Making of an Author? Hemingway
We often think great writers just pop up one day out of nowhere: here I am. It doesn't work that way. Ernest Hemingway had a lot of help with his first four books, to include Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and his PH.D., along with F. Scott Fitzgerald. Had it not been for Sherwood Anderson, he might not have even got his first two books out. His style was not created overnight, it was much like Anderson's at first, yes, and he copied him somewhat. And he allowed Fitzgerald to help him get to know, his publisher, so then he could throw Anderson's away, and create a parody in his third book on him. We also like to think of Hemingway as the main character in his books, and he is for much of them, but where he puts the fiction, he would never tell, and there is much of it there; reading between the lines and knowing him, is the secret of course. William Faulkner, was no great author until he got the big prize in 1949, and overnight people started buying his books, the same ones they would never have looked at a year before, he was acclaimed to be a better writer, by many than Hemingway, but then you have to see who is doing the acclaiming. Neither one had a lick of college, that did them any good. And in most of Faulkner's first editions, you will find one to 13 misspellings, and he likes to talk, go in circles have you study him, usually I can find a few in Hemingway's also, and James Joyce, forget it, he should have been born when they had spell check. And Edgar Rice Burroughs never knew what tense he was in, until he got to his 50th book in writing, but these are great authors. What made them great? I'd say a combination of things, events, being in the right place at the right time; having a lot to say, and saying it. Hanging out with the right crowd; money helps, where you are at helps. Colleges can help, prizes can help. Experience and a good imagination can help. Drive can help. A Dictionary is good to have around. Not listening to the clowns that say, "You can't...!" Observing little things, that is what we are all made up of. If you notice what makes the other person react, it is what you need to put into your story.
The First Four Books
Ernest Hemingway, went to Paris in 1921, put his first book together, "Three Stories, and Ten Poems," 1923, with the help of Ezra Pound, checking out the grammar, and Gertrude Stein checking out the content of the stories, and Sherwood Anderson getting his publisher to review the book, and publish it, Elliot checking his poetry. Like everything it was a process. His second book, "In Our Time," and his first real collection of short stories," was written in 1924, along with "The Sun also Rises," both would be published in 1926, "In Our Time," with Anderson's publisher, the other one, held back, while in ten-days, Hemingway completed the parody novel, mocking Anderson, in "The Torrents of Spring," thus, the publisher refused to publish his work, and that created an opening for Hemingway to break his contract, to go to F. Scott Fitzgerald's publisher, Scrieners what he wanted all along, there his book, "The Sun also Rises," an account of his time and days spent in Spain and France, with his friends, at the bullfights, written in the style of Fitzgerald's previous novels, after "The Great Gatsby" 1925. At this point, he killed two birds with one stone, he got his parody published also, "The Torrents of Spring," which was really a well written book, and perhaps, only a little copy of Anderson's narration style. At this point he really did not have his own style, and would not until "Men Without Women," his experimental book, before he went on to bigger novels. "Men without Woman," is perhaps his best written narrations, sum total of his writings. So here we have his first four books, his style was a mixture of reality, fiction, Anderson interludes, and the additives came from Fitzgerald; what was pure Hemingway, there is no such thing. His poetry came from his friend Elliot. You might say, 1926, was like Elvis 1956, a turning point in both their lives, he didn't need anyone beyond this point to help him, he had built up enough momentum to get any publisher interested in his work, what he needed to do was create from the roots of the tree he found himself embedded to, his dialogue, which created Hemingway's style, put him apart from folks like Faulkner and Joyce. He took enough from everyone else, he didn't have much imagination, so he took his exploits, and like pieces of a puzzle that didn't fit, he made them fit, creating a more lively adventure-historizal fiction, you might called it, put it into his short stories, in "Winner take Nothing," which was not half the book "Men without Women" was, and then into a his novel, forming his style, although in many of his later books, he over did it. Not like "A Movable Feast," which is really not a novel, it is simple a book, an account. Or the "The Green Hills of Africa," which is more reporting than a living novel, and there he left out his fiction, and boy does the book show it; although you may call "The Sun also Rises," an account, it is more novel, with bit, and good dialogue, that is not overwhelming. In "The Torrents of Spring," what makes that more of novel than an account, or tale, is that he rides the middle ground. Who's doing the talking? Your guess is as good as mine. But what made this author, was the using of his friends, not missing an opportunity, his first four books, slowly and gradual build up, taking from what he needed from everyone: in the first three stories, and a few poems, then several stories, then a novel that isn't a novel, but historical fiction, and humour embedded into a cleaver style of narration, "The Torrents of Spring," those five years in Paris, and those four books, made Hemingway, Hemingway. Had he not centred himself in Paris, where writers were bumping into writers, or artists, who knows, may the sun would not have risen for him.
The First Four Books
Ernest Hemingway, went to Paris in 1921, put his first book together, "Three Stories, and Ten Poems," 1923, with the help of Ezra Pound, checking out the grammar, and Gertrude Stein checking out the content of the stories, and Sherwood Anderson getting his publisher to review the book, and publish it, Elliot checking his poetry. Like everything it was a process. His second book, "In Our Time," and his first real collection of short stories," was written in 1924, along with "The Sun also Rises," both would be published in 1926, "In Our Time," with Anderson's publisher, the other one, held back, while in ten-days, Hemingway completed the parody novel, mocking Anderson, in "The Torrents of Spring," thus, the publisher refused to publish his work, and that created an opening for Hemingway to break his contract, to go to F. Scott Fitzgerald's publisher, Scrieners what he wanted all along, there his book, "The Sun also Rises," an account of his time and days spent in Spain and France, with his friends, at the bullfights, written in the style of Fitzgerald's previous novels, after "The Great Gatsby" 1925. At this point, he killed two birds with one stone, he got his parody published also, "The Torrents of Spring," which was really a well written book, and perhaps, only a little copy of Anderson's narration style. At this point he really did not have his own style, and would not until "Men Without Women," his experimental book, before he went on to bigger novels. "Men without Woman," is perhaps his best written narrations, sum total of his writings. So here we have his first four books, his style was a mixture of reality, fiction, Anderson interludes, and the additives came from Fitzgerald; what was pure Hemingway, there is no such thing. His poetry came from his friend Elliot. You might say, 1926, was like Elvis 1956, a turning point in both their lives, he didn't need anyone beyond this point to help him, he had built up enough momentum to get any publisher interested in his work, what he needed to do was create from the roots of the tree he found himself embedded to, his dialogue, which created Hemingway's style, put him apart from folks like Faulkner and Joyce. He took enough from everyone else, he didn't have much imagination, so he took his exploits, and like pieces of a puzzle that didn't fit, he made them fit, creating a more lively adventure-historizal fiction, you might called it, put it into his short stories, in "Winner take Nothing," which was not half the book "Men without Women" was, and then into a his novel, forming his style, although in many of his later books, he over did it. Not like "A Movable Feast," which is really not a novel, it is simple a book, an account. Or the "The Green Hills of Africa," which is more reporting than a living novel, and there he left out his fiction, and boy does the book show it; although you may call "The Sun also Rises," an account, it is more novel, with bit, and good dialogue, that is not overwhelming. In "The Torrents of Spring," what makes that more of novel than an account, or tale, is that he rides the middle ground. Who's doing the talking? Your guess is as good as mine. But what made this author, was the using of his friends, not missing an opportunity, his first four books, slowly and gradual build up, taking from what he needed from everyone: in the first three stories, and a few poems, then several stories, then a novel that isn't a novel, but historical fiction, and humour embedded into a cleaver style of narration, "The Torrents of Spring," those five years in Paris, and those four books, made Hemingway, Hemingway. Had he not centred himself in Paris, where writers were bumping into writers, or artists, who knows, may the sun would not have risen for him.
posted by Dennis and Rosa Siluk at 2:26 PM
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