The Complete Short Stories Of Ernest Hemingway (1)

Ernest Miller HemingwayJun 2024

Rating 4.5
Word count
57K words
Chapters
17

Tags

Foreign Literature Natural ImageryAdventure JourneyDeath ThemeShort StoriesHardboiled Style

Summary

This is the first volume of the English edition of Hemingway's short stories, suited to English-language enthusiasts. The collection includes the classics "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," and "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber," along with previously unpublished stories. "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" was first published in 1936. The book is a vivid portrayal of a man near death and one of Hemingway's finest works; it centers on death and dying, yet its fundamental theme is Harry's journey back through the past into the present. "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," written in the 1930s, unfolds in a small cafe at closing time, as two waiters discuss an elderly, affluent regular who drinks there nightly and has unexpectedly killed himself, and their attitudes toward the old man who stays out late. The work reflects deeply on the despair, disillusionment, and emptiness pervading a society where "God is dead," moral codes and religious faith have vanished, and people have lost their goals, beliefs, and values; people are mired in a bewildered emptiness, with an undercurrent of nihilism running through life. The stories follow Hemingway's consistent principles: simple plots and spare, polished prose, yet profound in meaning and pregnant with his reflections on the philosophy of life.

Editor's review

This is the first volume of the English edition of Hemingway's short stories, featuring classics such as "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," and "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber," as well as previously unpublished stories. Hemingway addresses death, nothingness, and the loss of faith in spare prose, with a restrained narrative whose resonance lingers; readers often need to sense the characters' situations in the gaps between dialogue and scene. The original English preserves his distinctive syntax and rhythm, making it an immediate way to experience the "iceberg principle," as well as a resource for close reading and short-story writing. Begin with shorter, more concentrated pieces and move gradually to longer ones; read alongside the second volume for a fuller view of his short fiction.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. Start with a short piece such as "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" to get used to Hemingway's dialogue and omission.
  2. While reading, mark recurring images and brief exchanges, then revisit these details afterward.
  3. Read each story twice: once for plot, then slowly for implication.
  4. Consult a Chinese translation for hard sentences, but finish the original first whenever possible.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. Preface to “The First Forty-nine”
  3. The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber
  4. The Capital of the World
  5. The Snows of Kilimanjaro
  6. Old Man at the Bridge
  7. Up in Michigan
  8. On the Quai at Smyrna
  9. Indian Camp
  10. The Doctor and the Doctor’s Wife
  11. The End of Something
  12. The Three-Day Blow
  13. The Batler
  14. A Very Short Story
  15. Soldier’s Home
  16. The Revolutionist
  17. Mr. and Mrs. Elliot

FAQ

What English level is this edition suited to? It suits readers with basic ability to read long English sentences who can finish a short story with a dictionary. Hemingway's vocabulary is not difficult, but omission and implication are frequent, and deeper understanding requires some literary reading experience; those with weaker English can first read a Chinese translation for the plot, then return to the original.
Which piece should I start with in the first volume? Begin with a shorter, more concentrated piece such as "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" to get used to the dialogue and use of omission, then move to longer pieces such as "The Snows of Kilimanjaro." You may also skip by interest, but after each story take a moment to review so you are not merely following plot and missing detail.
Are the stories in this book all heavy in theme? The pieces listed in the description mostly involve death, nothingness, loss of faith, and disillusionment, so the overall tone is heavy; Hemingway's narration, however, is restrained rather than emotionally heightened. If reading several in a row feels oppressive, alternate with lighter material or read in thematic batches.
Can I understand these stories without a literary background? Yes. The plots are simple and the prose spare, so independent reading is not hard; but Hemingway often omits background and psychological description, and readers must infer meaning from dialogue and scene. Checking a guide or discussion afterward can help, though prior knowledge of literary theory is not required.

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About the author

Ernest Miller Hemingway Author · American · 1899–1961

Ernest Miller Hemingway (1899–1961) was an American novelist and journalist, born in Oak Park, Illinois. He served in World War I and was wounded, later living in Paris, where he became one of the representative writers of the Lost Generation. His works often deal with war, adventure, and human endurance, and his prose is known for its spare, restrained style, using understated dialogue and plain description to convey deep feeling. His major works include The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Old Man and the Sea. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954, and died in 1961. Our catalog holds 22 of his works, including novels, selected short stories, and bilingual annotated editions, commonly classified under foreign literature and classic works.