John
Hemingway's "first copy" of his father's
first book: Three Stories and Ten
Poems (Paris, 1923) is inscribed
in the year of his birth to his mother,
Hadley, the first wife of Ernest Hemingway
(1899-1961). Only 300 copies were printed.
Ernest Hemingway won the Pulitzer Prize
in 1953 and the Nobel Prize in 1954.
The
A.E. Hotchner/ Ernest Hemingway collection
includes papers, photographs, film and rare
sound recordings. A.E. Hotchner was a close
friend of the Hemingways during the last
14 years of the novelist's life. In 1948
Hotchner went to Cuba to induce Hemingway
to write a magazine article on the future
of literature. That meeting led to a series
of adventures and travels with the author
which are described in Hotchner's memoir,
Papa Hemingway (1966, 1983).
Novelist, biographer and dramatist, A.E.
Hotchner, adapted some of Hemingway's works
for television.
Between
their world-wide escapades together, the
two corresponded. Highlighting the papers
are eight informal and intimate, original,
unpublished letters from Hemingway to Hotchner-four
typed and four handwritten, mostly from
his Finca Vigia home near Havana.
Also included are photocopies of approximately
150 other letters showing the complete 1948-1961
correspondence between the friends. Other
papers are two typewritten versions of Hemingway's
last work, The Dangerous Summer
(publ. 1985) and a copy of the manuscript
of "The Sea" (published posthumously with
different editing as Islands in the
Stream). There are also typescripts
and copies of seven minor poems, seven short
stories and an essay.
As
much as he liked to write letters, Hemingway
was said to dislike recording his voice
or image, which makes the audio-visual gifts
in the collection quite rare. Some 300 photographs
show portraits of the young and older Hemingway,
pictures of the two friends hunting and
traveling together, as well as one of Hotchner
at the bull ring dressed as a matador when
Hemingway, as a prank, coerced him into
participating in a major bullfight. Magnetic
tapes record Hemingway talking about writing
in Spain during their civil war and a recitation
of his Nobel Prize speech-which he did not
go to Sweden to deliver. The rare 15 spools
of wire recordings of Hemingway's voice
require specialized conservation and transfer
skills uniquely available in the Library.
Home movies originally on three reels of
silent, color 16 mm. motion picture film
show Hemingway in the 1950s fishing for
marlin from his boat the Pilar, playing
with pets, driving through Cuba, talking
with wife Mary in front of their homes there
and later in Ketchum , Idaho. Hotchner made
most of the films and photographs, and Hemingway
gave Hotchner the films and tapes during
their long friendship.
