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Thursday, October 3, 2013

Hemingway Greatest Short Stories

What are Hemingway's greatest short stories? Hmmm. That's a tough question for me to answer because I've always found fault with E.H.'s minimalism; however, I do appreciate "In Another Country" - a very well-crafted, poignant story about war and recovery from war.  "You will play football again, like a champion," says the doctor to the narrator early on. There's a line that's bound to resonate. (A timeless depiction, given today's situation.) There's also "The Gambler, the Nun and the Radio," which has to do with the various "opiums" that people rely upon. And I do give E.H. a lot of credit when it comes to identifying the secret wounds of a person, not to mention the existential crisis bubbling up from their mundane routine. As far as "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" goes, I found myself rooting for the lion and the buffalo more than the humans on safari. (I'm assuming that this is a typical reader reaction (?) The character of Margot,  in particular, that of a cold, controlling woman, makes one wonder about Hemingway's relationship/s at the time..."The End of Something" looks really well done, subtle, moody, with dialogue that elevates/accentuates the unspoken word. "It isn't fun anymore," Nick says to Marjorie. That sort of says it all.