Michael Katakis

Frustrating, even for a Papaphile
Review of the Scribner hardcover edition (2018)

I have close to 100 Hemingway and Hemingway-related books on my GR Ernest Hemingway shelf, so I think I can safely say that makes me somewhat of an amateur Hemingway expert or Papaphile. Even so, I found this overview of the Hemingway Collection at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, MA to be a frustrating read.

There was no problem with the text portion which consisted of introductions and essays by son Patrick Hemingway, grandson Sean Hemingway, editor Michael Katakis, Hemingway Letters Project chief editor Sandra Spanier and others. The chronology was well organized and the selection of Hemingway letters used to tell the bulk of the story was well done.

Where the presentation falls down was that of the few hundred photographs used from the Hemingway Collection, about half of them are completely unidentified. In the most part, this is not a problem for a Papaphile, as the people or situations will be known to you from having seen them previously. For instance on page 128, it is no problem to identify the walrus-moustached gentleman as early Hemingway supporter [author:Ford Madox Ford|1209], but the face looking out of a skeletonized shark's jaw is completely unknown to me and the postage stamp sized marlin trophy photo provides no information whatsoever (with the aid of a magnifying glass I can tell that Hemingway is one of the people in it). In the photos on facing page 129, I think the people in them are Baron Von Blixen (ex-husband of writer [author:Isak Dinesen|7215049]) and a later wife, but that is just a guess. Anyway, many pages are like this, where the subjects, situations, locations and times remain completely unknown and are left to the guesswork of the reader.

Another such example was on pg. 152 where even movie icon Lauren Bacall was left unidentified.

Veronica (Rocky) Cooper (wife of actor Gary Cooper), Ernest Hemingway and Lauren Bacall at a cafe in Cuba. (I have seen this photo previously also, but with the woman on the left identified as Slim Keith and the location as Spain) Image sourced from Inside Ernest Hemingway's Private Photo Album.

So this was a mixed bag, frustrating for the fan and probably incomprehensible to the casual reader. Scribner's really should have done a proper job for their star author.

Trivia and Link
Curiously, for a photo heavy book, Artifacts from a Life also exists in an audiobook edition, where at least there will be no frustration about the unidentified photographs.… (meer)

I received a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read a lot of books about Hemingway; the man fascinates me. This collection of letters and photographs coupled with a well-written timeline of events surrounding Hemingway births a more intimate portrait than I could have imagined. Katakis does an amazing job sifting through and expounding upon the artifacts entrusted to him as manager of Hemingway's literary estate. It’s one thing to learn of the life and myth of a man; it’s a much more intimate experience to read through letters he sent to family, friends, and colleagues. If you have ever wondered what it would be like to be on the receiving end of one of Hemingway’s letters, to know how he felt about his work, the works and lives of his friends (Fitzgerald, Stein, and Pound to name a few) and his feelings about his wives, lovers, and family, you won’t find a more illuminating collection than Artifacts from a Life.… (meer)

The ebook Ernest Hemingway: Artifacts From a Life has been waiting on me awhile to open it and I felt July was an appropriate month to start it.

I believe there are times when a person reaches a celebrity that they are no longer viewed as human. This book shows us the human factor of Ernest Hemingway.

We know Hemingway was an ardent hunter who served in the military and enjoyed being outdoors.

In this book, we learn of his concern for his parents in the way to tries to explain to them about his process of writing, and closes out his letters Love Ernie.

We get a look-see at his potential titles for his books and see his proper use of communication in addressing employers. We view him jotting things down on a pad of paper and we are aware his writing was highly recommended.

I love the way this book is compiled! It is a beautiful collection of documents and photographs. It's an intimate mixing of memorabilia such as what you would find stored away in old scrapbooks or a box of family heirlooms. Many of the photographs included have no captions. And I like this, as it allows the reader to draw their own conclusions.

This book is for the Hemingway enthusiasts and may indeed inspire readers to revisit Hemingways work.

I reviewed this wonderful book for Net Galley.… (meer)