I've been reading some of Ernest Hemingway's short stories lately, and I'm thoroughly impressed so far. He does so much in so few words; he's like a literary Space Bag. Not only does his work exude style and finesse, it's succinct to boot. I just finished "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber," but I don't know where to go from here. Do you guys have any favorites?
My personal favourite is Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises. It changed the literary landscape in some pretty profound ways, and you can trace a lot of my favourite works of contemporary lit back to it. His mastery over language, style, and his instincts for realism are awe-inspiring.
The Old Man and the Sea is one of the most perfectly written books I've read. I keep meaning to read more of his work.
Has anybody here seen the "Old Man and the Sea" movie? It's a wonderful little piece done in the seventies I think, that's all done through frames that have been painted. It's a fairly extraordinary little work, in which the story is read while the movie is commencing. One of the best short films I've seen. But anyways, yes I really enjoy Hemingway's works, besides the fact that I haven't been able to read a real large selection of his work. I highly enjoy his simple, yet powerful language style. - Steve
I would suggest Men Without Women, a collection of short stories, the best of which The Undefeated is the writing of a man obsessed with his passion - bullfighting. As you mentioned Fedora, it's so succint. I love his work and he had a profound effect on me as a younger guy. I also think one of his best books, also about bullfighting, is the non-fiction work Death in the Afternoon.
I am currently reading "The Old Man and the Sea" and I like it. I enjoyed "A Farewell to Arms" for the story, but to me, i find the short sentences and lack of tags on dialouge distracting. I dont know why, I read portions out loud and to other people, and I just found it so different from my own style. But I did love the story. The Old Man and the Sea reminds me of my own father so much, it's really great. I'm a fan, and I've noticed that while reading his work and writing my own story, that it is easy to pick up on his style. My husband read a recent chapter I wrote and said "Hold up woman, your doing that choppy stuff like Ernest." haha But that's just the way I take it, I'm sure others love it.
