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Wandering the streets and seeing the places that he haunted and loved always makes me think of him, enjoying his whiskey and telling his tales before stumbling home. I have enjoyed a few 'Hemingway Days Festivals' where I attended some readings of exerpts from his books.
But... I really have to say that I do not care for Ernest's style. He is such a man's man and his writing style shows it. The only book I have ever got thru (barely!) was 'Farewell to Arms'. Wanting to experience the Hemingway style, I plodded along, but did not really enjoy the story. Ernest invokes a very sparce, no nonsense way with words. While I do not care for overly descriptive prose, I do prefer a little more detail. I then read The Paris Wife in hopes that I would get a better understanding of ol' Ernie. In that story, there were few, but telling details regarding Ernest in all his philandering glory.
I think the idea of the hard living, gypsy soul that Ernest possessed is actually the story that intrigues me most. Living in Paris, sailing on the Pilar and catching giant sailfish and marlin, drinking and womanizing are the true story to me.
Do you have a Hemingway story that you liked or disliked? Let me know your Hemingway Experience.
"All things truly wicked starts from innocence." xo
3 comments:
Hey Jodi, cool stuff ~! I pretty much am in the same zone with you as far as Hemingway's style goes. It may be as with Kerouac and other 20th century American writers of the more macho variety, their lives were usually more fascinating than their writing.
I like, really like Hemingway's style of short clipped sentence structure. The sparcity gives me thought that he was busy ding so he had to get the words out between the action. The old man in the Sea, all of that internal dialog while the fight raged on was great stuff. As you very well know it is not a style I can readily imitate Jodi. Maybe that is why I like it so. But unlike Erik, i found very few writers of that generation to have much to say by way of story tellers. kerouac, drunken momma's boy, Burroughs murdering cut and paste artist who's best work was simply derivative. Ginsberg *meh* his claim to fame was begun by winning a government case against him for obscenity for Howl.
Besides it was right off Hemingway's KW porch where I was turned on to a yellow belladonna flower that was without doubt the best hallucinogenic I ever imbibed on. THAT was my most memorable experience of that Key.
Erik-I totally agree and feel they have been sort of romanticized. Mark-Whenever I hit K.W. I keep an eye out for your special flower! Love to you two. xo
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