Hemingway

Author: (British) Burgess
Translator: Weng Wenqin
Author Country: United Kingdom
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-06-01
Features: Hemingway (1899–1961), one of the greatest writers in America, the literary charm he inspired continues to awe his readers to this day. Unlike most of his contemporaries, the strong and handsome Hemingway was not content with being an excellent hunter, fisherman, boxer, and guerrilla leader; he transformed himself into a Homeric myth. Anthony Burgess, one of the most important writers of the 20th century, with his unique writing style, portrayed this man who won the Pulitzer Prize for The Old Man and the Sea and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954, undoubtedly a mythic hero of the 20th century internationally. External acclaim and recognition could not hide the fact that the perceptive and extraordinary Hemingway was actually a melancholic, tormented, and even evil man.
The author gradually reveals certain ambiguous attitudes Hemingway had toward life and death through his comments and conversations, as well as the stories he told in bars, on boats, and while hunting, which seemed to contradict his proactive stance in war and hunting. The book includes 116 stunning photographs, featuring images of Hemingway himself, his family, and his surroundings, presenting the various stages of his life. Readers，.
Excerpt: On the morning of July 2, 1961, Sunday, he woke up very early. Mary was still sleeping. He found the key to the gun storage room, loaded a double-barreled shotgun he used for hunting pigeons, and took it to the front hall. He aimed the shotgun at his forehead and fired. The gunshot woke up the entire house. What was wrong with Hemingway? Perhaps he was gradually sinking into depression because he couldn’t live up to the mythic image he had constructed for himself; more likely, it was some kind of sexual inadequacy, and considering his prowess in other masculine activities, it only deepened his confusion. He always boasted about having "seeds," but "seeds" had nothing to do with the ability to shoot. He might have hated himself, hating that he couldn’t live up to the youthful, Joyce-inspired ideal of completely dedicating himself to art: he had become a show-off of muscles, corrupted by false fame, and wanted to withdraw but found it too late. Whether it was fame or the feeling of recognition for any achievement, we can expect the subsequent development of chronic depression and an impulse toward death. Or, to put it more simply, Hemingway saw himself as an exception to Thoreau’s law, believing that he didn’t have to live a life of quiet despair like everyone else; he couldn’t handle the pressure that most people endured with ease. He was too much like a god, making it impossible for him to anticipate that he could handle mortal affairs.
However, Hemingway’s tone was a fresh and original contribution to world literature, and young writers determined to write will hear it. And Hemingway’s courage doctrine, Hemingway-esque heroism, and his tenacious attitude in the face of difficulties all had an influence beyond literature. Although his human shortcomings ultimately diminished his work, Hemingway was a powerful force at his best; he was as remarkable as Joyce or Faulkner or Scott Fitzgerald. Even at his worst, he reminded us to invest in life before investing in literature.