originally founded in 1817 under the name of La Piña de Plata, meaning "The Silver Pineapple." Over time, the name eventually changed to El Floridita. Hemingway liked to order his modified version of a daiquiri, a drink with white rum, grapefruit juice, lemon juice, cane syrup, maraschino syrup, and crushed ice, all well shaken. The other bars weren't interested in accommodating Hemingway's daiquiri request. Because the El Floridita was the only bar that would, this became the place that Hemingway continually patronized for his modified daiquiris. Today, at El Floridita, there is a statue at one end of the bar honoring the exact spot where Hemingway always sat.
Islands in the Stream has been described as a quasi autobiography of Hemingway. A good portion of the book involves ordering daiquiris in a bar called El Floridita. The spot where Hemingway sat in the actual El Floridita is also described in the novel: "He took his seat on a tall bar stool at the extreme far left of the bar. His back was against the wall toward the street and his left was covered by the wall behind the bar."
Hemingway started writing this novel in the early 1950's. He mysteriously set it aside, and it was not found until after his death. Mary Welsh Hemingway, his fourth wife and widow, discovered it. Islands of the Stream was posthumously published in 1970.
June 19, 2014
Only giving 4 stars as its not my favourite Hemingway book.
But it's still classic Hemingway writing.
It's amazing how he writes such clear simple sentences
and still leaves such vivid images in your mind.
You would never need a dictionary reading Hemingway.
He just captures so easily some of the beauty of life
just casually(or so it seems) as he tells his story.
He is not everyone's cup of tea but for me one of my favourite authors.
But it's still classic Hemingway writing.
It's amazing how he writes such clear simple sentences
and still leaves such vivid images in your mind.
You would never need a dictionary reading Hemingway.
He just captures so easily some of the beauty of life
just casually(or so it seems) as he tells his story.
He is not everyone's cup of tea but for me one of my favourite authors.
April 20, 2025
לסקירה מפורטת בעברית, קישור לבלוג שלי -
https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/איים...
https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/איים...
November 4, 2024
Ik was er al helemaal klaar voor om dit boek 1 ster te geven, tot het vanaf pagina 318 (!) ineens goed werd. Maar nou ook weer niet goed genoeg om een opbouw van 317 pagina's te kunnen verantwoorden.
Het enige goede aan de rest van het boek was pagina 244 en (spoilers) het feit dat iedereen doodgaat, want dat was tenminste nog onverwacht.
Het enige goede aan de rest van het boek was pagina 244 en (spoilers) het feit dat iedereen doodgaat, want dat was tenminste nog onverwacht.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2019
Sono rimasta sorpresa da questo libro...
Lo ammetto mi ci è voluto un po’ per entrare nel libro, per assorbirne lo stile è alcuni capitoli iniziali li ho riletti senza neanche accorgermene (l’ebookreader era tornato indietro da solo), ma poi mi ha colpito, soprattutto la seconda parte.
Se dovessi descrivere le tre parti del libro con tre emozioni sceglierei felicità, dolore, pace.
È inevitabile che quello che più ci colpisce è il dolore o meglio la disperazione silenziosa e così evidente da rendere la sofferenza tangibile.
Anche l’ultima parte è stata molto bella forse perché un po’ più movimentata (gli inseguimenti movimentano sempre una trama) ma anche perché nonostante il movimento, trasmetteva pace o quello che Thomas descriveva come “dovere”.
All'inizio lo stile mi ha un po’ disorientato. Troppi discorsi diretti che non mi facevano capire chi stesse parlando. Ma dopo un po’ ci ho fatto l’abitudine e avrei potuto riconoscere il protagonista fra mille.
Un libro che non mi aspettavo.
Lo ammetto mi ci è voluto un po’ per entrare nel libro, per assorbirne lo stile è alcuni capitoli iniziali li ho riletti senza neanche accorgermene (l’ebookreader era tornato indietro da solo), ma poi mi ha colpito, soprattutto la seconda parte.
Se dovessi descrivere le tre parti del libro con tre emozioni sceglierei felicità, dolore, pace.
È inevitabile che quello che più ci colpisce è il dolore o meglio la disperazione silenziosa e così evidente da rendere la sofferenza tangibile.
Anche l’ultima parte è stata molto bella forse perché un po’ più movimentata (gli inseguimenti movimentano sempre una trama) ma anche perché nonostante il movimento, trasmetteva pace o quello che Thomas descriveva come “dovere”.
All'inizio lo stile mi ha un po’ disorientato. Troppi discorsi diretti che non mi facevano capire chi stesse parlando. Ma dopo un po’ ci ho fatto l’abitudine e avrei potuto riconoscere il protagonista fra mille.
Un libro che non mi aspettavo.
May 1, 2011
This may have been the most miserable slog through prose that I've ever endured. Highlights include the children's stilted dialogue in Bimini, long digressive stories told to a prostitute in Cuba, (Which she manages to point out are boring as all get out.) and then it finally gets interesting, though in need of serious edits about page 385. Please for the love of god, read any of EH's other books. There is a reason that this one wasn't published until after his death.
Read the last book, (At Sea) if you're going to read any of it. This was originally supposed to be part of "The Old Man and The Sea." That novella won a Pulitzer, and it did so because it wasn't dragging this 450 page anchor along with it.
Read the last book, (At Sea) if you're going to read any of it. This was originally supposed to be part of "The Old Man and The Sea." That novella won a Pulitzer, and it did so because it wasn't dragging this 450 page anchor along with it.
January 31, 2024
I read the book in 1973. Recommended.
The movie did not do justice to the book. I picked this book up on a whim while looking for reading material at the army base book store. I spent part of my summer reading the book. I was without television and my radio could only pick up the Nuremberg classical station.
The movie did not do justice to the book. I picked this book up on a whim while looking for reading material at the army base book store. I spent part of my summer reading the book. I was without television and my radio could only pick up the Nuremberg classical station.
March 25, 2009
my favorite novel.
before i experienced a loss, i was drawn to stories of loss... this is the best of them.
the greatest love story ever written.
before i experienced a loss, i was drawn to stories of loss... this is the best of them.
the greatest love story ever written.
October 15, 2023
Muitos anos depois, voltei a ler Hemingway.
O escritor americano foi um dos autores mais importantes no início da minha carreira de leitor a sério, aos dezoito anos. Entre os dezoito e os dezanove anos, li cinco livros seus.
Ilhas na Corrente, o primeiro romance de Hemingway publicado postumamente, esteve anos (talvez décadas) na estante à espera do momento. Comprei a edição dos Livros do Brasil numa promoção de hipermercado, na esteira da "fase Hemingway" de jovem adulto por cinco euros. Na altura devia estar desiludido com O Velho e o Mar e, ao perceber que também este se passava todo na água (as três partes são: Bimini; Cuba e No Mar), adiei.
Ilhas na Corrente pertence a esta categoria de livros que caracterizam um tempo e um lugar, assim como os seus intérpretes. O pintor Thomas Hudson é Hemingway, e acção nas três partes da obra vai desde a década de trinta à fase final de II Guerra. E é uma experiência maravilhosa vermo-nos transportados para as Caraíbas de há oitenta ou noventa anos, e sentirmos como o personagem principal muda de uma parte para a outra de uma forma tão drástica, tal a força dos acontecimentos que o atropelam. Nem parece o mesmo entre Bimini, onde recebe a visita dos três filhos na sua casa da paradisíaca ilha das Bahamas, Cuba, cuja acção nos é dada quase exclusivamente através de diálogos que acontecem num bar da ilha, muito antes do tempo de Fidel, e No Mar, onde Thomas Hudson percorre o mar e as ilhas semi-desertas em perseguição de um submarino alemão (algo que o próprio Hemnigway fez). Só que a vida é assim, muda-nos e molda-nos, nem que seja à força do escopro das tragédias.
Muitos anos depois, acertei no momento. Naquele tempo, pela decisão de trazer para casa um prazer futuro à espera de maturidade; e no presente por ter levado a leitura a bom porto. Não um livro perfeito, mas já tinha saudades de Hemingway. Foi bom voltar aos tempos da Faculdade, onde descobria Hemingway nas viagens no comboio da linha de Cascais, a sentir por que foi ele foi tão importante na minha vida.
O escritor americano foi um dos autores mais importantes no início da minha carreira de leitor a sério, aos dezoito anos. Entre os dezoito e os dezanove anos, li cinco livros seus.
Ilhas na Corrente, o primeiro romance de Hemingway publicado postumamente, esteve anos (talvez décadas) na estante à espera do momento. Comprei a edição dos Livros do Brasil numa promoção de hipermercado, na esteira da "fase Hemingway" de jovem adulto por cinco euros. Na altura devia estar desiludido com O Velho e o Mar e, ao perceber que também este se passava todo na água (as três partes são: Bimini; Cuba e No Mar), adiei.
Ilhas na Corrente pertence a esta categoria de livros que caracterizam um tempo e um lugar, assim como os seus intérpretes. O pintor Thomas Hudson é Hemingway, e acção nas três partes da obra vai desde a década de trinta à fase final de II Guerra. E é uma experiência maravilhosa vermo-nos transportados para as Caraíbas de há oitenta ou noventa anos, e sentirmos como o personagem principal muda de uma parte para a outra de uma forma tão drástica, tal a força dos acontecimentos que o atropelam. Nem parece o mesmo entre Bimini, onde recebe a visita dos três filhos na sua casa da paradisíaca ilha das Bahamas, Cuba, cuja acção nos é dada quase exclusivamente através de diálogos que acontecem num bar da ilha, muito antes do tempo de Fidel, e No Mar, onde Thomas Hudson percorre o mar e as ilhas semi-desertas em perseguição de um submarino alemão (algo que o próprio Hemnigway fez). Só que a vida é assim, muda-nos e molda-nos, nem que seja à força do escopro das tragédias.
Muitos anos depois, acertei no momento. Naquele tempo, pela decisão de trazer para casa um prazer futuro à espera de maturidade; e no presente por ter levado a leitura a bom porto. Não um livro perfeito, mas já tinha saudades de Hemingway. Foi bom voltar aos tempos da Faculdade, onde descobria Hemingway nas viagens no comboio da linha de Cascais, a sentir por que foi ele foi tão importante na minha vida.
November 22, 2024
Ouch. I had not read this since 1977, and I was reminded of what my English Literature professor said to me after I mentioned to him that I liked Hemingway. He said, "Hmm, try re-reading him in twenty years, and see what your opinion is then." Touche'. I find this book to be almost a parody of Hemingway's writing, but in any event, it's not his best writing by a long stretch. The alternate title could be "Manly Men, Behaving Badly, but in a Manly Way". I ran out of patience after I'd ploughed through about a quarter of it.
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