Ernest Hemingway: Sheer Manly

Ernest Hemingway is the manliest genius I can possibly think of. Though I haven't read a huge selection of his work, his writing style makes him a genius.

 

It's not often I imagine that lists of great writers includes Hemingway, a man with perhaps the sparsest prose style ever, and Lovecraft, a man who is notoriously flowery at his worst. But Hemingway is the man who's writing, though I came late to it, really changed the way I thought about writing in general. Someone like George Orwell has a strong, sparse style also, but Hemingway elevates it into an art. Wonderfully evocative descriptions using only five words. It's that kind of writing that forces you to re-examine your own work and see how much chaff there is to be rid of. And even then, you won't approach the stylistic joys of Hemingway.

 

The best example that I can think of is a story of his called Baby Shoes:

 

'For Sale: baby shoes. Never worn.'

 

Succinct. Poignant. Brilliant. There will never be another like him.

 

Background text: A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

Done