On July 2, 1961 at age 61, Ernest Hemingway took his favorite 12 gauge shotgun, loaded it with two shells and blew his brains out.
Ernest Hemingway was important for much more than his writing skills as recognized with his 1954 Nobel Prize. He was far more important for how he chose to live his life.
Ernest Hemingway was important for much more than his writing skills as recognized with his 1954 Nobel Prize. He was far more important for how he chose to live his life.
Although an accomplished high school student in academics and sports he chose to forgo a "formal education" and started his career as a writer for the Kansas City, Star shortly before leaving for Italy as an ambulance driver during WWI where he suffered both physically and emotionally.
Although raised in a family of arts and science including a father who was a physician and a mother who was in the theatre he was almost destined for a tragic end through his suicide as was the case with his father, brother and sister. It's probably no surprise that a life of heavy drinking was a part of his life following his experiences as an ambulance driver in WWI. In addition to his physical injuries, his emotional injuries would probably be labeled as including PTSD today. In addition to a life of heavy drinking he was considered to have a border line personality disorder including narcissism among other mental and physical disorders which were compounded by his personal family history and loses.
During the 60s he believed he was being watched by the government. Some just considered him as "paranoid". Considering his views on war and his relationship with Castro and his donation of the Nobel Prize to the people of Cuba and considering what we have learned about government surveillance since then. I think he should be considered as “insightful” rather than “paranoid”. I had an opportunity to visit one of his watering holes in Havana and hear some of the stories from the locals and imagine what it would have been like to spend some time with him and hear from him in a quiet moment on the importance of his life. One biographer wrote he suffered as manic-depressive, a worrier with violent mood swings and insomnia.
So for me, the importance of Ernest Hemingway was not his accomplishments but rather how he chose to live and end his life. With all of this baggage others have attributed to him I can't help but think he must have been an optomist. After all he was married four times. I lost my optomism in marriage after my second wife. I think he would have liked one of my quotes: “Never waste your time with self-criticism. There will always be lesser people willing to do that for you.” Personally, I admire him as being a self-made man's man and living his life his way inspite of everything and everyone.
It’s no surprise that I have listed some of his quotes in one of my other blogs:
It’s no surprise that I have listed some of his quotes in one of my other blogs:
