Born in Oak Park, Illinois, Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) traveled the globe, transforming his experiences in Paris, Spain, Italy, Africa, Key West, and Cuba into enduring fiction. As an 18-year-old ambulance driver during World War I, he was the first American injured in that conflict to survive, and throughout his life, he was continually involved in extreme exploits, ranging from war correspondent to big-game hunter to four-time-married celebrity. With the publication of The Sun Also Rises in 1926 and A Farewell to Arms three years later, Hemingway established himself as one the most important writers of his generation, a position he largely maintained until his death by suicide in 1961.

In Simply Hemingway, Peter L. Hays presents an engaging chronicle of Hemingway’s life and work, offering key insights into the inspirations for his enduring books and stories. Beginning with his short stories and proceeding chronologically through his major novels and posthumous works, Hays provides a thorough, clear, concise, and easily understandable introduction to this seminal American writer.

Still controversial after more than half a century, Hemingway’s work continues to be taught in nearly every high school, college, and university. With scholarship and verve, Simply Hemingway reveals why this is so.