True at First Light : A Fictional Memoir

Both revealing self-portrait and dramatic fictional chronicle of his final African safari, Ernest Hemingway's last unpublished work was written when he returned from Kenya in 1953. Edited by his son Patrick, who accompanied his father on the safari, True at First Light offers rare insights into the legendary American writer in the year of the hundredth anniversary of his birth.

In this blend of autobiography and fiction, Hemingway becomes torn between the rituals of his camp and life in the neighboring village, home to the character Debba, an African girl whom he supposedly plans to take as a second bride. Meanwhile, his wife, Mary, pursues the great black-maned lion that has become her obsession. Equally adept at evoking the thrill of the hunt, the singular textures of the landscape and the complexities of married life, Hemingway weaves a tale that is rich in laughter, reflection and profound insight. True at First Light is an extraordinary publishing event -- a breathtaking final work from one of this nation's most beloved and important writers.