Ernest Hemingway

　　Ernest Hemingway (1899 - 1961) was an iconic American journalist and author, known for his brief and straightforwardstyle of writing and for the gusto with which he lived his life. He participated in World War I as an ambulancedriver until he was injured; then again during World War II. He served as a war correspondent during the SpanishCivil War; survived car accidents and plane crashes as well as mishaps on hunting and fishing expeditions. And ifthat wasn't enough danger for one man, he crowned it with an exclamation point by marrying four times; HadleyRichardson (1921-1927), Pauline Pfeiffer (1927-1940), Martha Gellhorn (1940-1945) and Mary Welsh (1946-1961). Hisexperiences in war led him to abandon abstract language as empty, in favor of his hallmark writing style, in whichhe savored simplified and concrete actions. As if it were so easy:"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed."

　　He is best known for his novels; most readers are familiar with The Sun Also Rises(1926), A Farewell to Arms (1929), For Whom the BellTolls (1940), and The Old Man and the Sea (1952). Though there were strongcritics of his work -- particularly feminist-minded critics that were highly critical of his generally unflatteringportrayal of female characters -- he received the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 for The Old Man andthe Sea and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. We feature Hemingway in our collection of Pulitzer Prize Winners.

　　Hemingway's novels are not yet in the public domain, but many of his short stories are, including The Snows of Kilimanjaro and his storycollection, In Our Time. Considered one of the finestauthors of "the Lost Generation" who experienced both world wars and the Spanish War.

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　　"All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. There wasnothing before. There has been nothing as good since.”