Ernest Hemingway on Writing

There is so much great information and insight packed into this small book. A must read.

This short collection exceprts Hemingway's thoughts on writing and criticism. The editor did an excellent job organizing them along thematic lines. I had read many of these passages in Hem's other works: A Moveable Feast and the letters quoted in Michael Reynold's multi-volume biography of the writer. This collection brings in some highly insightful passages from the writer's journalism and unpublished correspondence. Hemingway's comments on professional critics are highly entertaining and offer catharsis for the would-be or younger writer. Ultimately, I simply wanted more. Ten dollars for a short read--while packed with insight--is a lot for a small book. I highly recommend it for anyone unfamiliar with Hemingway's personal views on the craft of writing.

As an aspiring young filmmaker reborn as a screenwriter and novelist at the age of 76, I am, of course, a fan and admirer of Mr. Hemingway. I originally read his book on writing to gain insight into his adventurous and diverse lifestyle. But, I still consider him to be a mysterious man, a ruthless hunter, and a rough, competitive thinker who carved his existence from hardwood and gunmetal. His book about writing allows readers to see behind his hidden motives and foibles, but it still does not reveal his motivation to end his own life in such a violent way, and with it, eliminating his exemplary writing talent from humanity. Thus, his story will remain a secret, unmotivated tragedy as it recedes into history. However, Ernest Hemingway on Writing reveals a faint but consistent reflection of his creativity, personality, and genius for readers to contemplate.

I wouldn't call myself a rabid Hemingway fan but like most writers, I have a deep respect for him. As Larry Phillips, the author says so well, "Throughout Earnest Hemingway's career as a writer, he maintained it was bad luck to talk about writing--that it takes off ‘whatever butterflies have on their wings and the arrangement of hawk's feathers if you show it or talk about it.’" (p. xi) I think this quote sums it up. Hemingway for all his foibles was and is a writer who understood writing at a level most of us only aspire to. In "Ernest Hemingway on Writing" Brooks does an excellent job assembling small snippets of Hemingway's thoughts on writing to help writers today understand the breadth of what it means to write beyond ourselves. I particularly liked the section on "Other Writers" where Hemingway says “you should always write your best against dead writers” and then he offers numerous names of famous dead writers who fall we should write against. An inspiring read! Much of what Brooks has captured about Hemingway’s views on writing is indirect but never the less exceptional advice on the craft of writing from one of the best writers who ever lived.

I found very little actionable advise in this book. The interest, if there is any, is more in uncovering Hemingway's viewpoint. What I learned was that Hemingway was a blowhard, often overly opinionated about other equally good (if not better) writers, and overly self-promoting on how "hard" it is to write one "good sentence". He tends to imply that writers have the most difficult job in the world, which they certainly do not. While Hemingway, at his best - i.e. most of his short stories, The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, and The Old Man and the Sea (as long as it is read as an allegory) - is right up there with me; he also wrote a lot of blather (To Have and Have Not is a 'train wreck') in which he overly croons over uneducated "men of action" and lambasted "writers" who are not "sincere" like him. This opinionated self-importance readily comes through in his letters and such, which constitute what the present book alleges is "advice" on writing. I did find it interesting that Hemingway refutes that the "sharks" in The Old Man in the Sea are symbolic. He did not believe in symbolism. At least, that is what he implies and this would be consistent with how I view his worldview from reading his works. However, much of his writing is superficial (or simplistic) if not read symbolically. In fact, The Old Man and the Sea is tripe if not read symbolically since it defies reason to believe a fisherman who is starving to death from lack of catching fish is as happy-go-lucky and indifferent as the "old man" is portrayed in that story. It only works as an allegory, despite Hemingway's implication that nothing in that tale is meant to be symbolic. If you have interest in figuring out who Hemingway was as a man, then this book has some value. As "advice" on writing it has little, other than to tell you to write everyday and treat your writing as the most important thing, not only in your life, but in the world. Hemingway always writes marvelous sentences, even in letters to his publishers, so it is also worth reading just to hear his arrangement of words.

Excellent insight into the master from the master himself. This carefully curated look at writing through Hemingway’s letters is a peek into his passion for the craft and all else can go to h*ll. Worth reading for the humor displayed and an inside look at a writer’s life.

I love reading letters which these great people wrote. You get to feel their psyche. It is raw and full of emotion. I just got done reading 38 letters by John D Rockefeller - Those were also very good.

Ce livre est une compilation de ce qu'Ernest Hemingway a écrit à propos du métier d'écrire, dans ses romans, dans sa correspondance, dans ses articles en tant que journaliste. Ce sont des avis et des conseils judicieux et éclairants, de la part d'un maître contemporain, justement réputé pour son efficace sobriété et sa netteté d'écriture, rarement égalée. Une lecture indispensable pour mieux comprendre son exigence, les ressorts de son style et sa capacité à vous captiver.

Dalla descrizione credevo si trattasse di un saggio sullo scrivere o un qualcosa di Hemingway, invece è solo una raccolta di aforismi. In ogni caso molto carino.

The book came in with big disgusting stains on the pages.

We have all read his words, but what of his art, his profession, from his perspective. Reading 'Ernest Hemingway On Writing' was, in part, like a one on one conversation with the man himself. His most private thoughts, his explanations, considerations, loves and hates, his favourite writers, his darkness and his brilliance. It showed him as just another man, with a great passion and hard-fought gift. I very much enjoyed Ernest Hemingway On Writing.

Hemingway is a true guide. The simplicity and brevity of writing is explicit enough to penetrate into the heart of readers, I felt after reading it.