A Writer (1899-1929)

As is always the case with these Ken Burns documentaries, it is riveting. Many of the great writers had their demons. In the first part of his life, Hemingway was the product of both a messed up father and a domineering mother. She actually dressed him as a girl, so she could treat him and his sister as twins. His need for attention led to his taking chances. After nearly dying during World War I, he fell in love with a nurse and married her. The differences in age affected things eventually leading to her decision to be done with him. This led to an immediate and lifelong suspicion of the motives of women. His adventurousness and experience gave him things to write about, and he immediately became a successful journalist. This first third of the story leads to some controversial short stories, the Nick Adams opus, The Sun Also Rises, and A Farewell to Arms. We see a conflicted man with a close exposure to suicide.