Ernest Hemingway 1898 – 1961
He was born on 21st June 1898 at Oak Park. He was a famous American writer. He wrote prose – novels and short stories. He was a member of the Lost Generation. A group of disillusioned people who experienced war and were not able to start living normally anymore. They survived but their memories cause them pain and suffering.
Heningway spent some time in Paris and also in Spain (civil war, he was a ambulance driver), he loved bull – fighting, boxing and hunting – he visited Africa several times.
He went to Cuba where he spent the end of his life. He suffered from depressions and he commited suicide.
His writing style: he uses a special method of telling stories, so called iceberg method. He says only the plot itself, the rest is hidden and readers must read “between the lines” (a big part of the story is hidden).
Work: For Whom the Bell Tolls, Farewell to Arms, The Old Man and the Sea (Nobel Prize), Short Stories, The Sun Also Rises (Fiesta), Green Hills of Africa etc.
For Whom the Bell Toll (Komu zvoní hrana)
It is novel with authobiographical features (Spanish civil war)
Robert Jordan joins a group of guerrillas. He has a special work there – to blow up a bridge to make the enemies slower in thein invasion. He falls in love with one of the girl, Maria, he listens to stories of an old lady from the group who retells him about love and bull-fighting. Finally, they blow up the bridge but Robert is hurt seriously, his leg is broken so he cannot escape with the others. So he waits for the enemy with gun in his hand. The rest of his people escape.
The Old Man and the Sea (Stařec a moře)
It is novelette, he got Nobel Prize.
The story takes place in Cuba. The main hero is an old fisherman called Santiago (a real figure, he died in 2002). He has a young friend, a boy called Manolino. The old man wants catch a fist, the biggest fish in his life. So he sails to the sea cathes the fish and during the journey back to the coast sharks endanger his catch, he fights with them but they eat almost the whole fish. The old man comes back with a big skeleton and a head of the fish and has a rest in his shed. Manolino sees the ruins of the fish and visits the old man. He is sorry for him.
Literature:
Literature is a phenomena which is closely connected with human culture. People used to notice not only offical and business things but also myths and religious stories. Then they started to write new stories, original ones. Literature should provide good feelings, knowledge and it should also bring you up. There are three main forms: The first is poetry which is usually rhymed and rhytmical, sometimes it can be written in free verse etc.
The second is prose which can be written either in so called ich-form or in er-form.
The last form is drama which is based on dialogues and takes place on the stage.
We can divide literature also into epics, lyrics and drama. All these three have their special genres:
Epics: myths, fables, fairy-tales, novels, novelettes, short stories etc.
Lyrics: songs, odes, hymns, elegies etc. Both lyrical and epic are e.g. ballad or romance.
Drama: tragedy, comedy, drama, musical etc.
Literature uses various methods and approaches to express meanings, e. g.: metaphors, allegory, metonomy, hyperbole, irony, sarcasm, euphemims etc.