The world-famous American writer Ernest Hemingway presented the reading part of the planet with a mass of literary masterpieces. He wrote about what he knew, saw, felt himself. Probably because Ernest Hemingway’s works are so lively, rich and exciting. The basis of his novels and stories was life itself, in all its diversity. The simplicity of presentation, the concise formulations and the variety of illusions in the works of Hemingway brought new colors to the literature of the 20th century and enriched it. In this article, we will try to shed light on the verge of his creative life hidden from the eyes of the reader.
Childhood and adolescence
Ernest Hemingway (photo provided by various periods of the writer's life) was born at the turn of the century: July 21, 1899. His parents lived at that time not far from Chicago, in a small town called Oak Park. Ernest's father - Clarence Edmont Hemingway - worked as a doctor, his mother - Grace Hall - devoted her whole life to raising children.
From early childhood, his father instilled in Ernest a love of nature, hoping that he would follow in his footsteps - he would do natural science and medicine. Clarence often took his son fishing, dedicated him to everything that he knew. By the age of eight, little Ernie knew the names of all plants, animals, fish, birds that could only be found in the Midwest. The second passion of young Ernest was books - he could sit for hours in his home library, studying historical literature and the work of Darwin.
The boy’s mother made her plans for her future son - she forced him to play the cello and sing in the church choir, often even to the detriment of school activities. Ernest Hemingway himself believed that he did not have any vocal abilities, so he avoided painful musical tortures in every possible way.
The true happiness for the young naturalist was summer trips to the north of Michigan, where the Hemingway had a Windmere cottage. Walking in quiet unusually beautiful places near Lake Valloon, next to which was a family house, was a joy for Ernest. No one forced him to play and sing, he was completely free from the bustle of household chores. He could take a fishing rod and go all day to the lake, forget about time, walking in the forest or playing with Indian boys from a neighboring village.
Passion for hunting
Ernest had a particularly warm relationship with his grandfather. The boy liked to listen to life stories from the lips of the old man, many of which he later transferred to his works. In 1911, grandfather gave Ernie a gun, and his father introduced him to an ancient male occupation - hunting. Since then, the guy has another passion in his life, which he will later devote to one of his first stories. Most of the work will be occupied by descriptions of his father, whose personality and life has always worried Ernest. For a long time after the tragic death of a parent (Clarence Edmont Hemingway committed suicide in 1928), the writer tried to find an explanation for this, but did not find it.
Reporting
After school, Ernest did not go to university as his parents wanted, but moved to Kansas City and got a job as a correspondent for a local newspaper. He was entrusted with the area of ​​the city where the station, the main hospital and the police station were located. Often during working hours, Ernest had to deal with hired killers, prostitutes, scammers, to witness fires and other not very pleasant incidents. He scanned each person with whom the young youth had a fate, like an X-ray - he watched, tried to understand the true motives of his behavior, caught gestures, the manner of his conversation. Later, all these experiences and thoughts will become the subjects of his literary works.
During his work as a reporter, Ernest Hemingway learned the main thing - to accurately, clearly and concretely express his thoughts, without missing a single detail. The developed habit of always being in the center of events and the formed literary style will subsequently become the basis of his creative success. Ernest Hemingway, whose biography is full of paradoxes, loved his work very much, but left it to voluntarily go to war.
This is the scary word "war"
In 1917, the United States announced its entry into World War I. American newspapers campaigned for young men to put on military uniforms and go to the battlefield. Ernest with his romantic nature could not remain indifferent and wanted to immediately become part of this event, but met stiff resistance from his parents and doctors (the guy had poor eyesight). However, Ernest Hemingway managed to get to the front in 1918, enlisting in the ranks of Red Cross volunteers. Everyone was sent to Milan, where their first task was to clear the territory of the ammunition plant that had been blown up the day before. On the second day, young Ernest was sent to the front-line detachment in the town of Shio, but even there he was not able to witness real hostilities - playing cards and baseball, which most soldiers did, did not at all resemble the guy’s ideas about the war.
Having volunteered to deliver food by ambulance to soldiers directly on the battlefield, into the trenches, Ernest Hemingway finally achieved his goal. "A Farewell to Arms!" - An autobiographical work in which the writer conveyed all the emotions and observations of that period of his life.
First love
In July 1918, a young driver in an attempt to save a wounded sniper fell under the bullets of Austrian machine guns. When he was brought to the hospital half-dead, there was no living place on him - his whole body was covered with wounds. Having taken twenty-six fragments from the body and treated all the wounds, the doctors sent Ernest to Milan, where he was replaced by a shot through cup of his knee with an aluminum prosthesis.
Ernest Hemingway (the biography from official sources confirms this) spent more than three months in the Milan hospital. There he met a nurse, whom he fell in love with. Their relationship was also reflected in his novel, Farewell to Arms!
Homecoming
In January 1919, Ernest returned home to the United States. He was greeted as a real hero, in all the newspapers one could see his name, the king of Italy awarded the brave American with the Military Cross and the medal “For Valor”.
During the year, Hemingway heals wounds in the family circle, and in 1920 moved to Canada, where he continued his correspondent research. The Toronto Star newspaper, in which he worked, gave the reporter freedom - Hemingway was free to write anything, but received a salary only for approved and published materials. At this time, the writer creates his first serious works - about the war, about forgotten and useless veterans, about the stupidity and atrocities of power structures.
Paris
In September 1921, Hemingway started a family, his chosen one was the young pianist Hadley Richardson. Together with his wife, Ernest realizes another dream - he moves to Paris, where, in the process of a thorough, informed study of the basics of writing, he is honing his literary skills. Hemingway described life in Paris in the book “A Holiday That Is Always With You,” which became famous only after his death.
Ernest had to work hard and hard to provide for himself and his wife, so he sent his writings weekly to the Toronto Star newspaper. The editors received from their already freelance correspondent what they wanted - a description of the life of Europeans in detail and without embellishment.
In 1923, Ernest Hemingway, whose stories have already been read by thousands of people, enriches his experience with new acquaintances and impressions, which he will later convey to the reader in his works. The writer becomes a frequent guest in the bookstore of his friend Sylvia Beach. There he rents books, and also gets acquainted with many writers and artists. With some of them (Gertrude Stein, James Joyce), Hemingway for a long time established warm friendly relations.
Confession
The first literary works of the writer, which brought him fame, were written by him in the period from 1926 to 1929. “And the sun comes out”, “Men without women”, “The winner does not get anything”, “Killers”, “Kilimanjaro Snow” and, of course, “Farewell to arms!” won the hearts of American readers. Almost everyone knew who Ernest Hemingway was. Reviews about his work, although they were contradictory (some considered the writer to be immensely talented, others - mediocre), but they further sparked public interest in the works. His books were bought and read even during the economic crisis in the United States.
Life on the move
Ernest often moved from place to place, most of all in his life he loved to travel. So, in 1930, he once again changed his place of residence, this time staying in Florida. There he continues to create, fish and hunt. In September 1930, Hemingway got into a car accident, after which he regains health within six months.
In 1933, an avid hunter sets off on a long-planned trip to East Africa. There he experienced a lot: successful battles with wild animals, infection with a serious infection, and exhausting long-term treatment. He recorded his impressions of that period of his life in a book entitled "Green Hills of Africa."
I could not sit in one place Ernest Hemingway. The biography of the writer contains information that he could not remain indifferent to the civil war in Spain and went there as soon as the opportunity appeared. There he became the screenwriter of a documentary on the course of the hostilities in Madrid, entitled "Land of Spain."
In 1943, Ernest Hemingway returned to the profession of a journalist and went to London to cover the events of World War II. In 1944, the writer takes part in combat flights over Germany, leads a detachment of French partisans, and bravely fights on the battlefields in Belgium and France.
In 1949, Hemingway moved again - this time to Cuba. There his best story was born - “The Old Man and the Sea”, for which the writer was awarded the Pulitzer and Nobel Prizes.
In 1953, Ernest again went on a trip to Africa, where he was in a serious plane crash.
The tragic end of the story
In addition to the fact that the writer in the last years of his life suffered from many physical diseases, he experienced a deep depression. All the while, it seemed to him that FBI agents were watching him, that his telephone was being tapped, letters were being read, and bank accounts were regularly checked. For treatment, Ernest Hemingway was sent to a psychiatric clinic, where he was forcibly given thirteen sessions of electroconvulsive therapy. This led to the fact that the writer lost his memory and was no longer able to create, which further aggravated his condition.
A few days after being discharged from a clinic in his home in Ketchum, Ernest Hemingway shot himself with a shotgun. 50 years after his death, it became known that the persecution mania was not at all groundless - the writer was really carefully monitored.
The great writer Ernest Hemingway, whose quotes are now known by heart to millions of people around the globe, lived a difficult, but vibrant and eventful life. His wise words and works will forever remain in the hearts and souls of readers.