Ernest Hemingway to A. E. Hotchner

 

 

One of the most well-known American novelist, short-story writer and essayist, whose deceivingly uncomplicated prose style have influenced broad range of writers, Ernest Hemingway was awarded the 1954 Nobel Prize for Literature. He was distinguished both for the intense masculinity of his text and for his audacious and extensively exposed life. His concise and cogent prose style exerted a powerful influence on American and British fiction in the 20th century.

Illinois, February 19, 1950

Dear Ed:

It was pretty bad timing wasn’t it, kid? No sense to cry over spilt shit. Let’s do something practical.

Have you any money for coming events and while you are making plans? Let me know anything I can do.

Wouldn’t you think they might have realized that I would not have given them the novel except for you; that I turned down all other magazines cold; turned down the syndication deal that would have brought in many times the dough? Simply said had promised novel to Cosmo and refuse to let anybody bid on it.

Oh well.

We came down from Cortina last night and I was figuring on getting the second half here and doing the go-over while Mary went back up to ski. Good and warm to work here now. But have the first part anyway and wrote Charley Scribner in N.Y. last night with Copy to Savoy Hotel London to cable me when he arrived or sailed and whether he had MSS and I would cable him where to send it.

Scratched Monte Carlo because Nanyuk Franchetti had so many ducks and geese coming in and the other boy I wanted for team couldn’t go. Would have liked to shoot it myself but was out of training and without a gun I could shoot without thinking about gun. Thanks for what you said about shooting. The eyes are gone for certain lights but still have the other stuff. You have everything for a shooter including the necessary pair of balls and when things get worked out we will shoot plenty together. We heard from Jidge `Viertel` finally but I’ve scratched all that too. Too complicated.

Here Adriana and Giovanna went with us up to Cortina and they had a fine time ski-ing. Giovanna I don’t think you met. Awfully fine girl too. Then they had to go to Milan for Adriana to see her Aunt and I hit the Penicillina again in Cortina for an infection I had picked up shooting a week ago at Nanyuki’s. Started like the same damn thing I had before but believe we aborted it with Aureomycin and this new Crstalymina. Anyway face a lot better today. Keep this one out of the funny papers. Will skip all publicity on this one.

Taking so much Penicillina etc. don’t do you no good in social life. But I haven’t got the old rale; true. Dr. thinks my face infects from the burnt particles of powder and wad that come down when shooting those straight up and down over-head ducks.

Mary is skiing well. She is fine and sends her love to you and Jerry. She will look after your commissions.

Gritti `Palace` kept our apt. for us with everything in it and did not charge us while we were at Cortina. The town’s name is Venice.

Ingrid’s been taking her lumps and it did not occur to Rosellini to do anything more chic and gallant than to read my private letters to her to the press. So we all have a few troubles of one sort or another.

Must write Alfred Rice and send check for passage home. I still trust him. Am I right? I hope so. Trust you, Rice, Charlie’s intentions, and Al Horwits. Also Gregorio. Trust Marlene `Dietrich` in the clutch and let’s cut to the clutch. Trust lots of people you meet here but hate casualties.

Jidge wrote and asked if we took Venice or if we bogged down. I wanted to write that we re-took it and lost you early in the assault. That nobody came up on our left and the people never got up on our right. And that now we were counting our dead.

But instead I skipped it.

So let’s skip everything including the Scandinavian `Bergman`.

Tell Jerry not to worry about Cesarean. It is as simple now as appendicitis.

Love from us both,

Papa