Ernest Hemingway

“Write hard and clear about what hurts.”

— Ernest Hemingway

Life & Background:

Born in 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois, Hemingway was a journalist, war correspondent, hunter, fisherman, boxer—and literary revolutionary. He served as an ambulance driver in WWI, was wounded in Italy, and later covered the Spanish Civil War and WWII. His life was one of adventure, fame, and inner turmoil, culminating in suicide in 1961.

Style & Inspirations:

Hemingway pioneered the “iceberg theory” of writing—what is said is simple, but the emotion lies below the surface. Influenced by journalism, war, bullfighting, and minimalist prose, he stripped language to its most barebones form. His personal code of courage and resilience—“grace under pressure”—became a hallmark of many of his characters.

Themes in His Work:

• War and its psychological aftermath: He depicts the disillusionment and numbness of the postwar generation.

• Masculinity and stoicism: Hemingway’s characters typically respond to pain, fear, and existential emptiness with silence, self-control, and physical endurance. They live by a personal code—facing suffering with dignity and refusing to show vulnerability. This stoic ideal, often associated with traditional masculinity, is both a strength and a limitation.

• Nature and solitude: Landscapes in Hemingway’s work often reflect his characters’ inner states. Whether it’s the vastness of the sea, the silence of the desert, or the isolation of a fishing trip, nature provides a unique lens through which to read his work.

• Loss, death, and futility: Hemingway’s characters frequently face the inevitability of loss—of love, hope, ideals, or life itself. Despite their best efforts, things often fall apart. His writing reflects a belief in the futility of resisting death or meaninglessness, yet also honors the courage it takes to persevere.

Notable Works:

• The Sun Also Rises (1926)

• A Farewell to Arms (1929)

• For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940)

• The Old Man and the Sea (1952)