“There is no friend as loyal as a book.”
Ernest Hemingway
Courtesy of Inspiration Journey:
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies.
The man who never reads lives only one.”
George R. R. Martin
Courtesy of Existential Delight:
Preludes, Op. 28 – No. 6 ‘Tolling bells’ composed by Frédéric Chopin; this piece is poignant as it was played at Chopin’s own funeral:
I read Ernest Hemingway’s book “For Whom the Bell Tolls” as a young girl and its impact will stay with me forever. His other book “The Old Man and the Sea” had the same effect because he was one of the most original, mesmerising and resourceful writers in the world. When I opened the first book, before the first page, there was this full-page passage that gave his work its title. It is taken from a sermon to King James I by John Donne, his chaplain, in 1623, and this what it says:
“No man is an island entire of itself;
every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less,
as well as if a promontory* were, as well as if a manor
of thy friend’s or of thine own were.
Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls:
It tolls for thee.”
*Promontory – A point of high land that juts out into the sea.
Courtesy of artofebrink:
I have this most profound text framed and on my wall, it reflects my own mantra – I am a human being first, and everything else after. It prevented me from ever feeling superior to anyone else, and created in me a highly developed sense of social conscience and the need to help anyone in need, human or animal. The second book, The Old Man and the Sea, has the famous quote: ‘A man can be destroyed but not defeated.’ When I had a particularly difficult time in my life, it gave me the inspiration to persevere.
Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway’s influence on the course of modern literature is incalculable, and his writing remains intense and vivifying. It tells much about growing up, about solitude, and resourcefulness, about fear and despite it, doing things anyway. His experience in the First World War coloured his outlook on life.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY
21 July 1899 – 2 July 1961
Courtesy of Biography:
The childhood home of Hemingway in Oak Park, now the Hemingway Foundation
Downtown Oak Park
Ernest Hemingway was born in Oak Park, a Chicago suburb. His father was a doctor and he was the second of six children. In 1917 Hemingway joined the Kansas City ‘Star’ as a cub reporter. The following year he volunteered to work as an ambulance driver on the Italian front where he was badly wounded but twice decorated for his services.
In 1919, he returned to America. In 1922 he reported on the Greco-Turkish war. Two years later he resigned from journalism to devote himself to fiction. He settled in Paris. Other writers, American expatriates, encouraged him to develop his unique style.
Courtesy of museny1:
In Paris Hemingway published several books and his international reputation was firmly secured by his three books: In Our Time, A Farewell to Arms, and For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Robert Jordan, the protagonist of the author’s novel of the Spanish Civil War, For Whom the Bell Tolls, became a ‘public hero’ after the book sold millions of copies. He was a far more conventional figure than his predecessors in Hemingway’s previous books. Robert Jordan joins the guerrillas hiding in the mountains because he wants to help in any way he can. He knows how to expertly blow the bridges that otherwise would allow General Franco’s army to advance towards the partisans.
His awkward attempts to grasp hold of some meaning in the midst of the war destruction is compounded by his unexpected falling for a peasant girl, a victim of General Franco’s soldiers. The romantic passion he and Maria cling to is moving beyond description.
“Then there was the smell of heather crushed and the roughness of the bent stalks under her head and the sun bright on her closed eyes and all his life he would remember the curve of her throat with her head pushed back into the heather roots and her lips that moved, and the fluttering of the lashes on the eyes tight closed against the sun and against everything, and for her everything was red, orange, gold-red from the sun on the closed eyes, and it all was that colour, all of it, the filling, the possessing, the having, all of that colour, all in the blindness of that colour. For him, it was a dark passage which led to nowhere, then to nowhere, once again to nowhere, always and forever to nowhere, heavy on the elbows in the earth to nowhere, dark, never any end to nowhere, hung on all time to always to unknowing nowhere, now beyond all bearing up. up, up, and into nowhere, suddenly, scaldingly, holdingly all nowhere gone and time absolutely still and they were both there, time having stopped and he felt the earth move out and away from under them.”
“He looked at her and across the meadow where a hawk was hunting and the big afternoon clouds were coming now over the mountains.
‘And it is not thus for thee with others?’ Maria asked him, they now were walking hand in hand.
‘No. Truly.’
‘Thou has loved many others’.
‘ Some. But not as thee.’
‘ And it was not thus? Truly?’
‘ It was a pleasure but it was not thus.’
‘ And then the earth moved. The earth never moved before?’
‘Nay. Truly never.’
‘ Ay,’ she said. ‘And this we have for one day.’
“Romance No. 1” by John Brunning, performed by Xuefei Yang:
Memorial Terç de Requetes, Monserrat, Spain
“Romance” (Traditional), performed by John Williams:
The Old Man and the Sea
A masterpiece
This hauntingly beautiful tale was published in 1952 and was greeted with great acclaim. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 and was followed by the Swedish Academy’s bestowal of the Nobel Prize a year later.
As a fisherman himself, Hemingway gives a knowing description of the tools and techniques of fishing. It is a tale chronicling an elderly Cuban fisherman’s epic contest with an enormous marlin. Across several days and nights, the weary but determined Santiago tracks the hooked creature until he at last claims his catch, which is so big that it must be strapped to the side of his skiff, where it is inexorably attacked and eaten by sharks before the old man can get back to port.
Santiago meets his disappointment with great dignity. The sentiment he expresses as he helplessly watches the sharks destroy his hard-won prize. The immortal line – “A man can be destroyed but not defeated” – has been wildly heralded as the author’s own, the book celebrated for its uplifting message of perseverance. Yet, the tale’s simplicity and fleet forward motion are like a fable-like arc of struggle and symbolism, only masking its ineluctable expression of what Gabriel Garcia Marquez called Hemingway’s one essential theme: “the uselessness of victory.” The book’s sturdy, stalwart, almost ancient eloquence is haunted with echoes of the sure but ineffable truths of tragedy: we sense some profound meaning, but we can’t quite put words to it. The tale outlasts its interpretation, as only the strongest stories can.
The truths he has to tell are profoundly poetic, and they are diminished by any attempts to paraphrase them.
Another of the greatest writers of the world, William Faulkner commented:
“His best. Time may show it to be the best single piece of any of us, I mean his or my contemporaries.”
Here is a little sample of Hemingway’s masterpiece:
“Fish,” he said, “I love you and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before this day ends.”
Let us hope so, he thought.
A small bird came toward the skiff from the north. He was a warbler and flying very low over the water. The old man could see that he was very tired.
The bird made the stern of the boat and rested there. Then he flew around the old man’s head and rested on the line where he was more comfortable.
“How old are you?” the old man asked the bird. “Is this your first trip?”
The bird looked at him when he spoke. He was too tired even to examine the line and he teetered on it as his delicate feet gripped it fast.
“It’s steady,” the old man told him. ” It’s too steady. You shouldn’t be that tired after a windless night. What are birds coming to?”
The hawks, he thought, that come out to sea to meet them. But he said nothing of this to the bird who could not understand him anyway and who would learn about the hawks soon enough.
“Take a good rest, small bird,” he said. ” Then go in and take your chance like any man or bird or fish.”
It encouraged him to talk because his back had stiffened in the night and it hurt truly now.”
The tale of the friendship between the old fisherman Santiago and the little boy, Manolin, is a story inside the story of the novel and in itself is a masterpiece.
Courtesy of Encore +, the recipient of the Academy Award for Best Short Animated Film in 2000:
naturetails 
Thank you, Narayan, for your dramatic comment – “his name got pressed in my memory like a scar on skin.” My experience of reading Hemingway is less painful although I weep reading some of the parts in his extraordinary books. Thank you for your appreciation of this series, but if I may add, please don’t wait to read Hemingway’s works “someday”, read it now, even if it is just a few pages a day, as any writer of the future achievements should expand his mind by reading masterpieces, almost like by osmosis. Of course, you will attain your own originality.
When I read Hemingway, I concentrate on his descriptive power and don’t get upset by his hunting or fishing pursuit; he lived in different times when appreciation of nature without
vandalizing it was not fully understood.
Joanna
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dear Joanna, I have been so engrossed in many things over the last few years that I have completely overlooked reading good fiction! Or should I say real fiction, since great fiction is so true to life and so full of humanity! I will return Hemmingway all thanks to you! 💌💝🌹🙋♂️
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Dear Ashley, for your uplifting comments! More of the interesting posts about wonderful writers and their works! I do hope to tempt you again!
Joanna
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m tempted with all of your posts! Keep up this exceptional series! 🤗🌹💌
LikeLiked by 1 person
For you, Dear Ashley, I am more than happy to oblige!
Thank you for the beautiful hearts ad flowers!
Joanna
LikeLike
Another wonderful post so full of your heart and love of history Joanna. This is truly a masterpiece and my favorite of yours to date. They are always rich with history but I love the breakdown with fewer words that I have pictures and songs and videos strewn in between. Hemingway was an incredible writer/ so talented and strapping good looking which did seem to complicate his life.
So sad the demons he faced and his demise. The quotes were awesome and I’m loving the movie Old man and the Sea.. such a great book. Thank you for your heart and soul and I’ll come back to finish the movie when I have time! 💖💖💖
LikeLiked by 2 people
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing this .
Anita
LikeLiked by 2 people
I really like this mantra – “mantra – I am a human being first, and everything else after”
It’s so interesting knowing about Ernest Hemingway and his masterpiece. Adding Old man and the sea to my list.
Thanks!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Ritish, for your lovely comments! Brace yourself – more wonderful books to add to your reading list.
Joanna
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Anita, for your kind comment. Greatly appreciated.
Joanna
LikeLike
Thank you, Cindy, for the masterpiece of the comment! It is a great pleasure to write my post when I get such wonderful praise!
Joanna
LikeLiked by 1 person
So excited about that. I love your recommendations so far.
LikeLiked by 1 person
He inspired me immediately Joanna. Not his writing because i remember when I was reading him, it wasn’t about writing it was solely about reading and stories. His book, i do not know how was at my home and it just always looked adventurous. And it really was. Because right from the start he was describing a hovering death.
I will read dear Joanna, I should read him.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Narayan, it makes me happy that you are interested, it will reward you with so many benefits!
Joanna
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Ritish!
Joanna
LikeLike
You’re so welcome Joanna! It is my pleasure!💕
LikeLiked by 1 person
Also, we’ve published a post about the perspective about productivity. Hope you’ll give it a visit 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will!
LikeLike
Thank-you so much 😃
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very informative share Joanna as always and such beautiful mantra, I love it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Henrietta, for your uplifting comments! More interesting writers and their outstanding book reviews coming.
Joanna
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have wrote on ,”India’s customs and rituals” ,you can check that out as you suggested 😀🌸✨
Cheenu
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have started already reading it. Thank you.
Joanna
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve just sent you the article
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thankyou ,I hope you like it ☺️✨🌸
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am more than sure, I will!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hemmingway’s stories and life are so fascinating! I recently saw a PBS documentary on the life of Hemmingway. It was wonderful and like your post so well done!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Dwight, for your kind comment. Hemingway led an amazing life and inspiring in many ways. Thank you again for kindness.
Joanna
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are most welcome!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful blog and thank you for bringing us closer to history and above all bring us to the memory of a great as Hemingway who in my opinion has no time and is always in force.
Congratulations friend Joanna. 🤗😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Lincoln, for your kind comments.
If you have the time tomorrow or in the next few days, please look up my post number 5, which was published on Friday as it is about Paolo Coelho and his work,
The Alchemist.
Joanna
LikeLike
Johanna you have captured what it means to be immersed in a book, to be in another world while so immersed, to be transported to a place and be unaware of your present reality. That is the Magic of Books!
The Richard Dawkins video at the beginning of this blog: “Growing up in the Universe” is a most beautiful portrayal of the natural world! It is sad that we ignore our obligation to care for this earth in a way which protects its beauty. That we have raped this creation in so many ways and that we are on the brink of losing it due to the resulting climate change is sad commentary about our poor care. And when the earth is gone there will be no books and no more magic.
Earnest Hemingway is one such author who can transport the reader by his descriptive style. He was my favorite when I was a young man – his writing was so direct and his tales so adventurous. For Whom the Bell Tolls is the first of his books which I read. His characters and plot are immediate and, in this way, easy for a young reader. As I was immersed in the book and the Spanish Civil War, I sometimes wondered if he knew what his death would be. There was no doubt about his talent yet he led a troubled roller-coaster life filled with alcohol and difficult relationships. He still has celebrity status in Ketchum, Idaho where he is buried. When I visited in 2019 there was a stash of coins and an empty bottle of Jack Daniels sour mash left by his fans.
Stewart
LikeLike
Thank you, Stewart, for your wonderful comments! I still have hope for the future of our planet because so many people and scientists are working to reduce or overcome tha alarming climate changes. When our backs are pressed against the wall, we focus better on finding the solutions. The famous extract from the sermon included in Hemingway’s book stands on my bookshelf facing me as a reminder that we are all connected. Hemingway’s fate is difficult to understand, it should not happen. Perhaps, the danger is choosing the wrong people to be around you, who don’t know how to help. His writings influenced my philosophy of life.
Thank you, Stewart again, your words are greatly appreciated.
Joanna
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is suspected that EH was bipolar (a genetic disease) which is exacerbated by alcohol. Several of his relatives also died by suicide. Treatment is difficult (and often refused) for this diagnosis which carries a stigma for some. Perhaps being in a drinking crowd is fatal. S.
LikeLike
It is true that having helpful, loving people near your island shore is helpful.
LikeLike
Thank you!
Joanna
LikeLike
I think that you are right, Stewart. Thank you. But he could write!!
Joanna
LikeLike
So true, his writing attracted many readers.
LikeLike
For many, read millions! Thank you, Stewart!
Joanna
LikeLike