"His best. Time may show it to be the best single piece of any of us, I mean his and my contemporaries." - William Faulkner.The Old Man and the Sea, an apparently simple fable, represents the mature Hemingway at his best, and it is still one of his most read books. In 1954 Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature "for his mastery of the art of narrative, most recently demonstrated in The Old Man and the Sea, and for the influence that he has exerted on contemporary style."Hemingway's style was famously simple. In responding to a critic, he said "Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don't know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use." Using these simpler and better words he tells the unforgettable story of Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman down on his luck, who goes out alone far from the shore in search of one last victory and catches a huge marlin longer than his boat. He is tested to the very limits of his skill and strength and returns "destroyed but not defeated." This, of course, also refers to Hemingway, who, in his last years, was in constant pain from years of adventures and accidents but still able to do his best work. A classic novella that can be read in a single sitting.Ernest Miller Hemingway (1899-1961) was an American journalist, novelist, short-story writer, and sportsman. He loved Cuba, where he had a home, and where he placed his Nobel Prize medal in the custody of the Catholic Church for the benefit of the local people. His economical and understated style-which he termed the iceberg theory-has had a strong influence on twentieth-century fiction. Many of his books are considered classics of American literature. Writer Richard Ford calls Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Faulkner "the Three Kings who set the measure for every writer since."
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The Old Man and the Sea
"His best. Time may show it to be the best single piece of any of us, I mean his and my contemporaries." - William Faulkner.The Old Man and the Sea, an apparently simple fable, represents the mature Hemingway at his best, and it is still one of his most read books. In 1954 Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature "for his mastery of the art of narrative, most recently demonstrated in The Old Man and the Sea, and for the influence that he has exerted on contemporary style."Hemingway's style was famously simple. In responding to a critic, he said "Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don't know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use." Using these simpler and better words he tells the unforgettable story of Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman down on his luck, who goes out alone far from the shore in search of one last victory and catches a huge marlin longer than his boat. He is tested to the very limits of his skill and strength and returns "destroyed but not defeated." This, of course, also refers to Hemingway, who, in his last years, was in constant pain from years of adventures and accidents but still able to do his best work. A classic novella that can be read in a single sitting.Ernest Miller Hemingway (1899-1961) was an American journalist, novelist, short-story writer, and sportsman. He loved Cuba, where he had a home, and where he placed his Nobel Prize medal in the custody of the Catholic Church for the benefit of the local people. His economical and understated style-which he termed the iceberg theory-has had a strong influence on twentieth-century fiction. Many of his books are considered classics of American literature. Writer Richard Ford calls Fitzgerald, Hemingway and Faulkner "the Three Kings who set the measure for every writer since."
Popular Reviews(3)
Reviewed by MarsidaI think i’ll need to reread this in a few months/years because i didn’t find it as amazing as others do. The constant use of boat terminology confused me
Reviewed by ClandesvAfter and while reading, I was not too excited about this, but now a few days later and especially after a great discussion with my literat friends, I can get quite a lot out of this. It has great topics to explore. Identity (“I am a fisherman”), Ethics about animals and wild life, Masculinity, friendship between men and with age gaps, struggles with the elements, perseverance, pride and dignity. All of this gets even more interesting when you consider Hemingways background (he has been to war for example, adores animals (cats?), a lot of his work circles around fight, masculinity and identity). This is one of the books I would have loved to talk about with the author himself. In terms of writing style, I want to note that I did not enjoy it as much as others do. I need more images, more sentences that struck me and hit my feelings (biggest indicator: I did not mark a single sentence in this one) (he almost got me when he described how for Santiago the Ocean (as well as “Luck”) are female and why), but eventually my imagination was too lazy and not triggered. But I learned at Literat that there are some nice illustrations out in the internet and also a short movie. If I would gift this to somebody, I might pick an illustrated version or a graphic novel. Lastly, this book is great to be read with a lot of calmness.
Reviewed by NayeliI had been avoiding this book or years. The story of an old man in the sea didn't attracted me. I'm not into fishing or wild life at all. But is a short read and is Hemmingway, so I gave it a try. It was exactly what I thought, a boring story of a man in a fish trip. I was bored when my grandpa talked about his fishing trips, and a lot of people loved his stories and use to ask him about them, so not sure what made me think I would like this one. Anyway, I do give that to Hemmingway he's the best story teller ever. Kept me focus and was a fast read. And for lovers of the sea and the lives of a fisher men I think this would be a very relatable novel. I got to clear this our: it has nothing to do with Hemmingway's writing, is all about the topic that I'm not interested at all.