Reviews
Advance praise: 'The collected Hemingway letters will be enthusiastically welcomed by the scholarly world as well as the legion of Hemingway enthusiasts around the world. He is not only one of the most important twentieth-century writers in the world, but a fascinating and frank letter writer. This collection will be an invaluable addition to the world of letters.' Noel Riley Fitch, ". . . a major project in literary scholarship . . . left me eager to read more" -Robert Fulford, The National Post, 'A work of monumental authority, shrewd and sympathetic, which will be indispensable for anyone delving into Hemingway's childhood affections, adolescent bravura, and the hope, enthusiasm and disgust of his early manhood.' The Spectator, 'Magnificently edited … [this volume] is a work of true literary scholarship … what makes this first volume more than a mere collection of juvenilia is that here is all the evidence of the writer - and the man - that he was to become.' Literary Review, "[The collection] chronicles the development of a significant figure in the story of American letters." -St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 'Hemingway's letters burst off the page with all his swaggering vigour, brio, brilliance, wit and rage.' The Guardian, 'The existence of some of these documents (pre-dating Hemingway's fame) is close to a miracle, and the Letters is without question a spectacular scholarly achievement.' The Scotsman, "And so begins the ambitious--and highly anticipated--publication of the Letters of Ernest Hemingway, a vast collection that proves to be both a revealing autobiography and the passkey to his literary works. This first volume is a vibrant portrait of the artist as a young man, striking all the notes that will resonate as themes in the epic life and epochal literature that lie ahead." -A. Scott Berg, 'This Cambridge edition of all of Hemingway's known letters is as elegant and proper a solution as one could wish to such a daunting challenge: how to make this treasure available to all interested scholars and readers for generations to come. I think that Papa Hemingway would be pleased.' Charles Scribner, '[Hemingway's] letters were never intended for publication, and they are surprising … Behind the hard-living, hard-loving, tough-guy literary persona we find a loyal son pouring his heart out to his family, an infatuated lover, an adoring husband, and a highly committed friend.' Robert McCrum, The Guardian, 'And so begins the ambitious - and highly anticipated - publication of The Letters of Ernest Hemingway, a vast collection that proves to be both a revealing autobiography and the passkey to his literary works. This first volume is a vibrant portrait of the artist as a young man, striking all the notes that will resonate as themes in the epic life and epochal literature that lie ahead.' A. Scott Berg, 'The collected Hemingway letters will be enthusiastically welcomed by the scholarly world as well as the legion of Hemingway enthusiasts around the world. He is not only one of the most important twentieth-century writers in the world, but a fascinating and frank letter writer. This collection will be an invaluable addition to the world of letters.' Noel Riley Fitch, ". . . reminds us why we fell in love with the guy to begin with. . . " -Jennifer Schuessler, The New York Times, "These letters-boisterous, exuberant, and insistent on a reply (see me! hear me! feel me! so many of them seem to implore)-only show more deeply how fearlessly-carelessly, even-Hemingway lived in order to be seen." -Alexandra Fuller, The Daily Beast, "The collected Hemingway letters will be enthusiastically welcomed by the scholarly world as well as the legion of Hemingway enthusiasts around the world. He is not only one of the most important twentieth-century writers in the world, but a fascinating and frank letter writer. This collection will be an invaluable addition to the world of letters." -Noel Riley Fitch, "Hemingway admirers, scholars, and students will find the book essential. The letters fill in abundant biographical and intellectual details, and readers will revel in the young man's exuberant wordplay, private language, and slang" -Steve Paul, Booklist, Advance praise: 'The collected Hemingway letters will be enthusiastically welcomed by the scholarly world as well as the legion of Hemingway enthusiasts ... This collection will be an invaluable addition to the world of letters.' Noel Riley Fitch, "This Cambridge edition of all of Hemingway's known letters is as elegant and proper a solution as one could wish to such a daunting challenge: how to make this treasure available to all interested scholars and readers for generations to come. I think that Papa Hemingway would be pleased. His favorite dictum seems most fitting on this splendid occasion: 'Il faut, d'abord, durer.' [First of all, one must endure; or as my Dad translated it with supreme economy: 'First: last'] Along with his books, Hemingway's most personal thoughts and expressions will now endure beyond his wildest dreams." -Charles Scribner III, 'An intriguing insight into the evolving personality before it entered the public arena.' Dublin Review of Books, 'This book combines the most serious scholarship with great readability - the perfect Christmas gift.' Standpoint, "Those familiar with the gruff, humorless, and word-chary sportsman of popular legend will be surprised to find a charming and compulsive correspondent whose garrulous voice works irresistible magic on the English language" -Publishers Weekly, Starred Review, ". . . a tender homage to this unknown Hemingway, revealing new insights into his creative process along the way, but also a bow before the lost art of letter-writing itself." -The Atlantic, "A literary treasure trove ... Where Hemingway's published works had all been so deliberate and painstakingly chiseled, his letters were free-form and expansive-unsanded and unvarnished. . . His letters may prove to be the most honest log of Hemingway's fascinating life-voyage, the truest sentences he ever wrote. ... Their value cannot be overstated." - Vanity Fair, "A rich trove of literary correspondence, this Cambridge edition of all of Hemingway's known letters is as elegant and proper a solution as one could wish to a daunting challenge: how to make this treasure available to all interested scholars and readers for generations to come." -Charles Scribner, III, "(The letters are) idiosyncratic, lively, dotted with nicknames, doodles, and unusual spellings, and typewriter-induced typos. Many have a refreshingly off-the-cuff feel that contrasts with the polish of his published work." -The Chronicle of Higher Education
