Nice, but not a Hemingway fan. ( )

vlot geschreven boek, maar de persoon over wie het hier gaat, nl Hemingway, kan anno 2021 niet meer serieus genomen worden: liefhebber van Stierengevechten en fanatiek jager o.a. in Afrika ( )

A decent counterpart to Michael Palin's decent travel documentary on the writer Ernest Hemingway. Both the book and the TV series have a structural flaw in that Palin – comedic, affable, playing to the camera – does not strike the right tone for his subject – a writer who was intensely serious, private and evenly-paced. The book is better in its tone (the TV series has some really cringy sub-Python moments), but then again the TV series has the advantage of the visuals. Both have their moments and they complement each other; and yet at the same time you have the feeling you could do without either.

It is a hard book/documentary combination to appraise; as a fan of Hemingway it was interesting to see an exploration of major flashpoints in his life, and yet at the same time it makes you almost embarrassed to be a fan when you see all the Hemingway-themed tourist traps and kitsch. Palin is an agreeable travel companion, but it is not certain that this was an adventure he should have gone on – even if the Hemingway adventure itself is surely a worthy one. ( )

something missing here--maybe my interest in hemingway. ( )

Wie in één land leeft is een gevangene
- John Donne ( )