Ernest Hemingway

In his works, Ernest Hemingway developed a style of writing that was extremely concise and understated, saying nothing more than just what needed to be said. This unadorned style had a significant effect on twentieth century literature. Aside from his works of literature, Hemingway is also known for the kind of life he led. This includes fighting in World War I, living as an expatriate in France, and being an alcoholic.  

Making of an influential author

Ernest Hemingway was an influential American journalist and author. His style was both understated and economical, in addition to lending a strong influence to 20th century modern fiction. His life of adventure and his image with the public make him a continued influential figure today. The majority of Hemingway’s work was produced between the 1920s and 1950s and he was the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. The house in which he was born still stands as a museum in Oak Park, Illinois, where he spent the first six years of his life. 

Ernest Hemingway's greatest works

Ernest Hemingway published many works, both in number and in variety. His bibliography includes seven novels, two non-fiction works, and six short story collections, which were all published during his lifetime. After he died, more of his works were published: three novels, three non-fiction works, and four collections of short stories. Many of his works are considered to be American classics. Some of the more popular ones include:

- “Indian Camp” 

- “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”

- A Farewell to Arms

- For Whom the Bell Tolls

- The Sun Also Rises

- The Old Man and the Sea

The iceberg theory

Ernest Hemingway is famous for his short, tight prose. His work lacks complicated syntax and the majority of the sentences he wrote were without subordination, almost child-like. It is believed that his writing style was greatly influenced by his experience of World War I. In response to the war, many writers of the time adopted a newer style in which meaning was established through action, dialogue, and the lack of both. Hemingway called his own style the ‘iceberg theory’: the hardcore facts float above water while the supportive structure and allegory operate only out of site. 

Ernest Hemingway's background and history

Ernest Hemingway’s style of writing continues to be influential to writers even decades after his death. Mark Twain often used Hemingway's child-like prose to create the famous Huckleberry Finn. whether writers appreciate it or not; they either try to emulate it or avoid it all together. He was a sort of voice for the post World War I generation and established a style that was eagerly followed. In Germany, they were considered to be glamourizing modern decadence and publicly burned. His own parents gravely disapproved of his work, casting him aside as ‘filth’. Though the voice in which he wrote his work in a style that was much harder and ‘macho’ then he was in real life. He was much more introverted and known for being a private man.

 As previously stated, Ernest Hemingway was an incredibly influential writer. His influence is seen in countless tributes across a wide number of mediums: a minor planet was discovered in 1978 by a Soviet astronomer who named the planet 3656 Hemingway; Wrestling Ernest Hemingway, a 1993 motion picture, was a popular film starring Robert Duvall and Shirley MacLaine; Ray Bradbury wrote The Kilimanjaro Device, a story in which Hemingway himself is transported to the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro.

He has been immortalized in numerous other ways as well- restaurants, bars, a furniture line, a series of fountain pens, and clothing. In addition, his wife Mary Hemingway’s Hemingway Foundation, which preserves the history and cultural influence of Ernest’s life and work. Scholars started the Hemingway Society in 1980 and committed themselves to the fostering of Hemingway scholarship. 

He has been immortalized in numerous other ways as well- restaurants, bars, a furniture line, a series of fountain pens, and clothing. In addition, his wife Mary Hemingway’s Hemingway Foundation, which preserves the history and cultural influence of Ernest’s life and work. Scholars started the Hemingway Society in 1980 and committed themselves to the fostering of Hemingway scholarship. 

Ernest Hemingway is an incredibly accomplished author, but his legacy reaches far beyond his books. His style continues to be influential to writers and scholars in modern literature. Ernest Hemingway work changed contemporary writing style and has truly cemented him as a staple of American culture and literature.