This biography of the American writer Ernest Hemingway is aptly titled, since Hemingway was forever struggling with life. A mixture of outdoorsman and intellectual, Hemingway has become emblematic of a certain way of life in the 20th century. His personal style and his many written works have become intertwined in the public imagination. In this A&E portrait, both the man and the myth are examined in an illuminating way.

I don’t know if it was that A&E always try to water things down, or if it was just that they only centered on certain things and aspects of Ernest’s life, but I wasn’t as impressed as I thought I would be with Hemingway’s biography. As a writer I already had a good knowledge of Hemingway’s life, and although I learned a few things about him and his life, I still felt there was a lot missing.

They seemed to just skate over certain details and times in the man’s life as if it wasn’t important. Paris, a major chunk of his life seemed more like a small vacation he once took, and although Hemingway was always talking about his writing and the craft itself, they seemed to center more on… (Barnes & Noble)

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A worthwhile and well constructed precise of Hemingway’s life, most valuable for its insights from Hemingway’s sons and archival moving film footage, including some sound bites of Hemingway speaking. The video relies (necessarily) on a fair amount of still photography, much of which will be familiar to Hemingway aficionados, nevertheless, the presentation is compelling.

This video is great. It captures the spirit of Hemingway perfectly; a boy trying to find his masculinity. Perfect for teenage boys, to help them avoid mistakes Hemingway may have made and realize who they are… (Amazon)