Ernest Hemingway: A Biography
Ernest Hemingway lived a life so extraordinary that even the most imaginative novelist couldn't have invented it.
This is the first full biography of Ernest Hemingway in more than fifteen years, the first to draw upon a wide array of never-before-used material, and the first written by a woman.
Mary V. Dearborn, acclaimed biographer of Norman Mailer and Peggy Guggenheim, delivers a masterful portrait of one of America's most celebrated and controversial literary giants.
Hemingway was considered in his time to be the greatest living American novelist and short-story writer, winner of the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.
He came to fame in 1920s Paris amid the fabled community of American expatriates that also included F. Scott Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein. His sheer creative energy glowed as he wrote his first novel, The Sun Also Rises, in a little over six weeks.
Readers are in for a roller-coaster ride as they encounter the enormous complexity of the man who was Ernest Hemingway. This sensitive book is one of highs, lows, and emotional contrasts of professional successes and personal failures, his many familial generosities and vindictive publishing vendettas.
Dearborn captures Hemingway in all of his extremes, the story of a hugely flawed and endlessly compelling human being producing enduring art.
Whether you're a devoted Hemingway reader or new to his world, this biography will transform how you understand the man behind the legend.
Interesting Facts
First Woman Biographer: This is the first major Hemingway biography written by a woman. Dearborn brings a fresh perspective to a writer whose life has been examined almost exclusively by male biographers for decades.
Fifteen-Year Gap: When published in 2017, this was the first full biography of Hemingway in more than fifteen years. It filled a significant gap in Hemingway scholarship with fresh research and newly available materials.
Massive Page Count: The book runs over 700 pages, making it one of the most comprehensive single-volume Hemingway biographies ever written. Readers describe it as a thorough and richly detailed portrait.
Untapped Family Archives: Dearborn delved into the Hemingway family archives at the Ransom Center in Texas. Previous biographers had largely overlooked these papers, particularly his mother Grace's correspondence and records.
Reframing His Mother: The biography challenges the common portrayal of Grace Hemingway as a cold, castrating shrew. Dearborn reveals her as a fascinating woman in a complicated marriage that deeply influenced her son.
FBI and KGB Files: Dearborn drew on Hemingway's complete FBI file and newly opened KGB archives. She also used medical records and papers from his Key West mistress for her research.
Brain Injury Theory: Dearborn attributes Hemingway's collapse to manic depression compounded by brain injuries. She traces how multiple concussions throughout his life affected his mental health and behavior.
Six-Week First Draft: The biography details how Hemingway wrote his first novel, The Sun Also Rises, in just over six weeks. His sheer creative energy glowed during those early Paris years.
Spanish Civil War Commitment: Dearborn argues the Spanish Civil War was the only time Hemingway truly committed himself to a cause greater than himself. For most of his life, Hemingway became his own cause.
Debunking Spy Myths: The biography discards sensationalistic reports from other biographies about Hemingway's supposed work as a spy in China and World War II. Dearborn takes a more measured approach to these claims.
Praised by Oliver Stone: Director Oliver Stone praised the book, saying it reveals "a different Hemingway than we've ever encountered before." He noted Dearborn's deep empathy in seeking balance between masculine and feminine qualities in her subject.
Quotes
"Try to write one true sentence" - Ernest Hemingway
"The world breaks everyone, and afterward, many are strong at the broken places." - Ernest Hemingway
"But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated." - Ernest Hemingway
"Courage is grace under pressure." - Ernest Hemingway
"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." - Ernest Hemingway
"There is no friend as loyal as a book." - Ernest Hemingway
"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them." - Ernest Hemingway
"I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, you know?" - Ernest Hemingway
"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self." - Ernest Hemingway
"Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know." - Ernest Hemingway
"If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast." - Ernest Hemingway
"Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut." - Ernest Hemingway
"Every man's life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another." - Ernest Hemingway
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