Christina Castellana: Can you tell me about your childhood? What did you enjoy doing?
Ernest Hemingway: I was raised just outside of Chicago. But, I spent most of my time in Michigan. There, I appreciated the outdoors by hunting and fishing with my five siblings. I also enjoyed playing football and boxing but, most importantly, I believe I showed an early love for writing.
CC: How did you get into writing when you were younger?
EH: I think I was born a journalist. When I was in high school, I worked on the school newspaper, Trapeze, and the yearbook, Tabula. I mostly wrote about sports, but I tried to broaden my interests. I always kept notes of my thoughts and observations, too. Then, after I decided not to go to college, I started to work …show more content…
Her name was Hadley. We got married soon after we met and had a son, Jack. We decided to go to Paris, where we were told many influential writers gathered. Here, I did a lot of drinking but, I also focused on my writing. I traveled around Europe and I was called “one of the most perceptive travelers in the history of literature”.
CC: That is an impressive title. Is this when you decided to focus on fiction writing?
EH: Yes, I soon published my first collection, Three Stories and Ten Poems, and my first novel, The Sun Also Rises, which earned me literary acclaim. The Sun Also Rises reflects my experiences in post-WWI Europe. This novel was not well received by my acquaintances. They saw themselves portrayed as self-centered, sexually promiscuous, and alcoholics.
CC: That’s not good. An outside source told Time Magazine that you can be a bully. Is that true?
EH: I wouldn’t say I am a bully. I have always had a hard time keeping stable friends and marriages, many ended unpleasant and harsh. I have a hard time taking criticism. I remember when my old friend, F. Scott Fitzgerald, edited my essay. He wrote ten pages of criticism about my work. I responded very rudely and might have said some bad things. I don’t like when people look down on me because I know I am a great writer. I also tend to draw upon personal experiences while writing. I sometimes didn’t portray people in the most flattering light, like in The Sun Also …show more content…
I had an affair with another woman, Pauline, who used to travel around with Hadley and I. I decided to marry her and we moved to Key West, Florida where we had a son, Patrick.
CC: I love Key West! How was your life after you moved to there?
EH: It was rough in the beginning. My father committed suicide and I took this very hard. I turned to writing for comfort. The following year, I published Farewell to Arms. This book came from a lot of personal experiences from WWI, which changed my view of the world. Farewell to Arms includes the theme of confrontation of death and shows that war brings out the best and worst in everyone involved. This novel was very successful. So, you could say it was a very big year for me, both personally and professionally.
CC: You took a break after you published Farewell to Arms, correct?
EH: Yes, I took time away from writing and Pauline and I had another son, Gregory. I traveled often during this time and decided to research for my future novels. I traveled to Africa with my family where the scenery and landscape grasped my attention. I wrote The Snows of Kilimanjaro, The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber, and The Green Hills of Africa. In these short stories, I described hunting buffalo, accidental death of loved ones, relationships between hunters and native trackers, killing rhinos, and shooting
Ernest Hemingway: I was raised just outside of Chicago. But, I spent most of my time in Michigan. There, I appreciated the outdoors by hunting and fishing with my five siblings. I also enjoyed playing football and boxing but, most importantly, I believe I showed an early love for writing.
CC: How did you get into writing when you were younger?
EH: I think I was born a journalist. When I was in high school, I worked on the school newspaper, Trapeze, and the yearbook, Tabula. I mostly wrote about sports, but I tried to broaden my interests. I always kept notes of my thoughts and observations, too. Then, after I decided not to go to college, I started to work …show more content…
Her name was Hadley. We got married soon after we met and had a son, Jack. We decided to go to Paris, where we were told many influential writers gathered. Here, I did a lot of drinking but, I also focused on my writing. I traveled around Europe and I was called “one of the most perceptive travelers in the history of literature”.
CC: That is an impressive title. Is this when you decided to focus on fiction writing?
EH: Yes, I soon published my first collection, Three Stories and Ten Poems, and my first novel, The Sun Also Rises, which earned me literary acclaim. The Sun Also Rises reflects my experiences in post-WWI Europe. This novel was not well received by my acquaintances. They saw themselves portrayed as self-centered, sexually promiscuous, and alcoholics.
CC: That’s not good. An outside source told Time Magazine that you can be a bully. Is that true?
EH: I wouldn’t say I am a bully. I have always had a hard time keeping stable friends and marriages, many ended unpleasant and harsh. I have a hard time taking criticism. I remember when my old friend, F. Scott Fitzgerald, edited my essay. He wrote ten pages of criticism about my work. I responded very rudely and might have said some bad things. I don’t like when people look down on me because I know I am a great writer. I also tend to draw upon personal experiences while writing. I sometimes didn’t portray people in the most flattering light, like in The Sun Also …show more content…
I had an affair with another woman, Pauline, who used to travel around with Hadley and I. I decided to marry her and we moved to Key West, Florida where we had a son, Patrick.
CC: I love Key West! How was your life after you moved to there?
EH: It was rough in the beginning. My father committed suicide and I took this very hard. I turned to writing for comfort. The following year, I published Farewell to Arms. This book came from a lot of personal experiences from WWI, which changed my view of the world. Farewell to Arms includes the theme of confrontation of death and shows that war brings out the best and worst in everyone involved. This novel was very successful. So, you could say it was a very big year for me, both personally and professionally.
CC: You took a break after you published Farewell to Arms, correct?
EH: Yes, I took time away from writing and Pauline and I had another son, Gregory. I traveled often during this time and decided to research for my future novels. I traveled to Africa with my family where the scenery and landscape grasped my attention. I wrote The Snows of Kilimanjaro, The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber, and The Green Hills of Africa. In these short stories, I described hunting buffalo, accidental death of loved ones, relationships between hunters and native trackers, killing rhinos, and shooting