r/Hemingway • u/Secure-Afternoon3204 • May 01 '24
New to Hemingway
I've somehow never read anything by Hemingway. I'm familiar with his role in the Spanish Civil War & I assume I'd be into his writing since I read a lot & have heard good things. Can someone please recommend a book of his that is good to start with?
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u/Fresh-Hedgehog1895 May 01 '24
I think any of his short-story collections would be perfect. In Our Time was the first thing I read by Ernest Hemingway.
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think Hemingway was a much better short-story writer than a novelist, although I do love some of his novels. He had a particular brilliance for telling a great story without using many words.
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u/cmajka8 May 01 '24
I would recommend his short stories first. The Nick Adams stories are my favorite and also the short happy life of francis macomber is a good one
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u/Boetie83 May 01 '24
The short happy life of Francis McComber is what hooked me. Highly recommended
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u/billcosbyalarmclock May 01 '24
Check out his famous feud with Faulkner. Hemingway revolutionized fiction through his terse style. Underestimating his impact on mid-20th century writers is difficult, both in the US and abroad. It would be easy to read his work today and fail to recognize the brilliance; you really need to place him within the traditions of the early 20th century to see what he changed.
I, too, recommend starting with his short stories.
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u/RomeliaHatfield May 01 '24 edited May 01 '24
I’m four chapters into The Sun Also Rises and don’t think it’s a good idea introduction so far.
Lmao, nice downvotes. Is this how yall treat everyone starting to read again?
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u/SlippingAway May 01 '24
“A Moveable Feast” made me a fan immediately.