Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Collier Books
Date Published: 1986
ISBN-13:9780684174716ISBN:0684174715
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Nice soft cover, lightly read, some shelf wear & aging to cover, yellowing to pages, tiny mark on side edge, light creases on spine, stk #2491o9. 154 p. Scribner Classic. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Collier Books
Date Published: 1990-12-31
ISBN-13:9780684174716ISBN:0684174715
Description: Good. Average used paperback with some cover wear. May have the previous owner's name inside front cover. Great reading copy! Has some notes and/or highlights. read more
Binding: Unknown Binding
Publisher: Scribner
Date Published: 1961
Description: Good. ---154 pgs. Interior-Nice overall condition. The soft cover has light signs of aging. -Publish Place: New York-Size: 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
"I enjoyed the probing nature of these stories, which all say something about human nature or the human experience. However, many of his stories are extremely obscure. In some instances this makes reading and understanding them even more satisfying. In others I feel like he goes too far and leaves too much room for interpretation. His unnecessarily convoluted sentence structure often nudges marginal stories into the latter group. My favorite character by far is the washed-up irish boxer Jack Brennan in 'Fifty Grand', who bets against himself but can't bring himself to go down easy. Once it's clear the other guy is also trying to throw the fight the match becomes a competition to see who can cheat better in order to lose."
"I read this while flying to Florida and feel like I understand Hemingway's angst, pain, and wisdom in ways that I couldn't have done years ago. His writing is sublime, his topics are deep and profound, and his ability to say so much with so few words is amazing."
"The first story deals with life in the context of death and the last story deals with death in the context of life. Between the two is an uneven progression.
As a topical collection, 1961's The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories (Scribner, ISBN: 0684862212) by Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) serves as a good overview of the more dreary side of Hemingway's standard subject matter: unspoken dissatisfaction, the absence of emotion in the midst of war, and decent men in the midst of bad lives.
The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Death
In the title story, protagonist-writer Harry turns into the expectation of death towards the end of his life after realizing that he, like us all, will die with stories untold. The monologue where he talks about saving the best stories for too long is surely one of the most terse and accurate statements on the creation of and co-existence with art.
The oft-anthologized "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" retrogrades and shifts the viewpoint of the people who surround misery as opposed to misery itself. Of course, in fitting with the feel of the rest of the stories, there exists the inescapable unity within the brotherhood of melancholy.
An Uneven Collection
Despite the success of both the title story and "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," Hemingway definitely put out an uneven collection. "A Day's Wait" seems tossed off and pointless: Hemingway's version of J.D. Salinger's "Down at the Dinghy" or maybe a story Carver would site as the inspiration for "The Father" almost 20 years later. "A Day's Wait" fails at the short form that "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" uses to its advantage.
The ridiculously-titled (and perhaps misplaced) "The Gambler, the Nun, and the Radio" is a solid story, despite the ending revealing too much with its final exchange of dialogue The heavy-handed revelation at the end is forgivable, however, and this stands as one of Hemingway's funniest stories (and funny on purpose, which is rare for Hemingway).
Two Nick Adams stories - the odd "Fathers and Sons" and the solid-yet-anticlimactic "The Killers" - are all right, but the stupid-simplicity of Adams is bound to leave a reader wondering why he has become a reoccurring character in Hemingway's work.
Between them is "In Another Country," where the style makes what is important either unsaid or trivialized, thereby perfecting the concept of a dead and unsettled center in the middle of a chaotic swirl of feelings. A third Nick Adams story ("A Way You'll Never Be") seemed like a poorly done "In Another Country."
A Strong Finish and a Good Introduction
The collection closes with "Fifty Grand" and "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber," two tales of realization and redemption. This is a very nice introduction to Hemingway's short fiction, with a enough different types of sadness for everyone."
"I have not attempted to read any Hemingway since high school, over 20 years ago. It was not because I was actively avoiding his writings, but because I had found so many other writers who had learned from him to occupy my reading shelf. But after trekking through this volume I remembered both what I admire and am frustrated by in Hemingway's works. I love the crisp descriptions and incisive characterizations that make me feel that a bright interrogation lamp has been directed at a dark corner. But the light is not always cleansing or illuminating, but often has the edge of swift and unwavering judgment that can feel cruel and unjust. There has been much written about his misogynistic tendencies, and these stories do not disappoint with blame placed on female characters for crushing men's creativity and spirit through the control of love, money, and respect. Yet I still find his insights into his own intricate and contradictory mind compelling."
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