Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Hemingway: Running From Crazy

Plenty of reasons not to like Hemingway: womanizer, booze, gambling.  Especially being a little girl growing up during the feminist era of the 60's.  His Key West, FL, bedroom, below.


After beloved Miss Louise & Aunt Tillie died I somehow ended up, in my 40's, with a copy of Hemingway's, A Moveable Feast.


It's repulsive how much I like Hemingway's writing.  Hemingway's, Pilar, above.


Running From Crazy, Barbara Kopple's new documentary about Hemingway's 'mental illness' doesn't mention 'addiction' in promotional materials.  Odd, yes?  (Hemingway's pool, above, "“ . . .The swimming pool is wonderful -it is very large and the water, from away under the reef, is fairly salt. Also it lights up at night -I find that each underwater bulb is five times the voltage of the one bulb in the light house across the street, so the pool must be visible to Mars -it is wonderful to swim around in a sort of green fire, one’s friends look like luminous frogs . . .”, Elizabeth Bishop.)



(Had to include Hemingway's treasure box, above.  A past client had one & it was loaded with heirloom silver pieces, more than Jack Sparrow could imagine.)

Hemingway's home now, above.


Ca. 1933, above, Hemingway's garden as he knew it, Jane Austen 'rustic'.  Much better than the 'neat' garden tourists demand.
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Garden & Be Well,       XO Tara
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9 comments:

Anonymous said...

That treasure box! Lovely. And the floor beneath it. Tiles?

Divine Theatre said...

I know! Sometimes when I try to hate people I end up loving them too!

xo

Andie

JudyMac said...

The more I read about Hemingway as a person, the more I dislike him. I may, however, run across an old copy of A Moveable Feast one of these days and read it, simply because, now that I have been there, I can't get enough of reading about Paris--and, of course, wanting to go back. Would love to find something like his "treasure box" as I think I have quite a few things to furnish one with.

bec said...

crazy gorgeous palms!
Bec x

Chrisy said...

oh that movie will be interesting...i hope! Love the home...that pool...'luminous frogs'...how wonderful...and the original garden...thank you for sharing...

Anonymous said...

I was an English major (what a gift!! I'm not sure it is still available! I learned almost everything I know from the written word describing interiors and landscape!!!

(except the golden things I learned from my mother and step-father!)

But Fitzgerald! I learned TONS AND TONS from his descriptions!

Good Grief! The first time I visited "Cap d'Antibes" I ferreted out everything he talked about! I did my "thesis" on Fitzgerald!!

Why did you not like him and his taste?

I don't get it!

Penelope

Anonymous said...

Thank the Lord no one ever told me; nor taught me that I had to "like"; nor "admire" an author to LOVE his writing!

Hemingway and Fitzgerald were certainly not people I (love and admire) however; they were two of the greatest writers of the twentieth century!

I do not "get" this train of thought at all!

Brilliant writing is just plain brilliant writing!

John Steinbeck? We wouldn't like him either! What on earth does that have to do with his writing masterpieces??

Penelope

Anonymous said...

I was hoping for responses! Not arguing.....I'm so curious why on earth we have to "like" the writer to enjoy his (or hers) writing??

I am confused?
Anyone going to answer? I promise I am just curious?

this is just something I have never encountered in my entire life!

Poor Hemingway! He made a complete mess (enormous) mess of his life! And then broke the hearts of his children and grandchildren in a violent suicide!

What does that have to do with the stories and novels that he wrote? What???

I believe (my opinion ) that he wrote some of the best novels and short stories in American literature in the 20th century!!
My professors; and those who followed them....believe the same thing!!

And same goes for F.Scott Fitzgerald! (I was so lucky; I could pick the author I wrote my thesis on!

I picked him! Same thing!

He married a colorful and beautiful woman, Zelda; he had a dream of "society" and he wanted to join it! He wrote my favorite novels and short stories (lots have never been published except in magazines.....long gone) I have ever read! The Great Gatsby!! Had he been "psychologically "healthy" he never could have written that "masterpiece"!! And it IS ONE!!!

What a writer! The BEST! What on earth does that have to do with his personal life??
His writing is exquisite!! All by itself!!

(No one is doing some analysis of Shakespeare and his life!! Right???!

Lucky for him.......he died before there was much media! Certainly media scrutiny of mores of society!

Who cares? Shakespeare was the greatest writer of all time (just my opinion, again; however shared by many others!! Tee hee)

No one knows anything about his personal life. And why would it even matter?

This makes no sense to me! I am not arguing! I am curious? I hope you will answer!

Penelope

Lydia said...

You don't have to love the artist to love the art. Sometimes the most perfect observations come out of the most imperfect person.