Did You Know: Ernest Hemingway

Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winner Ernest Hemingway lead an interesting life to say the least. Born in 1899 Hemingway quickly became involved in the industry of journalism. During his High School career he served on the staff of Trapeze and Tabula, his school’s newspaper. At the age of 17 he began to work for a newspaper office in Kansas City. Shortly thereafter he volunteered to serve in an ambulance unit for the Italian army during WWI. During his service, Hemingway was wounded and found himself in a hospital in Milan. Though Hemingway served in the military, he is quoted saying, “Never that think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.”

http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/articles/life/drink/features/2013/martini_madness_tournament/first_round/hemingway_s_martini_recipe_loses_to_gilbert_seldes_and_other_round_of_64/Ernest_Hemingway_in_Milan_1918_retouched_.jpg.CROP.multipart2-medium.jpg

Perhaps the more interesting aspect of Hemingway’s life is his seeming inability to keep a woman. His first proposal took place shortly after his being injured in Italy. It was to a nurse who cared for him in the hospital. She decided she had better options elsewhere, and though she had accepted his proposal, left Hemingway for another man. However, Hemingway did not lose all hope. He would be married 4 times after this failed proposal. I blame young heartbreak, but judging from the timeline of events, most would probably just blame him on not being able to keep his hands to himself.

http://www.retronaut.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Ernest-Hemingway-in-the-bath.jpg

Besides not being able to hold down a relationship, Hemingway was pretty awesome. He had opportunities to hunt exotic creatures on the plains of Africa and to be a correspondent writer all over the globe. However, sustaining many injuries from his life of adventure (even surviving plane crashes) he later in life developed severe depression. On July 2, 1961 in Ketchum, Idaho Ernest Hemingway took his own life. (Being real for a second, Ketchum, Idaho sounds like a place that would make you want to kill yourself. Unless you’re from there, in which case, I’m sure it’s lovely.)

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/BOOKS/Pix/pictures/2011/7/15/1310727156264/Ernest-Hemingway-007.jpg

Though Hemingway’s life was what some people might define as a “Hot Mess” that came to a tragic end. He was one of the greatest writers of his time. Defined by Gertrude Stein as a member of “the lost generation”, Hemingway was placed in a  category among F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, Pablo Picasso and James Joyce. He was also nominated for and later awarded the Pulitzer Prize and in 1954 was given the Nobel Prize in Literature for his mastery of the art of narrative, most recently demonstrated in The Old Man and the Sea, and for the influence that he has exerted on contemporary style”.

Fun Fact: Ernest Hemingway had a cat named Winston Churchill.

Sources:

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1954/hemingway-bio.html

http://www.biography.com/people/ernest-hemingway-9334498?page=1

Photo Sources:

http://www.slate.com/content/dam/slate/articles/life/drink/features/2013/martini_madness_tournament/first_round/hemingway_s_martini_recipe_loses_to_gilbert_seldes_and_other_round_of_64/Ernest_Hemingway_in_Milan_1918_retouched_.jpg.CROP.multipart2-medium.jpg

http://www.retronaut.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Ernest-Hemingway-in-the-bath.jpg

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/BOOKS/Pix/pictures/2011/7/15/1310727156264/Ernest-Hemingway-007.jpg

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *