"Hemingway" 6-parter docu-series on iPlayer

[Retinend]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000xh55/hemingway-series-1-episode-1

I'm halfway into episode one of a six-part/six-hour, American-produced series, and I'm really enjoying it. High quality, literary talking heads, appropriately stiff-sounding jazz from the 20s, and a good ratio of content and commentary: promises to thoroughly cover the gulf between the pop culture legend in public, versus the sensitive writer with mummy issues in private.

If you don't yet know what the big deal about Hemingway is, and you're open-minded then I would recommend this. It can also be listened to as a radio program. If you are already a fan, like me, there's some brilliant pause-to-read material from Hemingway's own hand or typewriter, as well as more fascinating archive images than you would get in a dozen biographies.

iPlayer summary:

<sub>Ernest Hemingway is considered to be one of the great American writers, with his work remaining influential around the world. This documentary series paints an intimate picture of Hemingway the writer, whilst also penetrating the myths surrounding him to reveal a deeply troubled, controversial and ultimately tragic figure.

The series combines a close study of the biographical events of the author's life, with excerpts from his writings and the controversies in both his personal life and work. It features readings by actors including Jeff Daniels, Meryl Streep, Keri Russell and Patricia Clarkson alongside interviews with acclaimed writers and biographers including Edna O'Brien, Tobias Wolff, Abraham Verghese and Mary Dearborn.

In the first episode, Ernest Hemingway enjoys an idyllic childhood in Oak Park, Illinois. Yearning for adventure, he volunteers for the Red Cross during World War I. After the war, Hemingway marries Hadley Richardson, moves to Paris and begins his life as a writer.</sub>

[gilbertharding]

I was awake when they played a trailer for this on the Today Programme one morning. Amol Rajan said, in hushed tones after it had played, "ah - Ken Burns and Ernest Hemingway. What's not to like?"

I switched the radio off and rolled over, but not before resolving never to watch this documentary, nor read a word more of Hemingway.


Seriously though - I managed to watch some of the first episode, but found that the Michael Palin Hemingway documentary they screened to follow much more on my level: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Palin%27s_Hemingway_Adventure because I'm a fucking philistine.

[Retinend]

oh yeah I also spotted that on iPlayer

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00xb6vx/michael-palins-hemingway-adventure-episode-1
Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure

I am looking forward to it. My appreciation of Hemingway began as a literature student, reading him as a cool, gritty exercise in style, but it became deeper the more I travelled (Paris and Madrid, in particular). So a travel show is a good "in" for complete beginners, I'd imagine. Hemingway is himself something of a travel author. You can't divorce his love of places, as they relate to how people behave, from his writing.