Hemingway in Love: His Own Story by A. E. Hotchner

Recently I went to the Popular Book Fair, and I came home with more books for Amy than for myself (what’s new). It was my first time going to such a fair though. If you’ve never been, let me just tell you that the sheer amount of books available can make you go mad! I literally didn’t know where to start. And before I was even halfway through, my eyes were seeing stars already.

So, as I told my friend who was with me, I was looking out for books that ‘jumped’ out at me. Books that would catch my attention and give me that connection. It’s almost like looking for a soul mate haha.

In the end, I got several sticker, activity and board books for Amy, and two titles for myself. One of them was this, Hemingway In Love: His Own Story.

I have to confess. Having this book in my hand made me feel somewhat cultured. I mean, I knew the name ‘Ernest Hemingway’. He was an accomplished writer. One of the classics. He was big.

However, I actually had no idea what he was famous for exactly. I haven’t read any of his works. A quick Google would show up some really good quotes by him though, like:

“All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence you know.”

“We’re stronger in the places that we’ve been broken.” 

“In order to write about life first you must live it.” 

Love him already.

But even though I do not know much about him, it didn’t make this book less inspiring or interesting. I am so happy I got this memoir.

Hemingway in Love: His Own Story is not a complete biography about the Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize winner. If I’m not mistaken, A. E. Hotchner had already written a few other books that covered the other areas of Hemingway’s life. This particular book zooms in to Hemingway’s joy, loss, regrets and mistakes in love.

As Hotchner was such a close friend of Hemingway’s (he even calls Hemingway ‘Papa’), this book gives the reader the privilege and opportunity to be part of the intimate conversations between the duo.

It gave me a glimpse into how human and real Hemingway was. At times, I felt like hitting his head and asking him to be wise. But my heart also ached with him. And somehow, somewhere along the lines in those pages, I am inspired to be bold and step out to try new things; to appreciate and guard the relationship I have with the one I love; and to be a better writer.

Whether or not this would spur me to pick up Hemingway’s own books I don’t know, but I definitely have no regrets at all adding this to my library.

 

Love,

Nat

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