Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure
by Michael Palin
Overview
From the Publisher
With his signature wit and indomitable style, bestselling author Michael Palin sets out to explore the rich and vivid territory of Hemingway's life. Inspired by the legendary writer's apetite for travel, Palin experiences Hemingway's fondness for the adventure-filled life firsthand, be it bull-running in Pamplona, fishing for marlin in the Gulf Stream, or drinking daiquiris in Havana. Driven by a fascination for discovering new places and for learning more about a remarkable and complex man, Michael Palin's Hemingway Adventure is a unique travelogue and biography of this American hero, whose life and work left an indelible impression on the fast-fading twentieth century.
My thoughts
I knew nothing about Ernest Hemingway when I started this book. I thought it might be fun to learn a little bit about him through the travels of Michael Palin, of Monty Python fame, who goes on a world journey of Hemingway's world. Palin's book is interlaced with snippets of Hemingway novels, which is delightful. I feel like I got a small taste of Hemingway's writing style as well as his sense of character from the selected writings and the reliving of his life through Palin's eyes.
Some of the critics of this book said it's a bit dull because Hemingway's life was dull. I would disagree with that opinion wholeheartedly. I found the book to be incredibly fascinating (at what other time would I have learned about bullfighting?), completely shocking (driving a WWII tank towards the Arc de Triomphe??!!), and delightful (as character stories unfold.)
This is a book filled with wonderful photography and captivating stories. I feel all the richer for reading it.
Favorite Passage
In the interest of historical research I have been given a chance to experience my own liberation of Paris. We have permission for me to ride up one of the approach roads to the Arc de Triomphe in a World War Two American tank.
Unfortunately the tank is stuck in rush-hour traffic. A chilly, insidious drizzle has descended, as we look in vain among the Renaults and Peugeots of the commuters for the reassuring sight of a gun barrel. When, an hour later, our tank does arrive, it's smaller than I expected - the sort of tank you might use to do the shopping.
