Ernest Hemingway, one of the most acclaimed American novelists and short-story writers of the 20th century, is renowned for his terse and direct prose style and his adventurous life, which often informed his works. Born in 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois, Hemingway's early experiences as an ambulance driver during World War I are mirrored in his novel "A Farewell to Arms." His time in Paris in the 1920s as part of the "Lost Generation," and his exploits in Spain during the Spanish Civil War and in Africa on safari also heavily influenced his writing. Some of his other famous works include "The Sun Also Rises," "For Whom the Bell Tolls," and "The Old Man and the Sea," the latter of which won him the Pulitzer Prize in 1953, followed by the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.
❝There is no friend as loyal as a book.❞ — Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway's fondness for reading was well-known, with his reading interests as robust and wide-ranging as his lifestyles. He was an avid reader of classic literature, poetry, and contemporary works, and he believed in the fundamental importance of reading for any writer. Hemingway often emphasized the need for writers to be well-versed in the literature of their predecessors and contemporaries, seeing this as crucial to honing their craft. His personal library included works by Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Flaubert, reflecting his respect for their literary techniques and their influence on his own style.
Ernest Hemingway's Favorite Books
Last Updated: June 2024
Anna Karenina
Author: Leo Tolstoy
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Date: May 1st, 2004
Leo Tolstoy's masterpiece traces the tragic love affair between Anna Karenina and Count Vronsky, set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century Russian society, exploring themes of passion, loyalty, and societal norms.
Wuthering Heights
Author: Emily Brontë
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Date: Dec 31st, 2002
Brontë's only novel is a dark, passionate tale of the tumultuous relationship between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, set against the moody backdrop of the Yorkshire moors, exploring themes of vengeance, social class, and the supernatural.
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The Republic
Author: Charles A. Beard
Publisher: Viking Adult
Date: Jan 1st, 1943
Not to be confused with Plato's work of the same name, this book by Beard might examine American governance or political systems, considering Beard's reputation for analyzing the economic interests behind the U.S. Constitution (assuming the topic aligns with Beard's well-known historical and political analysis).
The Naval Officer
Author: Frank Mildmay Frederick Marryat
Publisher: Legare Street Press
Date: Oct 27th, 2022
Based partly on Marryat's own experiences, this novel details the life and career of Frank Mildmay as he progresses through the ranks of the British Navy, facing battles, duels, and romantic entanglements.
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Dubliners
Author: James Joyce
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Date: Jun 1st, 1993
A collection of fifteen short stories that together paint an incisive portrait of Dublin life, capturing the mundane and dramatic moments of the city's inhabitants at the turn of the 20th century with sharp realism and deep empathy.
Madame Bovary
Author: Gustave Flaubert
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Date: Oct 4th, 2011
This landmark novel portrays the tragic life of Emma Bovary, a doctor's wife whose unfulfilled dreams and aspirations lead her into a downward spiral of adulterous escapades and financial ruin in her pursuit of a more passionate and luxurious life.
Tom Jones
Author: Henry Fielding
Publisher: Everyman's Library
Date: Nov 26th, 1991
This picaresque novel follows the life of the foundling Tom Jones as he navigates a series of romantic adventures and misadventures through the English countryside, ultimately seeking redemption and his true identity.
Winesburg, Ohio
Author: Sherwood Anderson
Publisher: Independently published
Date: Oct 4th, 2021
A pioneering work of modernist literature, this collection of interrelated short stories paints a portrait of the fictional town of Winesburg, exploring the personal tragedies, frustrations, and longings of its residents.
The Gambler
Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
Publisher: Independently published
Date: Nov 9th, 2021
Written under financial pressure, Dostoevsky's novel is a psychological exploration of the compulsive gambling Dostoevsky himself struggled with, portrayed through the character of Alexei, who falls in love with Polina, a woman equally trapped in the destructive world of roulette.
The Open Boat by Stephen Crane
Author: Stephen Crane
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Date: Nov 6th, 2013
Based on Crane's own experience of surviving a shipwreck, this poignant naturalist story details the struggles of four men in a lifeboat battling the sea's wrath, highlighting their collective fight against nature's indifference to human suffering.
Joseph Andrews and Shamela
Author: Henry Fielding
Publisher: SMK Books
Date: Apr 3rd, 2018
This novel presents a satirical look at contemporary novels of virtue and chastity through the adventures of Joseph Andrews, who starts as a footman and travels home to find his beloved, paralleled with "Shamela," a parody of Samuel Richardson's "Pamela," where Fielding humorously exposes the novel's moral pretensions.
The Charterhouse of Parma
Author: Stendhal
Publisher: Zinc Read
Date: Jul 7th, 2023
This novel tells the adventures of the young Italian nobleman Fabrizio del Dongo as he navigates the intrigues of the Napoleonic Wars and the Restoration period, seeking love and fortune, and ultimately retreating to the monastery of Parma.
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The American
Author: Henry James
Publisher: Independently published
Date: Nov 11th, 2021
This novel tells the story of Christopher Newman, a wealthy American businessman who ventures to Europe to enter its social circles and navigates the complexities of aristocratic society with varying degrees of naivety and sophistication.
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Hail and Farewell: Vale
Author: George Moore
Publisher: Forgotten Books
Date: Aug 24th, 2018
The final volume in Moore's autobiographical trilogy, this book provides a vivid, gossipy account of the Irish literary renaissance and his relationships with key figures of the era, blending personal reflection with cultural criticism.
Walden
Author: Henry David Thoreau
Publisher: Macmillan Collector's Library
Date: Nov 1st, 2016
Thoreau's reflective account of his two years of simple living in a cabin near Walden Pond focuses on the themes of self-sufficiency, the beauty of nature, and his philosophical musings on life and society.
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La Maison Tellier
Author: Guy De Maupassant
Publisher: Kessinger Publishing
Date: Sep 10th, 2010
A collection of short stories, the title story follows the madam of a small-town brothel who takes her employees on an outing to the countryside for a communion, exploring themes of hypocrisy, morality, and the contrasts between rural and urban life.