Hunting With Hemingway - Hardcover

Hemingway, Hilary

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0573221596 ISBN 13: 9780573221590

Publisher: Samuel French Inc, 2000

Synopsis

Often Ernest Hemingway is described as a larger than life figure--and now we know he really was. When Leicester Hemingway died, he left an audio memoir of his adventures hunting with his older brother, Ernest. Hunting with Hemingway, the transcript of these fireside stories, takes one into the truly dangerous adventures--and real-life dress rehearsals--that inspired this literary giant. Found in these tales are the seeds of some of Hemingway's early short stories; their U-Boat chase harkens to Island in the Stream, while wrestling ostrich in Africa is reminiscent of The Green Hills of Africa. In each incredible story, Ernest puts his younger brother into life-threatening situations--only to rescue him at the last moment. Told by Leicester's daughter Hilary, listeners will feel not only the vigorous souls and vivid action of two bold adventurers, but also a daughter's search to connect with her lost family. Hunting with Hemingway is an exciting choice for dedicated Hemingway fans--or anyone who thrills to a good adventure tale.

About this title

Review

Hilary Hemingway's father, Leicester Hemingway, committed suicide in 1982, 21 years after his famous older brother, Ernest. In 1997, Hilary's mother died and left her a mysterious audiocassette of Leicester telling hunting stories at the family home in Miami Beach. Are the stories true? Interjections by Leicester's wife and a good friend suggest they are well-polished yarns, designed to deflect Ernest idolaters like the unnamed English professor whose nervous laugh and awkward questions punctuate the recording. Does it matter if they're true? "These stories are really good," says Hilary's 7-year-old daughter. "I even like them and I really hate hunting." Indeed, Leicester's suspenseful tales of stalking crocodiles, ostriches, and tigers with his adored big brother evoke the glamorous Hemingway world of men pitted against beasts as a test of courage and grace under pressure. Listening to the recording on her daughter's purple Barney tape player, the author rediscovers "the big, laughing man" who taught her "to enjoy whatever life might throw at me"; she then comes to terms with his suicide in the face of a debilitating illness. Skillfully interweaving her father's voice with her own reflections in her meditative text, the author reminds us that the Hemingway legacy is not just one of swaggering machismo, but of love for family and pleasure in the physical world. --Wendy Smith

About the Author

Hilary Hemingway, an award-winning screenwriter and a writer for The Miami Herald, Interview, and Harper's Bazaar, is the executive director of the International Hemingway Festival.
Jeffry P. Lindsay writes a syndicated column called "Fatherhood" and is the director of the Ernest Hemingway Literary Conference. They live in southwest Florida.

Edition details

• Publisher: Samuel French Inc
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0573221596
• ISBN 13: 9780573221590
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1