Nancy W. Sindelar is the author of the new book Hemingway's Passions: His Women, His Wars, and His Writing. Her other books include Influencing Hemingway. She is an educator, scholar, and consultant.
Q: What inspired you to write Hemingway's Passions?
A: I spent 30-plus years in Oak Park-River Forest, Illinois and taught American Literature for many years at Ernest’s alma mater, Oak Park and River Forest High School.
When I retired, I joined the board of the Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park and had the opportunity to speak at the Hemingway Colloquium in Havana in 2011. Most of the colloquium participants were Hemingway scholars from Europe and South America.
As the colloquium progressed, it became clear that a number of the scholars believed Ernest hated Oak Park. When I returned home, there was fire in my belly to set the record straight.
I believed Ernest gained a good education in Oak Park, developed the old-fashioned Midwest work ethic there, and learned other traits that enabled him to become a great writer. I expressed these beliefs in Influencing Hemingway: The People and Places That Shaped His Life and Work (2014).
The publication of the biography led to opportunities to speak at numerous conferences, libraries, and universities as well as aboard luxury cruises to Cuba and the Caribbean.
I quickly learned that audiences were as fascinated with his life as his literature, and many really wanted to know about the many women in his life. My talks that focused on Hemingway’s women were very popular, and I decided to write another book and learn more about the many women in Hemingway’s life.
Q: As a Hemingway scholar, what initially interested you about him and his work?
A: I believed I had a good understanding of Ernest’s conservative upbringing. Like my own grandmother, Ernest’s parents were strict Protestants and disapproved of drinking, smoking, card playing and dancing. Ernest went to Sunday school, had to pass a test on the Bible and learn to live by a strict set of rules.
His grandfathers were veterans of the Civil War and instilled in him the belief that men could show honor and courage in battle. Though Ernest’s thoughts about war were changed by his experiences in World War I, he later developed his own sense of rules and believed men could endure tough situations with grace under pressure. I found that my students were interested in this view of life.
As my interest in Ernest grew, I made a point of visiting places that were important to his life and writing---Italy, France, Switzerland, Cuba, Spain, Idaho. Numerous biographical notes comment that I have stood in the room where he was born and in the vestibule where he ended his life, and have visited all the places in between.
Ernest had an interesting and complex life. Following his footsteps and writing about his adventures has enriched my life.
Q: In the book's foreword, Mariel Hemingway—Ernest Hemingway’s granddaughter--writes, “This book is not merely a biography but an exploration of a soul--my grandfather's soul--torn between the twin poles of love and death, always writing, always living with unparalleled intensity.” What do you think of that description?
A: I was thrilled when Mariel agreed to write the foreword and love the personal perspective she brings to the content.
Certainly, “Always living with unparalleled intensity” was key to Ernest’s life and writing. I view his life as a series of concentric circles as he always would move on to find new settings, meet new people and engage in new experiences to fuel and intensify his lifestyle and his writing.
Though many would consider his life in Key West perfect---with a wealthy, loving wife, healthy children, several bestselling novels under his belt, and the opportunity to engage in world-class fishing on the Gulf of Mexico, he wrote to his friend, “Nothing’s really happening to me here and I’ve got to get out.” He then left it all and went to Spain to report on the Spanish Civil War for the North American News Alliance.
Q: What would you say are some of the most common perceptions and misconceptions about Hemingway?
A: Many believe Ernest chased after women, but really the women chased after him! He exuded a sense of masculinity and spirit of adventure that was very appealing to women of all ages, including four wives and a long list of legendary actresses.
My research for Hemingway’s Passions included reading very personal letters written to Ernest. Though the women who wrote the letters thought they would only be read by Ernest, they are now quoted in my book. One after another, each of the women tries to win his heart.
For example, Agnes Von Kurowsky tells him, “I think everyday how nice it would be to feel your arms around me again…” Then Hadley Richardson writes,” I need you in every part of my life. I wanta be kissed, I wanta pull you head down on my heart and hold it very close and cradle you there for hours, you blessed thing---.”
Later, Pauline Pfieffer lures Ernest away from his first wife, Hadley, and into her own life by engaging in the “oldest trick,” i.e., “an unmarried young woman becomes the temporary best friend of another young woman who is married…and unrelentingly sets out to marry the husband.”
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I have had a number of requests to give author presentations on Hemingway’s Passions and am enjoying the opportunities that accompany the talks.
I will be speaking in Ketchum, Idaho, in February 2025 at the Community Library and look forward to returning to the area. Ernest ended his life in Ketchum and is buried there. My next book will be about the circumstances that led to his suicide.
I was Writer in Residence in Ketchum and lived in Ernest’s house the winter of 2021. I want to reconnect with the people that actually knew Ernest while they are still alive.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
No comments:
Post a Comment