Looking on from the great hereafter towards July's worldwide observance of the writer's Centenary Birthday, coupled with the release of his last,unfinished novel, it's easy to imagine the grizzled adventurer's reaction - a big,lusty, roaring laugh and mock indignation over the outpouring of sentiment. "Get over it!" you could hear him grumble.
Of course Hemingway enjoyed being the center of attention, and his gruff stance would mask a heartfelt flattery.
Nearly four decades after his passing, Hemingway has remained America's most noted author of the 20th Century, all the while riding a rollercoaster of noteriety and fending off countless would-be clones. Currently hot once again, the late novelist even continues to be quite prolific. On July 21, Scribners will publish yet another posthumous work, his fifth, titled "True at First Light." The fictionalized account of an African safari, Hemingway toiled over the project between 1955 and '56, setting it aside to assist with techinal consulting on the film version of his novel, " The Old Man and the Sea."
What remained was 800 pages of a manuscript that fell to his son Patrick,70, to chisel and edit into a workable story.
And just what would Hemingway have to say about this former work-in-progress that's about to become a major literary event, regardless if it's remotely close to how the author once envisioned it or not? Perhaps something along his remarks following the publishing of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Last Tycoon," his own posthumous novel. "It is damned hard on Scott to publish something unfinished," Hemingway noted, "But I suppose the worms won't mind."
While some critics have dismissed the new book as nothing more than a simple marketing ploy, one that feeds off the cash cow that is the Hemingway image, who can't help at least being bit curious, tantalized by the opportunity to once again experience in one form or another the novelists unique touch.
No doubt about it, Ernest Hemingway lived life large. Be it hunting big game in Africa, marlin fishing, boxing, or on the front lines of World War I or the Spanish Civil War. Papa proved that life is not a spectator sport. Happy 100th. to a life well lived.
A virtual tour of Hemingway on the net:
The Ernest Hemingway Foundation Of Oak Park From Cuba, Japan, China, Spain, and even Tanzania - groups around the world are planning Hemingway Centennial Festivities. Oak Park, Illinois, the writers birthplace, is pulling out all the stops with an eight day-long celebration. Visit this site for a schedule of events and a tour of the Hemingway Museum, as well as information on the restoration of his boyhood home.
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