Ernest Hemingway and the Events That Made His Writings So Great

Ernest Hemingway and the Events that made His Writings so Great

“In order to write about life, first you must live it.” (“Ernest Hemingway”). This statement couldn’t be closer to the truth when referring this certain author to his works. Hemingway was able to utilize aspects of his own life in his novels. It is almost as if every novel he wrote evolved this way. This is partially the reason for his achievements he received. People were able to relate his works to their own lives, and that he was known to be provocative for his time. To better understand his works, one must understand the background from whence Ernest Hemingway comes from.

Ernest Hemingway was born on July 21, 1899 in Cicero, Illinois. He spent most of his life growing up in the suburb of Chicago. However, his family often vacationed in Michigan which is where he learned to how to become a sportsman, and his love for the outdoors evolved.

Hemingway started at a young age writing. His first dabble in this profession would be that of his high school newspaper. With the experience he gained writing for the Trapeze and Tabula, the high school newspaper, he was able to land a job as a journalist for the Kansas City Star. It was at the Kansas City Star that Hemingway developed his particular way of writing for which he is renowned for.

Though he was a budding journalist, he was called to serve in World War I in 1918. Hemingway served as an ambulance driver for the Italian Army and was award the Italian Silver Medal of Bravery during that time. However, as with most people involved with the war, he eventually sustained injuries that placed him in the hospital in Milan. It was there he fell in love with one of the nurses, Agnes von Kurowsky. Though they were engaged, eventually Agnes left Hemingway for another man. ("Ernest Hemingway." Bio.com)

Heartbroken and recovering from his injuries, Hemingway returned to the United States taking a job at the Toronto Star in Michigan. It was here that he met Hadley Richardson, soon to be his first wife. After marrying Hadley, the couple moved to Paris to start his new work as a foreign correspondent at the Star. It was here in Paris where Hemingway met Gertrude Stein whom of which became his mentor. This is where he met other famous authors and artists of his time such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, Pablo Picasso, etc. While living in Paris, Hemingway frequently visited the Festival of San Fermin in Pamplona, Span. This time frame is where one of Hemingway’s famous novels was written, The Sun Also Rises. (“Ernest Hemingway." Bio.com)

Around this time frame is when Hemingway and Hadley divorced due to Hemingway’s affair with Pauline Pfeiffer, his soon to be second wife. Soon after becoming married to Pauline, she became pregnant which was the main reasoning for why Hemingway moved back to America. They settled in Key