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Hemingway is most often associated with Spain, Cuba and Florida, but Italy was equally important in his life and work. This book tells how, throughout his life, Hemingway visited Sicily, Genoa, Rapallo, Cortina in the Italian Alps, but most of all loved Venice and the Veneto. He first visited during the First World War (the background to A Farewell to Arms) and later after the Second World War (Across the River and Into the Trees). When Men Without Women was published some reviewers said he was fundamentally a reporter preoccupied with bull fighters, bruisers, touts, gunmen, soldiers, prostitutes, hard drinkers and dope fiends, but he also wrote sensitively and passionately about love and loss against an Italian backdrop. He returned to the country again and again, the landscape and people he met inspiring some of his most famous work. The fifteenth century Ca' Erizzo at Bassano del Grappa, where the American Red Cross ambulances were based, is now a museum devoted to Hemingway and the First World War. In Hemingway in Italy Richard Owen shows how Italy belongs alongside Spain as a key influence on Hemingway's writing, and why the Italians themselves took Hemingway and his writing to heart.
List of contents
Ernest Hemingway is most often associated with Spain and Cuba, but Italy was equally important in his life and work. This book, the first full-length study on the subject, explores the many visits Hemingway made throughout his life, to Sicily, Genoa, Rapallo, Cortina and Venice. Owen describes how Hemingway first visited Italy during the First World War, an experience that set the scene for A Farewell to Arms. After the Second World War, it was in Italy that he found inspiration for Across the River and into the Trees. Again and again, the Italian landscape – from the Venetian lagoon to the Dolomites and beyond – deeply affected one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. Hemingway in Italy demonstrates that Italy stands alongside Spain as a key influence on his work – and why the Italians themselves held Hemingway and his writing close to their hearts.
About the author
Richard Owen was the Rome correspondent for the Times for fifteen years and also served as correspondent and foreign editor. He has written several works of nonfiction, including DH Lawrence in Italy.
Summary
Ernest Hemingway is most often associated with Spain and Cuba, but Italy was equally important in his life and work. Hemingway in Italy, the first full-length book exploring Hemmingway’s penchant for Italy, offers a lively account of the many visits Hemingway made throughout his life to Italian locales, including Sicily, Genoa, Rapallo, Cortina, and Venice.
In evocative prose, complemented by a rich selection of historical images, Richard Owen takes us on a tour through Hemingway’s Italy. He describes how Hemingway first visited the country of the Latins during World War I, an experience that set the scene for A Farewell to Arms. Then after World War II, it was in Italy that he found inspiration for Across the River and into the Trees. Again and again, the Italian landscape—from the Venetian lagoon to the Dolomites and beyond—deeply affected one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century. Hemingway in Italy demonstrates that Italy stands alongside Spain as a key influence on Hemingway’s work—and why the Italians themselves hold Hemingway and his writing close to their hearts.
Additional text
"An exceptionally lively study . . . Hemingway’s adoration of Italy never waned."
— Times Literary Supplement
"This fascinating book by Owen really does add a whole new dimension to Hemingway’s books, and I’m planning to get a couple of them to read again and put my knowledge gained here to good use."
— Jason Denness Blog
"For anyone that wants to learn more about this Nobel Prize-winning author, this is an informative read. It looks deeper into the life of the writer and goes further than just reiterating that Hemingway loved women and drink. It shows his passion for a country he returned to time and time again and highlights where much of his inspiration comes from. If you are a Hemingway fan planning a trip to Italy this book should be added to your research pile, although it will also mean that you will travel plans are extended."
— Travelling Book Junkie
