Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist and short story writer whose works, drawn from his wide range of experiences in World War I, the Spanish Civil War, and World War II, are characterized by terse minimalism and understatement; they exerted a significant influence on the development of twentieth century fiction. Hemingway's protagonists are typically stoic male individuals, often interpreted as projections of his own character, who must master "grace under pressure". Many of his works, like The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms and The Old Man and the Sea, are now considered classics in the canon of American literature.

Early life

Hemingway was born at 8:00 A.M. on July 21, 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois, in a six-bedroom Victorian house built by his maternal grandfather, Ernest Hall. Hall was an English immigrant and Civil War veteran who lived with the family when Ernest was born. Hemingway's physician father, "Doctor Ed" Clarence Hemingway, attended to the birth of Ernest and subsequently blew a horn on his front porch, announcing to the Hemingway's neighbors that his wife had borne a baby boy.

Related Topics:
July 21 - 1899 - Oak Park - Illinois - English - Clarence Hemingway

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Hemingway was the firstborn son, second of six children to Doctor Ed and Grace Hemingway, a homemaker with considerable singing talent who had once aspired to a career on stage. She was trained from her youth to sing opera and earned money through giving voice and music lessons as well as recitals. His mother was also devoutly religious, mirroring the strict Protestant ethic of Oak Park, a town which Hemingway would later refer to as one with "wide lawns and narrow minds"{{ref|ref1}}. His mother had wanted to bear twins, and as this did not happen naturally, she chose to dress young Ernest and his sister Marcelline, who was eighteen months his senior, in similar clothes and with similar hairstyles, maintaining the pretense of the two children being "twins." Grace Hemingway further feminized Hemingway in his youth by calling him "Ernestine"{{ref|ref2}}.

Related Topics:
Grace Hemingway - Homemaker - Singing - Protestant

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While his mother had ambitions that her son would develop an interest in music, Hemingway adopted the interests of his father—hunting and fishing in the woods and lakes of northern Michigan. Owning a house on Michigan's Walloon Lake, his family would often spend summers vacationing in that state. These early experiences in close contact with nature would instill in Hemingway a lifelong passion for outdoor adventure and for living in areas of the world generally considered remote or isolated.

Related Topics:
Michigan - Walloon Lake - Nature

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First writing experiences

During his years at Oak Park and River Forest High School, in addition to being active as a boxer and a football player, he excelled academically, particularly in English classes. His first experience with writing came in high school, as he served as editor for both Trapeze and Tabula, the school's newspaper and literary magazine, respectively.

Related Topics:
Oak Park and River Forest High School - Boxer - Football - English

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When Hemingway graduated from high school, he did not pursue a college education. Instead, in 1916, when he was 17 years old, his professional writing career began. He earned a position as a cub reporter for The Kansas City Star. While he remained part of the staff at that newspaper for only about 6 months, throughout his lifetime he referred to the admonition from the Stars style guide as a foundation for his manner of writing: "Use short sentences. Use short first paragraphs. Use vigorous English. Be positive, not negative"{{ref|ref3}}.

Related Topics:
Reporter - The Kansas City Star - Style guide

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