The most intimate and elaborately enhanced addition to the Hemingway Library series: Hemingway’s memoir of his safari across the Serengeti—presented with archival material from the Hemingway Collection at the John F. Kennedy Library and with the never-before-published safari journal of Hemingway’s second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer.
When it was first published in 1935, The New York Times called Green Hills of Africa, “The best-written story of big-game hunting anywhere,” Hemingway’s evocative account of his safari through East Africa with his wife, Pauline Pfeiffer, captures his fascination with big-game hunting. In examining the grace of the chase and the ferocity of the kill, Hemingway looks inward, seeking to explain the lure of the hunt and the primal undercurrent that comes alive on the plains of Africa. Green Hills of Africa is also an impassioned portrait of the glory of the African landscape and the beauty of a wilderness that was, even then, being threatened by the incursions of man.
This new Hemingway Library Edition offers a fresh perspective on Hemingway’s classic travelogue, with a personal foreword by Patrick Hemingway, the author’s sole surviving son, who spent many years as a professional hunter in East Africa; a new introduction by Seán Hemingway, grandson of the author; and, published for the first time in its entirety, the African journal of Hemingway’s wife, Pauline, which offers an intimate glimpse into thoughts and experiences that shaped her husband’s craft.
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"While not a fan of hunting, I loved the wonderful descriptions of east Africa. The real reason to read this book, however, is to admire Hemingway's spare style and in particular his comments on the writing art, which he intersperses with descriptions of hunting, camping, and drinking. "
— James (4 out of 5 stars)
“Ernest Hemingway went to Africa to shoot the bounding kudu and the ungainly rhinoceros and to reply to his critics. The result of this trip is Green Hills of Africa.”
— New York Times“Landscapes, people, animals, fear of failure—everything is real in an autobiographical text that exceeds the expectations of fiction. From the world civilization that left behind, to the aridity of the savannah, Green Hills of Africa is a book entirely true.”
— Times Literary Supplement (London)“Contains some of the best writing Ernest Hemingway has done—and is a delightful human document, natural, humorous, graphic in the swift characterizations and the original sidelights on his companions.”
— Kirkus Reviews" I relate to Hemingway's vivid descriptions. I particularly like the commentary on his fellow hunters. If you are a hunter you will love this book. "
— Robert, 2/18/2014" I was there. It was true once, as he wrote. But no longer. "
— Patrick, 2/12/2014" This is not your typical Hemingway. Very enjoyable but different from his other works. His ability to write clean engaging dialogue is second to none and his descriptive prose is something to envy. Good read. "
— Harvey, 2/12/2014" probabil e o carte interesanta pt cine ii place vanatoarea. mi ar fi placut mai mult dak ar fi intrat mai in detaliu la descrierea peisajelor. interesante paginile in care spune k pe unde merge omu strica tot (pacat k sunt numa 2 pag) "
— Cristi, 1/13/2014" Eh. EH killing a bunch of charismatic megafauna. Meditations on writing great. Meditation on how man ruins land toward the end is also great. That's about it folks. "
— Brendan, 1/1/2014" Started out strong with an interesting story of hunting in Africa. However, about 150 pages in and you find that it is a long, long repetitive, narrative of his time in Africa. "
— Amber, 12/28/2013" Drink at end of day to change ideas/mind, hyena reacts, writers forged in injustices and war, shot and now loves the hunt with clean kill, writer desires to watch revolutions--beautiful then they go bad, need to see yourself largely misrepresented, book-Denatured Africa Literary anecdotes. "
— Don, 12/3/2013" Great hunting story. Gave us insight to the culture of the safari. "
— Tom, 11/30/2013" Autobiographical Hemingway. Perhaps disturbingly similar to fictional Hemingway. But if you want a glimpse into masculinity as seen on African safari, here you are. "
— Sally, 11/17/2013" I enjoyed reading this book, but kinda got sick of all the hunting and macho-ness of it. Took some extra energy to finish it. "
— Amy, 9/25/2013" Not one of my favorite Hemingway books but still really good. I love how he can capture such vivid descriptions with just dialogue. This is just one of thes ever.ons he's one of the best American writers ever. "
— Matthew, 8/15/2013" If you can ignore the racism and macho-ism, where men hunt kudu and women complain about shoes, then descriptions of the kenyan landscape are stunning. hemingway creates magic with little words. Great illustrations by Edward Shenton. "
— Doel, 7/13/2013" I actually went and paid for this book at a B & N. The fever to read it again came upon that suddenly, or perhaps it was the summer heat. An excellent story, easy to read, and one of my all time favorite non-fiction books. Well, it's supposedly one anyway. "
— Jd, 7/5/2013" Hemingway is at his best when describing the hunt. He's at his worst when he shamelessly self-aggrandizes, lies about his life and accomplishments, and has other characters sing his praises. Not nearly talented enough to merit his ego. "
— Stephen, 6/22/2013" Although dull in some parts, this book is beautifully written. Hemingway is honest about his flaws and tells the story in detail. It is one of the best nonfiction books I have ever read; it read like a novel. "
— Margaret, 3/31/2013" Suffers from the usual Hemingway flaws - plus a general lack of plot. But the beautiful representation of the Kenyan land, people, flora, and fauna is breathtaking. "
— K.M., 3/28/2013" This nonfiction work is written in a way that you will want to become a hinter and realize you have a ways to go before you are a man. He sets the standard, we all try and live up to and I lived in Africa and am not nearly as cool. "
— Christopher, 1/22/2013" Green Hills of Africa is a big-game killing example of literary journalism. I'm saying this mainly to get a rise out of Los Papas Grandes. "
— Michael, 6/1/2012" I did not like the 'hunting for fun and horn' part, kind of disgraceful, he even hints it. "
— Traveller, 3/4/2012" Ernest goes hunting. "
— Latif, 2/27/2012" My first Hemingway novel outside of school. I read it on an African safari in Tanzania, in some of the exact spots where Hemingway had written this story. My setting was so relevant that this book just blew my mind. Not sure what it would be like to read it under different circumstances. "
— Mathew, 12/4/2011" I read this book in the garden of a monestary in Germany - it felt like Africa! "
— Diana, 10/31/2011" They don't write em like that anymore. "
— Dean, 9/25/2011" Suffers from the usual Hemingway flaws - plus a general lack of plot. But the beautiful representation of the Kenyan land, people, flora, and fauna is breathtaking. "
— K.M., 5/4/2011" I had read excerpts from Green Hills of Africa in "Hemingway on Hunting". Those excerpts were the best parts of this book, and I would recommend Hemingway on Hunting for a full taste of the kind of prose Ernest only hints at in Green Hills. "
— Amanda, 4/18/2011" I just couldn't finish it, same as with To Have and Have Not. I liked A Farewell to Arms, but beyond that it seems I just can't get into Hemingway. The book just failed to hold my interest. I stopped about 40% of the way through. "
— Scott, 2/8/2011" If you read this and follow it with True at First Light, it really shows how his mindset changed over the years. "
— Cody, 2/5/2011" Early parts of the book were a slog, but the book really picks up once Hem shuts the fuck up and actually goes out hunting. "
— Matthew, 1/31/2011" Re-read, actually...and nothing eye-goggling about saying Hemingway and Cormac McCarthy have written some of the most vivid descriptions of nature in the English language. "
— Vincent, 1/15/2011" Unreadable - can only be enjoyed by the kind of person who prefers hunting to sex. "
— Jason, 12/12/2010Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961), born in Oak Park, Illinois, started his career as a writer in a newspaper office in Kansas City at the age of seventeen. After the United States entered the First World War, he joined a volunteer ambulance unit in the Italian army. After his return to the United States, he became a reporter for Canadian and American newspapers. During the twenties, Hemingway became a member of the group of expatriate Americans in Paris, which he described in his first important work, The Sun Also Rises. He also wrote Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Old Man and the Sea, the story of an old fisherman’s journey, his long and lonely struggle with a fish and the sea, and his victory in defeat. He also wrote short stories that are collected in Men Without Women and The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories. Hemingway died in Idaho in 1961.