old man and the sea book review

Book Review: ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ by Ernest Hemingway

Hemingway published ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ in 1952, and it was to be his last major work. It is easy to see the parallels between the old man in the novel, called Santiago, and Hemingway. Santiago suffers from bad luck in his old age despite being a great fisher in his youth. Hemingway had been trying to reclaim the literary success of his older books, such as “The Sun Also Rises” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls.” Even though Santiago could have success in the easier, nearer patches of water, he hunts for a bigger fish further out. Hemingway too searches for a big success and writes this ambitious project.

Santiago’s run of bad luck continues for the 85th day; he hooks a marlin, but the marlin is too smart to panic and die quickly. Santiago must wait for the marlin to get hungry and jump out of the water. In this waiting game with the marlin, he verges onto the point of insanity, brought about by hunger, thirst and a lack of sleep. And yet he never lets go of the fishing line that connects him and the marlin. You, as the reader, as a bystander to this madness, at this point implore Santiago to let go and head back to shore, thinking to yourself “Why doesn’t he just let go?” in frustration. Santiago, on the one hand completely oblivious to your protestations, but also completely aware of them at the same time, does not let go.

Santiago wonders about this connection that he has made with this marlin. The marlin has seen him, and he has seen the marlin. He thinks that the marlin is far more dignified, far more beautiful and is ultimately far more deserving of life than him, with his old, decrepit body, abject poverty and the curse of bad luck that hangs over him. The marlin seems to also know this, seeing its reluctance to give up. And so Santiago must come up with a reason to justify his own survival. And he points to two things: his will and his intellect. In his moments of madness, he must rely on reason to come to a judgement of how things must be, and then bring about this outcome through his will. Because he can do this, and the marlin cannot, Santiago judges that he should live and the marlin should die; at this point, Santiago is playing at God, and promptly whispers some catechisms, asking the Lord to forgive him.

The marlin is far more dignified, far more beautiful and is ultimately far more deserving of life than him.

The stream of consciousness that Hemingway uses reflects Santiago’s way of coping with his madness. He ultimately asks 3 questions in this battle: “Who am I? Why am I here? What is it about me that deserves to live?” His response to the first question comes with his memories, which are, by definition, personal. His mind drifts to baseball, to the market stalls and to the fields of Africa, where he spent his youth. He traces who he was, and how he has got here. The second question is answered by the fact that he remembers that he has been fishing his whole life, and that fishing has essentially become the sole purpose of his life. All of his fishing experience has led him to this triumph. The third question is answered with a final moment; Santiago relates the story of when he arm-wrestled a man for 2 days in order to win. He identifies himself through his will. Even though this mission is suicide, giving up and letting go would also be a sort of suicide, because he has betrayed who he sees himself as. Time has taken away his body and his fortune, and so, his will is his last stand against time and it is the only thing that he will not relinquish. By extension, he cannot not relinquish the fishing line in his hand.

Santiago’s story is ultimately one of failure and his run of bad luck continues. The marlin’s blood has entered the ocean and the marlin’s corpse, strapped to the side of the boat, is eaten by sharks. He comes back after several days and all there is to show for it is a skeleton. Yet he has succeeded. Not only did he return alive, he also never betrayed his principles or his will. And so he lives to fish another day, whereas the marlin does not.

Even though this mission is suicide, giving up and letting go would also be a sort of suicide, because he has betrayed who he sees himself as.

Yet the ending is not depressing or demoralising. Santiago goes to bed, has some food when he wakes up and then goes fishing again, to repeat the whole process. Santiago has reaffirmed who he is in his old age; he has justified that he does not need to change. Resolute, unyielding and unchanging. This is what, Hemingway argues, it means to be a man.

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THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA

by Ernest Hemingway ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 8, 1952

A long short story and worth the money in quality of the old Hemingway of Men Without Women days — though in quantity it can't bulk to more than a scant 150 pages. A unique fishing story — as old man Santiago determines to try his luck in the Gulf waters off Cuba for the eighty fifth day. Surely his luck will change, he assures his faithful young friend whose parents wouldn't let him fish any more in such an ill-fated boat. So the boy goes along in imagination with the old man, pretending that there is enough food in the shanty- and supplementing the lacks from his own table; pretending that bait could be found- and bringing him sardines; planning for getting some warmer clothes for him and lugging water from the village pump; talking gaily of the great "DiMag" and of the game the Yankees are sure to win. And then the old man goes out — beyond the other fishing boats — and drops his lines in the way he has always done, and baits the hooks so that his hoped for great fish could smell and taste. The miracle happens — and the fish, a giant marlin, is bigger than any fish dreamed of. And the old man is alone....The story of that battle, that carried him out to sea and lasted through two days and two nights, is one of the miniature modern classics of such writing. And the story of the sailing back to port, as little by little the scavengers of the sea stripped what was to have been his livelihood for months to come, down to the skeleton, is grim and heartbreaking. A miracle tale, told with such passionate belief that the reader, too, believes. There's adventure here and Hemingway's old gift for merging drama and tenderness gives it a rare charm.

Pub Date: Sept. 8, 1952

ISBN: 0684801221

Page Count: 132

Publisher: Scribner

Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1952

GENERAL FICTION

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A LITTLE LIFE

by Hanya Yanagihara ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 10, 2015

The phrase “tour de force” could have been invented for this audacious novel.

Four men who meet as college roommates move to New York and spend the next three decades gaining renown in their professions—as an architect, painter, actor and lawyer—and struggling with demons in their intertwined personal lives.

Yanagihara ( The People in the Trees , 2013) takes the still-bold leap of writing about characters who don’t share her background; in addition to being male, JB is African-American, Malcolm has a black father and white mother, Willem is white, and “Jude’s race was undetermined”—deserted at birth, he was raised in a monastery and had an unspeakably traumatic childhood that’s revealed slowly over the course of the book. Two of them are gay, one straight and one bisexual. There isn’t a single significant female character, and for a long novel, there isn’t much plot. There aren’t even many markers of what’s happening in the outside world; Jude moves to a loft in SoHo as a young man, but we don’t see the neighborhood change from gritty artists’ enclave to glitzy tourist destination. What we get instead is an intensely interior look at the friends’ psyches and relationships, and it’s utterly enthralling. The four men think about work and creativity and success and failure; they cook for each other, compete with each other and jostle for each other’s affection. JB bases his entire artistic career on painting portraits of his friends, while Malcolm takes care of them by designing their apartments and houses. When Jude, as an adult, is adopted by his favorite Harvard law professor, his friends join him for Thanksgiving in Cambridge every year. And when Willem becomes a movie star, they all bask in his glow. Eventually, the tone darkens and the story narrows to focus on Jude as the pain of his past cuts deep into his carefully constructed life.

Pub Date: March 10, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-385-53925-8

Page Count: 720

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015

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THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

by J.D. Salinger ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 15, 1951

A strict report, worthy of sympathy.

A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen ) has a compulsive impact.

"Nobody big except me" is the dream world of Holden Caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab English of the pre-collegiate. For Holden is now being bounced from fancy prep, and, after a vicious evening with hall- and roommates, heads for New York to try to keep his latest failure from his parents. He tries to have a wild evening (all he does is pay the check), is terrorized by the hotel elevator man and his on-call whore, has a date with a girl he likes—and hates, sees his 10 year old sister, Phoebe. He also visits a sympathetic English teacher after trying on a drunken session, and when he keeps his date with Phoebe, who turns up with her suitcase to join him on his flight, he heads home to a hospital siege. This is tender and true, and impossible, in its picture of the old hells of young boys, the lonesomeness and tentative attempts to be mature and secure, the awful block between youth and being grown-up, the fright and sickness that humans and their behavior cause the challenging, the dramatization of the big bang. It is a sorry little worm's view of the off-beat of adult pressure, of contemporary strictures and conformity, of sentiment….

Pub Date: June 15, 1951

ISBN: 0316769177

Page Count: -

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1951

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'The Old Man and the Sea' Review

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" The Old Man and the Sea " was a big success for Ernest Hemingway when it was published in 1952. At first glance, the story appears to be a simple tale of an old Cuban fisherman who catches an enormous fish, only to lose it. There's much more to the story -- a tale of bravery and heroism, of one man's struggle against his own doubts, the elements, a massive fish, sharks and even his desire to give up.

The old man eventually succeeds, then fails, and then wins again. It's the story of perseverance and the machismo of the old man against the elements. This slim novella -- it's only 127 pages -- helped to revive Hemingway's reputation as a writer , winning him great acclaim, including the Nobel Prize for literature.

Santiago is an old man and a fisherman who has gone for months without catching a fish. Many are starting to doubt his abilities as an angler. Even his apprentice, Manolin, has abandoned him and gone to work for a more prosperous boat. The old man sets out to the open sea one day -- off the Florida coast -- and goes a little farther out than he normally would in his desperation to catch a fish. Sure enough, at noon, a big marlin takes hold of one of the lines, but the fish is far too big for Santiago to handle.

To avoid letting the fish escape, Santiago lets the line go slack so that the fish won't break his pole; but he and his boat are dragged out to sea for three days. A kind of kinship and honor develop between the fish and the man. Finally, the fish -- an enormous and worthy opponent -- grows tired, and Santiago kills it. This victory does not end Santiago's journey; he is still far out to sea. Santiago has to drag the marlin behind the boat, and the blood from the dead fish attracts sharks. Santiago does his best to fend off the sharks, but his efforts are in vain. The sharks eat the flesh of the marlin, and Santiago is left with only the bones. Santiago gets back to shore -- weary and tired -- with nothing to show for his pains but the skeletal remains of a large marlin. Even with just the bare remains of the fish, the experience has changed him and altered the perception others have of him. Manolin wakes the old man the morning after his return and suggests that they once again fish together.

Life and Death

During his struggle to catch the fish, Santiago holds on to the rope -- even though he is cut and bruised by it, even though he wants to sleep and eat. He holds onto the rope as though his life depends on it. In these scenes of struggle, Hemingway brings to the fore the power and masculinity of a simple man in a simple habitat. He demonstrates how heroism is possible in even the most seemingly mundane circumstances.

Hemingway's novella shows how death can invigorate life, how killing and death can bring a man to an understanding of his own mortality -- and his own power to overcome it. Hemingway writes of a time when fishing was not merely a business or a sport. Instead, fishing was an expression of humankind in its natural state -- in tune with nature. Enormous stamina and power arose in the breast of Santiago. The simple fisherman became a classical hero in his epic struggle.

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1953 Pulitzer Prize Review: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

“He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish” (opening line).

The Old Man and the Sea is a rich and deep novella about an old fisherman named Santiago and his Herculean efforts to overcome a dry-spell of fishing. Much like the book’s protagonist, Ernest Hemingway was also going through a dry-spell of his own at the time. The Old Man and the Sea was written at a time when Hemingway was believed to be a writer in decline. His last critically praised work was published over a decade prior ( For Whom The Bell Tolls in 1940 – read my reflections on For Whom The Bell Tolls and its Pulitzer controversy here ). Hemingway had published Across The River And Into The Trees in 1950, his first post-World War II book, and it was mostly panned by critics. By the time The Old Man and the Sea was released, it too was met with skepticism from certain critics. In a word, The Old Man and the Sea was not unlike a great fish captured by an old fisherman only to be torn apart by sharks and dragged into the harbor.

Hemingway dedicated The Old Man and the Sea “To Charlie Scribner And To Max Perkins,” his old friends. Charlie Scribner was the President of the famous New York publishing house Charlie Scribner & Sons, and Max Perkins was Hemingway’s editor (Mr. Perkins was also the editor of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe, and other famous writers). Both Scribner and Perkins had passed away before the publication of The Old Man and the Sea . Hemingway’s new editor at Scribner was Wallace Meyer. After the lukewarm reception of Across The River and Into The Trees , Hemingway wrote to Mr. Meyer with the hope of reviving his reputation with a new book. When finished, Hemingway said it was “The best I can write ever for all of my life.” After some initial mixed reviews, The Old Man and the Sea elevated Hemingway’s literary reputation to new unparalleled heights. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953 and in 1954 Hemingway won the Nobel Prize for Literature. In his acceptance speech, which was delivered by John M. Cabot, U.S. Ambassador to Sweden, Hemingway offered a terse assessment of the life of a writer – a solitary experience which compels one to stretch out beyond known horizons. He dedicated his Nobel Prize to the Cuban people, but instead of giving his medal to the Batista government (the military dictatorship in Cuba) Hemingway donated it to the Catholic Church to be placed on display at the El Cobre Basilica, a small town outside Santiago de Cuba.

Hemingway first mentioned the idea for The Old Man and the Sea as early as 1936 in an interview with Esquire Magazine . The inspiration for the story was likely based, in part, on Hemingway’s own fishing boat captain, Gregorio Fuentes, a blue-eyed Cuban fisherman who led a storied life on the ocean. A portion of The Old Man and the Sea was initially published in Life Magazine and even these small snippets became wildly popular. After it was officially published, Hemingway won a string of accolades. The Old Man and the Sea was made into a 1958 movie starring Spencer Tracy ( click here to read my review of the film ). In later years, a miniseries was aired in the 1990s and a stop-action animation version was also released. It won an Oscar in 1999. I recently watched the animated film and was struck by its beautiful, impressionistic re-telling of the story.

The short novella reads like a fable. Unlike Captain Ahab’s fiendish and maddeningly obsessive quest in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick , Hemingway’s old man, Santiago, is a sympathetic character. He is hopeful but down on his luck. He is a staunch fan of baseball, and regularly compares himself to the ‘Great Dimaggio,’ or Joe Dimaggio, the famous center fielder for the New York Yankees (1936-1951). Santiago remains undeterred and steadfast in his support of the Yankees even if they lose a game. His commitments are unwavering. He believes in the power and mythos of the ‘Great Dimaggio.’

The other fishermen of Cuba generally do not respect Santiago so he befriends a young boy named Manolin, but Manolin’s parents prevent him from fishing with Santiago because of Santiago’s bad luck. Santiago has gone eighty-four days without catching a fish, branding him unlucky (or a salao , the worst form of unluckiness). Santiago is “thin” and “gaunt” with speckled brown skin and deep blue eyes:

“Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated” (10).

Santiago is a reader of newspapers (there are many references to newspapers and baseball games throughout the story). In the story, we are offered little glimpses into Santiago’s upbringing. As a young man, Santiago spent time along the “long golden beaches” of Africa. He now dreams of lions who hunted along those beaches –a memory of his early years growing up along the Canary Islands.

Santiago awakens early in the morning on the eighty-fifth day without a fish and he takes his little skiff out to sea –he loves the sea. He follows a circling bird outward until a huge fish catches his line. Santiago wrestles with the fish (a marlin) for two days and nights as it drags him eastward out to sea. He watches it through the water and cannot believe how big it is (we later learn the fish is 18-feet long). However, unlike Ahab, Santiago has no antipathy toward his catch. In fact, he respects the marlin and refers to him as a brother. Exhausted, he finally catches the marlin by piercing it with a harpoon. As he tows the marlin back to harbor, he also battles and kills several sharks who strike at the best meat of the fish. One wounded shark takes Santiago’s, while the other sharks are struck by Santiago’s knife and oar. When he finally arrives back in the harbor, Santiago’s marlin has been mostly eaten except for his head and tail.

Santiago, sore and fatigued, trudges back to his shack and collapses. The boy, Manolin, awakens Santiago in the morning with coffee and a newspaper. The boy cries at the sight of Santiago’s injured hands. He describes how the townsfolk searched for Santiago when he did not return after two days. Once rested, Santiago decides to donate the head of the marlin to Pedrico, another fisherman, and he offers the skeleton to Manolin so that he may fashion a spear. Nearby, a group of tourists at a cafe gaze upon the great marlin still attached to Santiago’s skiff and they mistake it for a shark. At the end, Santiago falls sleep again and he dreams of the lions on the beaches of Africa.

Notable Quotations:

“The clouds over the land now rose like mountains and the coast was only a long green line with the gray blue hills behind it” (35).

“It was considered a virtue not to talk unnecessarily at sea and the old man had always considered it so and respected it. But now he said his thoughts aloud many times since there was no one that they could annoy” (39).

“He looked across the sea and knew how alone he was now. But he could see the prisms in the deep dark water and the line stretching ahead and the strange undulation of the calm. The clouds were building up now for the trade wind and he looked ahead and saw a flight of wild ducks etching themselves against the sky over the water, then blurring, then etching again and he knew no man was ever alone on the sea” (60-61).

William Faulkner, at the time Hemingway’s greatest literary rival, praised The Old Man and the Sea in the following single paragraph review published in Shenandoah Magazine (a major literary magazine of Washington and Lee University):

“His best. Time may show it to be the best single piece of any of us, I mean his and my contemporaries. This time, he discovered God, a Creator. Until now, his men and women had made themselves, shaped themselves out of their own clay; their victories and defeats were at the hands of each other, just to prove to themselves or one another how tough they could be. But this time, he wrote about pity: about something somewhere that made them all: the old man who had to catch the fish and then lose it, the fish that had to be caught and then lost, the sharks which had to rob the old man of his fish; made them all and loved them all and pitied them all. It’s all right. Praise God that whatever made and loves and pities Hemingway and me kept him from touching it any further.”

Ernest Hemingway’s Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech

Below is a copy of the text of Hemingway’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech in 1954 (delivered by the U.S. Ambassador to Sweden on account of Hemingway’s poor health):

“Having no facility for speech-making and no command of oratory nor any domination of rhetoric, I wish to thank the administrators of the generosity of Alfred Nobel for this Prize.

No writer who knows the great writers who did not receive the Prize can accept it other than with humility. There is no need to list these writers. Everyone here may make his own list according to his knowledge and his conscience.

It would be impossible for me to ask the Ambassador of my country to read a speech in which a writer said all of the things which are in his heart. Things may not be immediately discernible in what a man writes, and in this sometimes he is fortunate; but eventually they are quite clear and by these and the degree of alchemy that he possesses he will endure or be forgotten.

Writing, at its best, is a lonely life. Organizations for writers palliate the writer’s loneliness but I doubt if they improve his writing. He grows in public stature as he sheds his loneliness and often his work deteriorates. For he does his work alone and if he is a good enough writer he must face eternity, or the lack of it, each day.

For a true writer each book should be a new beginning where he tries again for something that is beyond attainment. He should always try for something that has never been done or that others have tried and failed. Then sometimes, with great luck, he will succeed.

How simple the writing of literature would be if it were only necessary to write in another way what has been well written. It is because we have had such great writers in the past that a writer is driven far out past where he can go, out to where no one can help him.

I have spoken too long for a writer. A writer should write what he has to say and not speak it. Again I thank you.”

To read my notes on reading The Paris Review’s famous interview with Hemingway (1958) click here .

On the 1953 Pulitzer Prize Decision

The Fiction Jury in 1953 consisted of Roy W. Cowden, an English and Creative Writing Professor from the University of Michigan; and Eric P. Kelly, a Dartmouth English professor and author of children’s books –most notably The Trumpeter of Krakow (1929), winner of the Newbury Medal.

Roy W. Cowden (1883-1961) was a professor at the University of Michigan where he serves as Director of the Avery Hopwood Prize Program from 1935 to 1952, a cash prize series of creative writing awards in fiction and poetry. Today, there is an award in his name at the University of Michigan.
Eric P. Kelly (1884-1960) was a professor of English at Dartmouth College and briefly a lecturer at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. He won the 1929 Newbery Medal for his children’s book, The Trumpeter of Krakow .

Again in 1953, Kelly and Cowden were split in their report to the Pulitzer Advisory Board. Kelly supported Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea , while Cowden was for Carl Jones’s Jefferson Sellek . They both listed numerous other options in the jury report. With a Pulitzer Prize being long overdue for Hemingway, especially after the snub of For Whom The Bell Tolls , the Board’s choice was easily made. Apparently, Professor Cowden was greatly displeased with this award, and so he departed the Fiction jury for the following year.

While Hemingway never had a word of reproach for his prior Pulitzer Prize denial, upon winning for The Old Man and the Sea , he wrote to Charles Poore of The New York Times stating “…I had never understood the Pulitzer Prize very well but that I had beaten Tony Pulitzer shooting and maybe it was for that.”

In 1953, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, after serving a leave of absence in order to head NATO forces in 1951 and running for President of the United States, officially vacated his position as President of Columbia University. He was succeeded by Grayson Kirk, a portly, pipe-smoking man who previously served as an advisor to the State Department and as a key leader in the formation of the United Nations. During his tenure, he oversaw a period of extraordinary growth for Columbia University as well as considerable cultural tumult that arose in the 1960s. Kirk drew the ire of students for deciding to construct a gymnasium in Morningside Park (which was seen as a symbol of the university’s distance from the Harlem community and its interests); he was attacked for his membership in the Institute for Defense Analyses (a consortium of universities conducting research for the government); and also for taking a controlling interest in a cigarette corporation whose sale would bring revenues to Columbia; and finally, he mishandled the explosive student demonstrations in 1968 which brought widespread criticism and negative press coverage. Kirk served as President of Columbia University from 1953-1968 (he resigned abruptly following his fateful decision to call up the police to quell student protests in 1968). He then assumed the role of President Emeritus in order to continue raising funds for the university, and he also continued to serve on the boards of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Association of American Universities before passing away in 1997. At any rate, 1953 was Grayson Kirk’s first official year as President of Columbia University, which included oversight of the Pulitzer Prize Board, though he had technically served as Acting President since 1951.

Also, in 1953-1954 journalist John Hohenberg began his long tenure as Administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes (technically, he replaced Frank Fackenthal who resigned from Columbia University in 1948, though since that time Dean Ackerman served in the role in an unofficial capacity). Mr. Hohenberg served as Administrator until he resigned in 1974, though he remained onboard for an additional two years as “emeritus administrator” thereafter. By 1976, he had helped to transform the Pulitzer Advisory Board into an autonomous award-granting body (henceforth known as the Pulitzer Prize Board), among a flurry of changes and transformations to the Pulitzer Prizes.

In his fourth year as a Columbia University journalism professor, John Hohenberg was invited to attend a meeting of the Pulitzer Advisory Board by his Dean, the ailing Carl W. Ackerman who was nearing retirement. According to Hohenberg’s The Pulitzer Diaries , Dean Ackerman invited him along to the board meeting by suggesting, “maybe you can help me by taking a few notes.” At the time, Ackerman had been serving as secretary of the Advisory Board, and he carried with him an armful of manila folders filled with various Pulitzer jury reports, and a large book entitled “Minutes of the Advisory Board on the Pulitzer Prizes.” The Board met in the World Room at Columbia University’s School of Journalism (in the earlier days of the Pulitzer Prizes, from what I can tell, the Board met in the Trustees Room in the Low Memorial Library).

Typically, I include a brief biography of the author in my Pulitzer Prize reviews, however I have written extensively on Ernest Hemingway’s biography elsewhere. Click here to read my notes on the epic life of Ernest Hemingway.

Film Adaptation:

Director: John Sturges
Starring: Spencer Tracy

Literary Context in 1952-1953:

Nobel Prize for Literature (1953): awarded to Winston Churchill “for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values.”
National Book Award (1953): Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison.
Per Publishers Weekly, the top bestseller in 1952 was The Silver Chalice by Thomas B. Costain. The second The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk (the prior year’s Pulitzer Prize-winner), followed by East of Eden by John Steinbeck. Other books on the list that year was My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier, Giant by Edna Ferber, and The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.
The works of André Gide were placed on the Catholic Church’s Index of Forbidden Books by Pope Pius XII.
Samuel Beckett’s play Waiting For Godot was published.
Agatha Christie’s play The Mousetrap debuted in London. She also published three novels in 1952.
John Steinbeck’s East of Eden was published.
Kurt Vonnegut’s Player Piano was published.
Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man was published.
Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea was first published (it was to win the Pulitzer Prize the following year).

Did The Right Book Win?

1952 was a fairly extraordinary year for American letters. The Old Man and the Sea was a top-tier selection for the Pulitzer Prize, perhaps a mea culpa after the infamous snub of Ernest Hemingway for For Whom The Bell Tolls . However, novels like Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man and John Steinbeck’s East of Eden would have been equally worthy of consideration for the prize.

Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea . New York, Scribner’s and Simon & Schuster, 2003.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway | Book Review

Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea had been on my to-read list for ages now. A Pulitzer Prize winning story, this book was Hemingway’s last published full-length book while he was alive. Between it figuring on numerous must-read lists and languishing on my Kindle bookshelf, the curiosity as to why it was so highly recommended always ate me away from within. So I finally decided to pick it up a few weeks ago.

While the book is not exactly exciting, it is in every way something that boosts your morale . Santiago, a fisherman on the wane, has the same confidence he had when he was young. He believes that today, after a long dry spell, will be the day he snares the catch of his life. He sets out and catches a great marlin. But instead of him pulling the fish in, the marlin pulls him and his skiff out into the seas. Tired, Santiago pulls the fish in with all he has and thrusts a harpoon into it before securing it to the side of the skiff.

Now that the marlin is secured, he turns the skiff around and heads homeward. His strength and patience is tested when, thanks to the blood, sharks start circling the skiff and biting off chunks of the marlin’s flesh. Santiago rows on and on homeward, his strength draining. He returns, the marlin now reduced to bones, and flops on his bed, asleep. In the meanwhile, the villagers, who, before his departure laughed at him, are now in awe, believing the skeleton to be that of a shark. The old man, oblivious to all this, sinks into a sleep full of bright dreams.

The reason why The Old Man and the Sea resonates to the extent it does is because of how motivational it is without being preachy . In simple dialogue and expressions, Hemingway sends out a simple message to the reader: Do not give up. It might feel like nothing is coming out of it all, but the end is in sight. And it is as fruitful as your labors feel tough. At the end of it all, you will have the luxury of sitting back and relaxing for as long as your success allows you to. You will get a lot of rewards – you just have to notice and grab them; sharks in the guise of marlins.

The impact that The Old Man and the Sea has is so intense that its review preaches more than the book does. No wonder the book was recognized and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953, also gaining a mention when its author, Ernest Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature the following year. One of Hemingway’s best works, it remains unparalleled. And it doesn’t look like it is going to be matched any time soon!

Rating: 5/5 stars

Until next time, keep reading and add melodrama to your life! 🙂

Picture Credit: beamingnotes.com!

The Old Man and the Sea

By ernest hemingway.

'The Old Man and the Sea' is one of the most important books of 20th century American literature. The novella highlights the strength of its protagonist's spirit and mirrors Hemingway's own struggles at the time it was written.

About the Book

Article written by Emma Baldwin

B.A. in English, B.F.A. in Fine Art, and B.A. in Art Histories from East Carolina University.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway is the last of Hemingway’s great fiction books. This short novella was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 and is often cited as one of the defining factors (along with several near-death experiences) in Hemingway’s selection for the Nobel Prize for Literature. The story follows Santiago, a poor Cuban fisherman who is suffering from a long streak without successfully catching anything. He hooks an enormous marlin , the biggest he’s ever seen and the majority of the novella follows him trying to reel in this gigantic fish.

Key Facts about The Old Man and the Sea

Title: The Old Man and the Sea
When/where written : 1951 in Cuba
Published: 1952
Literary Period: Modernism
Genre: Parable
Point-of-View: Third-person omniscient, mostly limited to Santiago
Setting: 1940s, Cuban fishing village, the Gulf of Mexico
Climax: When Santiago finally catches the marlin
Antagonist: The sharks and the marlin

Ernest Hemingway and The Old Man and the Sea

Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea is one of his most popular novels. The story is moving, endearing, and emotional . His direct style of writing is suited perfectly to the life and death situation that Santiago finds himself in. During the period of time in which Hemingway wrote The Old Man and the Sea, he was living in Cuba. It was the 1940s and he spent a great deal of time on the water, fishing off his boat The Pilar . He lived in Cuba for almost 20 years and became an important figure, well-known through Havana. Hemingway lived much more luxuriously than Santiago, the main character of The Old Man and the Sea, but he was well acquainted with hardship. He’d been part of the First World War as a war reporter and was even present on D-Day during WWII. It was his exposure to the realities of life and death as well as his knowledge of the Cuban people that helped this novel become the success that it was and still is. Some scholars have also suggested that the solitude, struggle, and desperation that Santiago experiences in the novella mirror the same emotions in Hemingway’s life at the time he wrote the story . His writing career was at a low point, and he was relatively isolated from his contemporaries while living in Cuba.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway Digital Art

Books Related to The Old Man and the Sea

While Hemingway is almost always associated with Cuba , he also spent a good deal of time in Paris. While there, he became part of the “lost generation” of writers. This is a term used to refer to Americans who moved to Europe after WWI. Others included Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein with whom Hemingway was well acquainted. Works by these authors, as well as those by F. Scott Fitzgerald are similar in style and technique to Hemingway’s novels. His books and stories often rebel against ideas of patriotism and express the same disillusionment with tradition that can be found in Pound’s poetry. Novels of adventure and determination can also be counted as similar to The Old Man and the Sea. These include The Call of the Wild by Jack London, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, and Hemingway’s own The Sun Also Rises.

The Lasting Impact of The Old Man and the Sea

The Old Man and the Sea is a memorable novel. Love it or hate it, it sticks with you. It is a story of hardship, perseverance, and the indomitable nature of the human spirit. It is a book about suffering and accepting that suffering as part of one’s life–it is inescapable. When readers make their way through this novel, it’s emotionally turbulent . At one moment it’s desperately sad and at the next, triumphant. Much like life, Santiago’s quest to end his 84-day streak without catching a fish doesn’t go as planned.

Additionally, just as this novel works as a metaphor for Hemingway’s life, it can also be applied to any reader’s personal struggle. These struggles don’t have to be as physical as Santiago’s but they can be just as trying. Today, the novel is regarded as one of the finest examples of American literature, of any period.

The Old Man and the Sea Character List 🎣

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The Old Man and the Sea | A battle for life and love

The Old Man and the Sea | A battle for life and love

Big - Little

Fast - Slow

Easy - Hard

Clean - Dirty

Original language

Written by Ernest Hemingway in 1951 and published a year later by Life magazine, The Old Man and the Sea is the last completed novel by the American writer before his tragic suicide in 1961. It sold 5.3 million copies in the first 48 hours alone.

The work won him the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 and contributed to his receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954, along with his other most famous novels such as The Sun Also Rises (1926), A Farewell to Arms (1929) and For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940).

In particular, the Nobel Prize was awarded to him by the jury “for his mastery of the narrative art, recently demonstrated with The Old Man and the Sea , and for the influence that he has exerted on contemporary style”. His style had a strong impact on contemporary authors such as Italo Calvino and Raymond Carver and he contributed to the renewal of writing with his revolutionary choices and narrative theories such as the theory of the iceberg .

The story of a superstitious fisherman

The novel picks up from the previous article On the Blue Water: A Gulf Stream Letter published in 1936 in Esquire magazine in which Hemingway recounts a true story of a Cuban fisherman who, off the coast of Cabañas in Cuba, had caught a marlin which, to escape capture, had dragged the boat across the sea for days.

A few years later, he wrote The Old Man and the Sea , in which the old fisherman becomes Santiago , a superstitious, widowed, old Cuban fisherman. He leads a solitary life with only the company of Manolin , a boy he has taught to fish since he was a child. Santiago, however, hasn’t been able to catch a fish for 84 days and is now considered “salao” (unlucky) by everyone, to the extent that Manolin’s parents force him to look for work elsewhere. The old man then ventures into the Gulf Steam, to the north of Cuba, to try to regain his dignity. There he will catch a giant marlin with which a valiant fight for survival will begin.

The Biblical theme: Death and Resurrection

Many academics such as Carlos Baker and Giancarlo Pitaro read The Old Man and the Sea through biblical interpretation and in a Christian context. In fact, there are many similarities with Christian figures. First of all, the name of Santiago refers to the apostle Santiago , the patron saint of Spain to whom the historic medieval pilgrimage is dedicated. Then, the figure of Santiago probably refers to the character of the Fisher King belonging to the Arthurian cycle and descendant of the lineage of the Kings of the Graal and custodian of the relic.

The Fisher King or Wounded King usually has a wound juxtaposed to the one suffered by Christ on his side, as a reminder of past sins that must be redeemed. This legend can also be found in The Waste Land , a 1922 poem by Thomas Stearns Eliot , and in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner , a 1798 poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge , in which the old sailor is also alone, with gaunt limbs, withered by the ravages of time but with a “glittering” blue eye, just like Santiago whose body is covered by the “brown blotches” of the skin cancer caused by the sun, and by deep-creased scars:

“Everything about him was old except his eyes, and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated.”

The theme of fishing then refers to the apostles of Christ, while the 40 days spent without catching any fish refer to the ones that Christ spent in the desert tempted by Satan, as told in the Gospel , and to the Lenten rite of death and resurrection. Furthermore, both before leaving and after returning home, the old man dreams of nothing but lions and beaches, animals that represent Christ in the Christian tradition.

Man and Nature: fishing as a Battle

The relationship between man and nature is another main theme of the novel. As in Herman Melville ‘s Moby-Dick (1851), it is the center of the story but in this case, nature is seen as something positive instead of evil. In fact, Santiago deeply loves the sea and refers to it by using the female article “la” (“la mar”), which is what “people call her in Spanish when they love her”. Whereas people who see it as an enemy or a contestant, like some “younger fishermen”, use the masculine article “el” to refer to it.

Another important sign of the relationship between man and nature is the fishing episode. In fact, the old man considers the marlin a noble enemy and, at times, he feels sorry for killing such a strong fighter. Their battle reminds of the ancient fishing tradition of the swordfish , of which Polybius already spoke in the 2nd century BC. The fishing of swordfish, a fish that resembles a marlin due to its long, pointed nose, is accompanied by an ancient ritual. Usually when the male swordfish saw his partner in danger, it tried to defend her by attacking the man and thus allowing himself to be captured. At the end of this sort of fight, the fisherman engraved a cross near the gill of the fish as a sign of respect. This practice is also told in the song Lu pisce spada by Domenico Modugno , a famous Italian singer, in which he tells the story of the ill-fated love of two swordfish who are spotted and caught by fishermen.

Style and language: The Iceberg Theory

Hemingway stated that his task in The Old Man and the Sea was “to give a real fish and a real sea, that would if he had made them truly well, mean many things”. This statement represents the essence of him as a realistic writer. He explained his writing through the metaphor of an iceberg in Death In the Afternoon (1932) saying that “the dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water”. Thus the writer shouldn’t tell too much for the reader to fill the spaces with their emotions and imagination, and he should make an emotion happen and not describe it. In this way, Hemingway detaches himself from the reassuring descriptive approach of the nineteenth century and revolutionizes the way of writing.

In as much as what concerns the style, he aimed to convey a sense of reality, which he did especially in The Old Man and the Sea through the accurate lexical technicality of the semantic framework of fishing . He did that also through the incorporation of foreign words into the text (“salao”,”ay”, “mar”), simple sentences without subordination, poor use of adjectives, frequent dialogues, and conciseness. Regarding this last formal characteristic, his short story Children’s Shoes for Sale? become the basis of all storytelling theories, because Hemingway shows masterfully how one can be concise by enclosing the main elements of a story in four words.

Big Fish and the quête to love

The theme of fishing and the sea and its relation with man as well as the trope of the battle is also central in Tim Burton ‘s Big Fish (2003). The movie tells the story of Edward Bloom , an adventurous man who lives for telling fantastic stories and has a difficult relationship with his son Will , who can’t believe his stories.

There are numerous similarities and symbols in common with The Old Man and the Sea : Edward himself tells that the day his son was born he caught a huge fish by using his wedding ring as bait; cancer hits both Edward and Santiago; the glass eye that predicts Edward’s future resembles the blue eye of the old man.

But above all, the “quête” or quest that Edward embarks upon to regain the benevolence of the son who does not believe him is similar to the quest that the old man faces to regain his dignity in society and be able to go fishing again with his trusty Manolin whom he raised like a son. In both cases, the “ quête ” ends positively and dignity is restored in the eyes of the beloved sons.

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The Old Man and the Sea | Ernest Hemingway | Book Review

PLOT: 4.5/5 CHARACTERS: 5/5 WRITING STYLE: 4.5/5 CLIMAX: 5/5 ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 4.5/5

“Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready.” ~ Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea

One of the bookish resolutions that I took in 2018 was to read 10 classics. My progress wasn’t noteworthy but I am determined to change it in the coming years.

I picked up The Old Man and the Sea because I am participating in an Instagram readathon in which the prompt was to read a book that is a part of a “100 books to read in a lifetime” list.

Needless to state, The Old Man and the Sea frequently graces many such lists and was a good option.

What is the book all about and what to expect?

The Old Man and the Sea is a classic novel written in 1951 by Ernest Hemingway . It is considered to be the last major work by the eminent author to be published while he was alive.

The book is a short read (under 100 pages) which is set in Havana, Cuba. The story tells us the tale of an old fisherman, a young boy and a beautiful and brave fish.

What is the story like?

Santiago is an old fisherman who has gone 84 days without fishing. He has now been termed as “salao” by the local people, which means that he is suffering from the worst form of unluckiness.

Once a sturdy and healthy man, he was great at his job and would always catch the best fish. Now, he is an old and poor man with nothing much to keep his days and mind occupied.

Even the boy whom he loves dearly and had trained well is now forbidden by his parents to work with the old man because of his unlucky strike.

Manolin, the young boy, however, loves Santiago and cares for him. He often brings him food and tea and they talk about all things under the sun especially Santiago’s favourite – the American baseball.

Determined to change his luck and bring home a catch big enough to get the town talking, the old man sets out on the sea on the 85 th day. He goes out into the Gulf Stream and his bait soon gets taken by a big fish which he supposes is a Marlin.

But, the fish will not relent so easily. The old man is also determined and won’t let go easily. What follows is a fight for life with both sides being equally brave and determined.

“But man is not made for defeat,” he said. “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”

How good are the characters?

The characters are one of the most honest and brave ones that I have come across in a book in recent times.

Santiago, the old man is . Though his body is weakened by the number of years he has seen, the same cannot be said about his resolve. That he is old in his manners and in his treatment of elements only adds to his charms. Unlike, many younger fishermen he respects the sea and calls her La Mar, a term of endearment.

“But the old man always thought of her as feminine and as something that gave or withheld great favours, and if she did wild or wicked things it was because she could not help them. The moon affects her as it does a woman, he thought.”

Santiago, for me, was a character that cannot be . His respect for the Marlin is also noteworthy. Though he is determined to prevail, he still respects the fish and apologizes to it profusely. He calls it noble and and sometimes laments about the futility of such an existence, which makes people do such horrible things to nature’s beautiful creatures.

The author’s writing style

I consider myself quite incompetent to comment on the author’s writing style. The author chooses a very simple story and turns it into a masterpiece. If that is not wonderful, I don’t know what else is.

I also liked the way a non-human i.e. the Marlin plays such an important role in the book.

The life lessons which the old man teaches while battling for his own existence is also something to look forward to in this book.

What I absolutely loved?

Undoubtedly, the climax is the best part of the book but more about that in the following paragraphs.

What did I not like?

The Old Man and the Sea is a difficult read for somebody who isn’t familiar with all the fishing jargons, methods, techniques and equipment. This is probably one of the reasons most readers find it difficult to finish the book.

It also means that once you are through the book you emerge as a more informed reader. I personally found myself googling for a lot of information throughout the course of the book, and that is something that really makes me happy.

What about the climax?

The climax is what makes this book a winner. The magic of The Old Man and the Sea lies in its tragic ending and that is what elevates the book to its classic status.

The climax is and, in the end, if you are a sensitive and emotional reader like me, you cannot help but shed a tear or two for the old man Santiago and his undying spirit.

How good was the entertainment quotient?

The book, though a short read, is not an easy one. It takes time for the reader to get into it and it is also perceptibly slow towards the middle, but that doesn’t take away the entertainment quotient.

Finishing the book does require some effort but, in the end, it is worth every minute that you spend reading it.

Pick up the book if

The book is often featured in the “100 books to read in a lifetime” list, do you need any other reason apart from that?

Skip the book if

Skip the book if you don’t like slow reads and if classics are not your cup of tea.

Watch the video here

Can’t wait to read it? Buy your copy of The Old Man and the Sea from the link below.

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Sankalpita singh.

Meet Sankalpita, the bookworm extraordinaire! With an insatiable appetite for reading (over 100 books annually!), she started her blog, bookGeeks, in 2013. Now India's top-tier book blog, it attracts 700,000 monthly readers. She also runs a popular YouTube channel, inspiring a passion for Indian literature in all ages. Her ultimate goal? "To serve a nation through literature." With a passion for Indian literature, she's on a mission to ignite the reading spark in both kids and grown-ups alike.

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The Musical Brains

By arijit bhattacharya.

Sep 6, 2021

Book Review: The Old Man and the Sea | Ernest Hemingway

This is the tiniest book on my bookshelf, but it has taken a much bigger place in my heart. This book with 99 pages will bring you to the middle of the sea, you will be on a small fishing boat with the old man Santiago, the adventure of eighty-four days will make you fall in love with this old man. His courage, energy, enthusiasm will remind you that how young the old man is. As a virtual partner, you probably can not accompany him so he will be all alone in this eighty-four days of journey and missing his only little friend Manolin.

This book was written simply and has two sides; one is adventurous, the other is full of life lessons. The main character of this book is the old man Santiago, who is a very experienced and skilled fisherman from Cuba. He was called “salao” by the local people of his area, which means he was at the worst form of unluckiness. The other highlighted character is Manolin, a young boy who learned fishing from Santiago and really loves and cares about him. Because of family restrictions Manolin wasn’t able to join Santiago in his next fishing journey, and just wished him very good luck. But it was Santiago’s fortune, his bad luck stayed with him for 84 days of his fishing on the sea of Cuba. Twist came on the 85th day, which suddenly changed the story when Santiago hooked a marlin fish. The smart giant marlin then started making him struggle every single moment. Though insufficient sleep, wounded hand, hunger, and thrust made Santiago physically weak but he was a young-minded old man who challenged the fish and vowed to kill this giant soon. It took 3 days to kill the fish. The story didn’t end here, he was with a piece of good luck this time but again luck betrayed him. As he was in the sea on the way to his home, a group of sharks attacked the dead fish. Then Santiago’s struggle continued with this verse of the story. Just imagine an old man in the middle of the sea with a dead fish attacked by a group of dangerous sharks, what could be more worse than that? After a treacherous fight finally, he was able to reach home with that giant, though only its trace remained there with him. The story ended with a bunch of beautiful and thrilling memories from the sea and a lesson to stay happy in every situation.

Santiago’s struggle with the giant marlin fish will thrill you up, but in the end, it will make you emotional. His relation with Manolin will remind you again that friendship has no age limit.

The unique diversity of this book makes it winning Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and Nobel Prize in Literature for Ernest Hemingway.

I have finished it so early, and right now, I am missing it very badly. Now when I see the name “ The Old Man and the Sea ” it creates a clear world of imagination in front of my eyes, where I am on a fishing boat again with Santiago, he is struggling with the giant marlin and murmuring on his own that “I wish I had the boy”…

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The old man and the sea.

Common Sense Says
Parents Say 2 Reviews
Kids Say 6 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Man vs. marlin story a challenging, introspective read.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 12+?

There is a fair amount of graphic description of gutting and butchery of fish, i

Santiago and Manolin drink beer; some of Santiago's reminiscences involve ba

Mild invective, e.g. "whore."

It's the early '50s in Cuba. Santiago makes much of the fact that he doe

Any Positive Content?

Besides being fine (if sometimes jarringly macho) writing by a Nobel- and Pulitz

Santiago is a veritable icon of tenacity and refusal to give up; his young assis

Perseverance, resourcefulness, and the ability to make the best of existing circ

Violence & Scariness

There is a fair amount of graphic description of gutting and butchery of fish, including one scene of killing a female marlin as her mate looks on from outside the boat.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Santiago and Manolin drink beer; some of Santiago's reminiscences involve bars.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

It's the early '50s in Cuba. Santiago makes much of the fact that he doesn't have a radio on which to listen to baseball.

Educational Value

Besides being fine (if sometimes jarringly macho) writing by a Nobel- and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, The Old Man and the Sea offers gorgeous descriptions of marine and animal life in the exotic regions where Hemingway spent time and where he has Santiago visit in his youthful travels. It also offers a window on village life in pre-Castro Cuba, and economic realities of fishermen's lives in developing countries that have probably not changed much in the interim.

Positive Role Models

Santiago is a veritable icon of tenacity and refusal to give up; his young assistant Manolin, who cannot defy his parents to accompany Santiago fishing, nonetheless remains loyal to him by helping his longtime mentor in many small ways.

Positive Messages

Perseverance, resourcefulness, and the ability to make the best of existing circumstances are all core values here, as well as the loyalty of the boy Manolin to Santiago despite much adversity.

Parents need to know that context and the teacher's skill will influence how well their kids relate to this reading-list staple. Widely regarded as Hemingway's masterpiece, it won the Pulitzer Prize and had much to do with his winning the Nobel. It's packed with epic struggles (man vs. nature, man vs. himself), eternal issues (love, survival, teaching the next generation, tenacity against the odds) and strong writing. It's also about three days in a boat in which most of the action takes place in the title character's head, punctuated by graphic descriptions of, say, the gutting of fish. It's also somewhat fraught with a late-in-life perspective that may be largely lost on young readers. Readers young and old are rarely ambivalent about this book -- it's either love or hate, often mixed with a hefty dose of parody (Hemingway at times writes like a macho parody of himself). To nudge kids in the love direction, you may wish to check out Alexander Petrov's 1999 Oscar-winning animated film adaptation.

Where to Read

Parent and kid reviews.

Parents say (2)
Kids say (6)

Based on 2 parent reviews

Old man and the sea

What's the story.

After 84 days of catching nothing, Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman, sets out alone in his small skiff into the Gulf Stream in search of better fortune and soon hooks what proves to be the fish of a lifetime. As he spends the next three days on the high seas being towed by the colossal marlin, sleeping and waking, he ponders his strategy, struggles with the mighty fish, and reflects on his life.

Is It Any Good?

Not everyone, especially among the young, is prepared to engage with a plot that's largely waiting and introspection, punctuated by description and reminiscence, however beautifully written. Generations of critics and readers have showered this book with praise; generations of other readers, particularly those required to read it in school, have blasted it as the worst book they ever read, when they admit to getting through it at all, despite its brevity. Whether the particular class for which your kid is reading the book intends to focus on Hemingway, symbolism, heroic struggle, marine life, pre-Castro Cuba, or baseball in the Eisenhower era, it might be helpful to get a few bearings before sending him or her out on the high seas in this book.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about what Santiago won and lost from his quest, and whether the reward was worth the effort.

What do you know about Joe DiMaggio, who Santiago finds so admirable? This might be a good time to talk about the era when baseball teams had spring training in the Caribbean, and the cultural ramifications.

Early on, Santiago says, "Fish, I love and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before this day ends." Santiago spends a great deal of the book talking about killing what he loves, in which he is probably speaking for the author, who made something of a career of killing big game on several continents. Is killing what you love a tenable position?

Why do you think The Old Man and the Sea is often required reading in school?

Book Details

Author : Ernest Hemingway
Genre : Adventure
Topics : Adventures , Ocean Creatures
Book type : Fiction
Publisher : Scribner
Publication date : May 28, 2011
Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 18
Number of pages : 128
Last updated : July 12, 2017

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Introduction

Analysis and reception

When did American literature begin?
Who are some important authors of American literature?
What are the periods of American literature?
How did Ernest Hemingway influence others?
What was Ernest Hemingway’s childhood like?

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The Old Man and the Sea

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Table Of Contents

The Old Man and the Sea , short heroic novel by Ernest Hemingway , published in 1952 and awarded the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. It was his last major work of fiction. The story centres on an aging fisherman who engages in an epic battle to catch a giant marlin .

The central character is an old Cuban fisherman named Santiago, who has not caught a fish for 84 days. The family of his apprentice, Manolin, has forced the boy to leave the old fisherman, though Manolin continues to support him with food and bait. Santiago is a mentor to the boy, who cherishes the old man and the life lessons he imparts. Convinced that his luck must change, Santiago takes his skiff far out into the deep waters of the Gulf Stream , where he soon hooks a giant marlin . With all his great experience and strength, he struggles with the fish for three days, admiring its strength, dignity, and faithfulness to its identity; its destiny is as true as Santiago’s as a fisherman. He finally reels the marlin in and lashes it to his boat.

Young woman with glasses reading a book, student

However, Santiago’s exhausting effort goes for naught. Sharks are drawn to the tethered marlin, and, although Santiago manages to kill a few, the sharks eat the fish, leaving behind only its skeleton. After returning to the harbour, the discouraged Santiago goes to his home to sleep. In the meantime, others see the skeleton tied to his boat and are amazed. A concerned Manolin is relieved to find Santiago alive, and the two agree to go fishing together.

The Old Man and the Sea contains many of the themes that preoccupied Hemingway as a writer and as a man. The routines of life in a Cuban fishing village are evoked in the opening pages with a characteristic economy of language. The stripped-down existence of the fisherman Santiago is crafted in a spare, elemental style that is as eloquently dismissive as a shrug of the old man’s powerful shoulders. With age and luck now against him, Santiago knows he must row out “beyond all people,” away from land and into the Gulf Stream , where one last drama would be played out, in an empty arena of sea and sky.

Hemingway was famously fascinated with ideas of men proving their worth by facing and overcoming the challenges of nature. When the old man hooks a marlin longer than his boat, he is tested to the limits as he works the line with bleeding hands in an effort to bring it close enough to harpoon . Through his struggle, Santiago demonstrates the ability of the human spirit to endure hardship and suffering in order to win. It is also his deep love and knowledge of the sea, in its impassive cruelty and beneficence, that allows him to prevail. The essential physicality of the story—the smells of tar and salt and fish blood, the cramp and nausea and blind exhaustion of the old man, the terrifying death spasms of the great fish—is set against the ethereal qualities of dazzling light and water, isolation, and the swelling motion of the sea. And through it all, the narrative is constantly tugging, unreeling a little more, and then pulling again, all in tandem with the old man’s struggle. It is a story that demands to be read in a single sitting.

The Old Man and the Sea was an immediate success and came to be regarded as one of Hemingway’s finest works. It was cited when he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. A hugely popular film adaptation starring Spencer Tracy was released in 1958.

A Review: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

I wouldn’t feel right about my pursuit to be well-read and an accomplished author if I didn’t make time for the classics. Ernest Hemingway is one of the most esteemed authors of the modern era, and his Nobel Prize-winning novel, The Old Man and the Sea , is often cited as his greatest work. And as the only novel you may read that year after being assigned it in 7th-grade English class, there’s no way it would ruin reading for boys and girls everywhere, right?

The Old Man and the Sea follows Santiago, a fisherman in Cuba with the world’s worst luck. It has been eighty-four days since he has caught a fish. Even the father of his young companion, Manolin, is forbidden to hang around him anymore for fear his luck will rub off on him. Determined to break his curse, Santiago takes his skiff out to sea to prove to himself and his community that his bad luck days are over.

My favorite thing about this story has to be the pure, raw determination of the protagonist. Santiago has every reason to give up on his quest, but he doesn’t. His story is one of the best examples of the resilience of the human spirit in English literature, and yet…

While reading it, the story was one of the most boring stories I’d read in a long time. Not because the story is inherently boring, and not because I’ve been desensitized to small, intimate stories because of how flashy fiction has become in the last few decades (please don’t send Martin Scorsese after me). Rather, I found this story boring because of its length. At roughly 100 pages, this story shouldn’t at all feel too long. Instead, Hemingway opted to take what could be a 25-page story or less and stretch it to its very limit.

The Main Message: What’s the Point of this Story?

In retrospect, I understand why Hemingway would do this. How better to express the intensity of Santiago’s plight than to make us feel every moment of his struggle? To push even the reader to scream: GIVE UP, MAN! IT’S NOT WORTH IT!

Yet Santiago persists beyond all reason. He fights back against his lack of strength, hunger, exhaustion—defying nature and perhaps even the supernatural will of a higher power.

The story reinforces the importance of faith, courage, and persistence. Santiago refuses to give up hope that his fortunes can turn for the better and that even when everything is stacked against him, he can still overcome.

I still think the method Hemingway chose to evoke the feeling of desperation has and will continue to lose many readers, especially since so many of his readers won’t be well-read adults, but 7th-grade students who don’t have the attention span or interest in a story of this nature. Luckily, there are many stories for kids and teens that can teach the same value. Unluckily, middle school English teachers will probably continue to assign this story instead.

Is It Worth Reading?

But you’re probably not a middle-schooler full of pimple-bursting angst, and you’re ready to give this one a try yourself. Or perhaps a second try. If you go into it expecting a very short story stretched to the length of a novella for thematic effect—that it will take a bit of time and a walk outside for the story to have an effect—you may come away enjoying this one. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Exploring Themes of Perseverance and Struggle in Fantasy Literature

While The Old Man and the Sea offers profound insights into the human spirit, I understand that its pacing and style may not be for everyone. If you’re craving excitement and adventure while still seeking the same thematic resonance, fear not—there are captivating stories out there that offer both thrills and deep themes of perseverance and struggle.

In the spirit of Santiago's journey, I invite you to explore two epic fantasy novels that embody the themes of perseverance and struggle in their own unique ways, delivering excitement alongside profound insights.

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

Step into the world of Scadrial, where an oppressive ruler known as the Lord Ruler holds dominion over the land with an iron fist. In Mistborn , we follow Vin, a young street urchin with a hidden power, as she joins a band of rebels determined to overthrow the tyrant who rules their world. Much like Santiago, Vin's journey is a testament to the power of perseverance and the indomitable human spirit in the face of overwhelming odds.

You can check out my thoughts about this story in these articles:

Book Review: Mistborn: The Final Empire

The Final Empire: A Cinderella Story

Book Review: The Well of Ascension

The Well of Ascension: Does Democracy Work?

Book Review: The Hero of Ages

The Hero of Ages: A Crisis of Faith

The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

Journey to the archipelago of Earthsea in Ursula K. Le Guin's classic novel, The Wizard of Earthsea . Here, we follow the young wizard Ged as he embarks on a quest to master the ancient arts of magic and confront the shadowy forces that threaten to consume him. In Ged's journey of self-discovery, we find echoes of Santiago's quest for meaning and purpose in a world fraught with danger and uncertainty.

You can check out my thoughts on this story here!

Another warning: If you love epic fantasy stories, you’re not going to be able to stop reading The Continua Chronicles. And your first adventure is free!

My Experience with A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

A review: dragonflight by anne mccaffrey.

Member-only story

Book Review: The Old Man and the Sea — Ernest Hemingway

An overrated classic.

Esteban Thilliez

Quick Summary

An old fisherman goes to sea, desperate because he hasn’t found any fish for almost 3 months.

Finally, it bites on his line. And this is the beginning of his adventure with a blue marlin that he will accompany until its death and even after.

My Thoughts

The plot is simple, and can even seem quite boring at the first glance. But the narration is incredible and manages to make a mundane story rather poignant. You almost feel sorry for the old man towards the end of the book.

This narration earned him a Nobel Prize, and I think it is deserved. However, this book was still slightly boring. In fact, there is not much going on. To make the analogy, it’s like reading a whole book about the preparation of a cake by a pastry chef. No matter how well you manage to put emotions into it, to make the reader experience something, in the end it’s just not possible to do something really interesting based only on one action.

On the other hand, the character of the fisherman is very interesting. And the relationship he creates with the fish is surprising, but also interesting. Hemmingway manages to make us feel pity for both the fisherman and the fish…

Written by Esteban Thilliez

I’m Esteban, and I enjoy writing about programming, trading, productivity, knowledge management, books, etc! esteban-thilliez.com / [email protected]

Text to speech

Words & Dirt

Review: ernest hemingway’s “the old man and the sea”, by miles raymer.

It’s been a long time since I read anything by Ernest Hemingway, and even longer since I first read The Old Man and the Sea in my teens. This time around, the book proved both more and less impressive than I remember. Hemingway’s prose, although clean and efficient, rings somewhat hollow for me now. I think this was always true, but I wouldn’t have admitted it as a young literati who felt obligated to revere Hemingway due to his position in the American canon. But even if the language left me wanting, the existential depth of this novel came through loud and clear in a way I didn’t recognize years ago.

The Old Man and the Sea is a simple tale. Santiago, our “old man,” is an aged fisherman daunted by a spell of bad luck–– “eighty-four days now without taking a fish” (13). Though befriended by a youngster known only as “the boy,” Santiago is a solitary person with a worldview that doesn’t cast a net much farther than the next catch or baseball game results. His intense focus and persistence make him a formidable character and a winning protagonist.

Santiago’s story unfolds over the course of a single fishing expedition. Before leaving, he refuses the boy’s company, striking out on his own with only his determination as companion. As he makes his way into the ocean, his observations vary from stoic to impassioned. He expresses affection for some sea creatures by calling them “brothers,” and seems to revile others, at one point referring to a man-of-war as a “whore” (32). These hostile streaks in Santiago’s consciousness, combined with a vaguely racist reminiscence of beating a “negro” at arm wrestling earlier in life, make The Old Man and the Sea feel dated in some parts (55-6). However, the novel’s timeless message is ultimately strong enough to overshadow these anachronistic elements.

At its core, this is a narrative of negotiation with two basic layers: Santiago’s negotiation with the ocean itself, as personified by a giant marlin, and his negotiation with his own weathered but resilient body. The fish, which promises to break his streak of bad luck should he succeed in besting it, pushes Santiago to his physical and mental limits. For a long time it seems that their wills are equally matched, with Santiago holding on as the marlin steadily drags his skiff farther and farther out to sea: “I can do nothing with him and he can do nothing with me” (41).

Santiago understands this battle as both an indication of his superiority as a fisherman, but also a humbling reminder of humanity’s place in the greater cosmos:

He lay against the worn wood of the bow and rested all that he could. The first stars were out…and he knew soon they would all be out and he would have all his distant friends. “The fish is my friend too,” he said aloud. “I have never seen or heard of such a fish. But I must kill him.”…I do not understand these things, he thought. But it is good that we do not have to kill the sun or the moon or the stars. It is enough to live on the sea and kill our true brothers. (59-60)

This feeling of being in place, right where one belongs, covers this novel like a warm blanket. Santiago’s archetypal greatness comes from his equanimity, which holds steady even through great pain. His desire to outlast the fish––and the ocean itself––is tempered by his understanding that he is subject to the rules of a grand pageant over which he has no control.

Santiago also bargains fiercely with his own flesh. His body is the enabling factor in his struggle and also his greatest obstacle:

He felt faint again now but he held on the great fish all the strain that he could. I moved him, he thought. Maybe this time I can get him over. Pull, hands, he thought. Hold up, legs. Last for me, head. Last for me. (69)

As any expert laborer must be, Santiago is intimately in touch with the needs of his body, and makes great efforts to keep his strength up during the battle with the fish. Repeatedly he honors the capacities of his physique while lamenting its limitations:

He could feel the steady hard pull of the line and his left hand was cramped. It drew up tight on the heavy cord and he looked at it in disgust. “What kind of a hand is that,” he said. “Cramp then if you want. Make yourself into a claw. It will do you no good.” (48)

As the novel closes, Hemingway reminds us that nature––unwilling to sacrifice a single sardine for the toils of humanity––is not a fair negotiator. In this era of climate change, the lesson is deeply necessary and stings with a special cruelty. But Santiago, reunited finally with the boy on shore, indicates that he is not vanquished, and perhaps cannot be. Better still, he accepts the boy’s offer to take to the sea together once more, showing that he has opened himself again to the boons of brotherly cooperation. Triumph awaits, perhaps, with the next fish, but the dignity of hard work is everlasting.

Rating: 7/10

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Book Review

The old man and the sea.

Ernest Hemingway
Drama , Historical

Readability Age Range

Scribner Book Company, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group
Nobel Prize in Literature, 1954; Award of Merit Medal for the Novel from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, 1954; Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, 1953

Year Published

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine .

Plot Summary

Santiago, an old fisherman, hasn’t caught anything in 84 days. He’s discouraged. His friend and former sailing mate, Manolin, longs to help him, but Manolin’s parents refuse because of Santiago’s poor fishing record. On day 85, Santiago feels a tug he knows to be the fish he’s been looking for. But the fish is so enormous and strong that for several days it pulls him farther out to sea. Hemingway details the valiant struggle between man and fish, lauding the old man for his perseverance despite the fact that sharks ultimately eat his prize fish.

Christian Beliefs

Santiago has religious pictures on his wall. He questions the purpose of sea swallows, birds that are really too weak and delicate to survive against harsher sea birds. Santiago tells God he isn’t religious, but that he would say “Hail Mary” and “Our Father” prayers and make a pilgrimage if he catches the fish. He follows this with additional prayers that are more repetitive than heartfelt. Santiago contemplates whether it is a sin to kill the fish. Hemingway employs a fair amount of crucifixion imagery throughout the book to portray Santiago as a Christ figure who transcends death and defeat.

Other Belief Systems

The old man talks quite a bit about luck concerning fishing. Manolin’s parents are happier now that he is working with a “lucky” boat.

Authority Roles

Santiago is Manolin’s hero. Santiago teaches Manolin a great deal about fishing. However, Manolin keeps a close eye on Santiago to make sure Santiago gets the nourishment and care needed. At times, Santiago is under the authority of both the sea and his great fish. At other moments, he masters them with his skill and perseverance.

Profanity & Violence

Phrases like “God knows,” “Christ knows” or “God help me” appear; few, if any, are an intentional misuse of the Lord’s name. In demonstrating his passionate faithfulness to the old man, Manolin uses the words d–n and h—.

Sexual Content

Santiago calls the dangerous Portuguese man-of-war invertebrate a whore. He later talks about the same animal heaving and swinging as though “the ocean were making love with something.”

Discussion Topics

Get free discussion questions for this book and others, at FocusOnTheFamily.com/discuss-books .

Additional Comments

Other issues: The boy buys the old man a beer. (There is no clear indication as to whether the boy has one himself.) When the old man asks if he’d steal some sardines, the boy says he will, but he doesn’t.

You can request a review of a title you can’t find at [email protected] .

Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.

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The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway: Book review

Published - September 01, 2018 04:01 pm IST

Last month, an old, unpublished story by American writer Ernest Hemingway surfaced. ‘A Room on the Garden Side’, written in 1956, is set in a Paris hotel he loved, the Ritz. The Strand Magazine , a quarterly which has published it, includes an afterword by a board member of The Hemingway Society, Kirk Curnutt. He said the piece “contains all the trademark elements readers love in Hemingway” and though “the war is central... but so are the ethics of writing and the worry that literary fame corrupts an author’s commitment to truth.” Hemingway ended his life in 1961.

Struggling souls

He wrote about war, Paris, boxers, bullfighters and soldiers, many of whom were lonely souls struggling to eke out a living. The epitome of this struggle was showcased in his 1952 novella, The Old Man and the Sea . In fact, in 1954, when the Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Hemingway, the citation picked out the book for special mention. The Nobel academy said it was honouring him “for his mastery of the art of narrative, most recently demonstrated in The Old Man and the Sea, and for the influence that he has exerted on contemporary style.”

The story begins with the narrator saying that the old man “who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream,” had gone 84 days without catching one. In the first 40 days, a boy he was very fond of, and vice-versa, had been with him. But the boy’s parents, much to his annoyance, told him “that the old man was now definitely and finally salao , which is the worst form of unlucky.” He was ordered to go on another boat, which caught three good fish the first week. He missed the boy who looked out for him.

A pot of yellow rice

On most of the days the old man came in empty-handed, the boy guided him home. “What do you have to eat?” the boy would ask. “A pot of yellow rice with fish,” the old man replied. “May I take the cast net?” “Of course.” “There was no cast net and the boy remembered when they had sold it. But they went through this fiction every day. There was no pot of yellow rice and fish and the boy knew this too.”

So, on the 85th day, the old man set sail with bait (sardines, which the boy got him) and little else to net a fish. “And the best fisherman is you,” the boy told him. The old man hopes no fish will come along that will prove the boy wrong. The rest of the novella is the story of the old man's struggle with nature, a huge fish (swordfish) and himself. As the duel goes on, the old man thinks aloud: “I wonder if he has any plans or if he is just as desperate as I am?” He won’t give up and fights against all odds — “...man is not made for defeat... A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”

The writer looks back at one classic each fortnight.

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Ernest Hemingway New York: Charles Scribner�s Sons, 1952 127 pages.

August 28, 1952 Books of The Times By ORVILLE PRESCOTT THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA By Ernest Hemingway. everal weeks ago, along with several hundred other critics and newspaper men, I received a present from Life magazine. It consisted of a set of galley proofs of some material that Life was going to publish in the issue which would appear on Thursday, Aug. 28. Ordinarily a book reviewer is not concerned with what material magazines publish. But this was a rather special case. The proofs were of Ernest Hemingway's new novel, "The Old Man and the Sea," and this was the first time that such a situation had arisen, that a novel by one of the world's most celebrated writers was to appear in a magazine complete in one issue eleven days before its publication in book form. Today you can buy "The Old Man and the Sea" in Life for 20 cents. On Monday, Sept. 8, Scribners will publish it for $3. Mr. Hemingway, whose books have won him a world- wide audience, is now being presented to a new mass audience at bargain rates. What the book sellers who have distributed his works for twenty-six years think of this situation is not on record. Hemingway's Reaction What Mr. Hemingway thinks about it is on record, in a Life advertisement: "I'm very excited about 'The Old Man and the Sea', and that it is coming out in Life so that many people will read it who could not afford to buy it. That makes me much happier than to have a Nobel Prize." What Mr. Hemingway thinks about his book also is quoted in the advertisement: "Whatever I learned is in the story but I hope it reads simply and straight and all the things that are in it do not show but only are with you after you have read it * * *. Don't you think it is a strange damn story that it should affect all of us (me especially) the way it does? I have had to read it now over 200 times and everytime it does something to me. It's as though I had gotten finally what I had been working for all my life." "The Old Man and the Sea" is a short novel, only 27,000 words. It is much simpler and enormously better than Mr. Hemingway's last book, "Across the River and Into the Trees." No phony glamour girls and no bullying braggarts sentimentalized almost to parody distort its honest and elemental theme. No outbursts of spite or false theatricalism impede the smooth rush of its narrative. Within the sharp restrictions imposed by the very nature of his story Mr. Hemingway has written with sure skill. Here is the master technician once more at the top of his form, doing superbly what he can do better than anyone else. This is the story of an old Cuban fisherman who had gone eighty-four days without making a catch and of what happened when he hooked a monster marlin on the eighty- fifth day. Alone in his little skiff, unable to fasten the line because the giant fish would break it if he did not lessen the strain with his own body and pay out more line when necessary, the old man endured days and nights of hunger, exhaustion and pain from the line cutting his hands. And finally he caught the fish and lashed it to the side of his skiff only to spend his return voyage fighting off sharks. Courage in Face of Danger The excitement and tension of the old man's adventure, the magnificence of the great marlin and the beauty of days and nights alone on the Gulf Stream are all well conveyed in "The Old Man and the Sea." Mr. Hemingway has always excelled in describing physical adventure and the emotional atmosphere of it. And many of his stories have glorified courage in the face of danger. This one does, too, for the old man is the very embodiment of dogged courage. "Man is not meant for defeat," says Mr. Hemingway. "A man can be destroyed but not defeated"--that is if he has enough courage. Mr. Hemingway wrote about the same theme in one of his best short stories, "The Undefeated." But in that story the matador who would not acknowledge defeat had no other attribute except his foolhardy courage. In "The Old Man and the Sea" the Cuban fisherman is also an elementary character; but with a significant difference. He is not only courageous. He is humble and gently proud, aware of beauty and filled with a sense of brotherhood with nature. And he has a loving heart. These attributes have not been common in Hemingway characters in the past. Since they are admirable and Mr. Hemingway admires them, the moral climate of "The Old Man and the Sea" is fresh and healthy and the old man's ordeal is moving. But good as "The Old Man and the Sea" is, it is good only in a limited way. The fisherman is not a well-characterized individual. He is a symbol of an attitude toward life. He often thinks and talks poetically and symbolically and so artificially. The old man thought: "Why did they make birds so delicate and fine as those sea swallows when the ocean can be so cruel? She is kind and very beautiful. But she can be so cruel and it comes so suddenly and such birds that fly, dipping and hunting, with their small sad voices are made too delicately for the sea." A poetic and beautiful thought, but it seems Mr. Hemingway's rather than the old man's. Return to the Books Home Page

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Every Wednesday we ask top chefs to pick their favourite Cheap Eats where they live and when they cook at home. This week we speak to Nick Grieves, chef-owner of Ophelia in Gosforth, Newcastle.

Hi Nick, can you tell us your favourite places around Newcastle where you can get a meal for two for less than £40?

Barrio Comida in Durham - I've been a long-time fan, the food there is incredible and worth the short train journey out of Newcastle.

It's all class but I'd seriously recommend the birria tacos (with the consommé), camaron tacos and pollo quesadillas. Time it right for Taco Tuesday or for Happy Hour and you'll be well fed and watered for an absolute bargain.

Master Wang's in Newcastle - excellent, authentic and incredibly reasonable Chinese food just down from Haymarket in the centre of town.

A friend of mine recently told me about it and now I'm there whenever I get a free afternoon.

The pork dumplings in hot and sour soup, braised lamb noodles and their pork burger are all incredible and my go-to when ordering. I'd definitely recommend just ordering lots and sharing it between you.

What is your go-to cheap eat to cook at home when you have a night in?

It would most likely be a pasta dish, something fast and cheap with sausage, fresh tomatoes and a crumbly cheese such as Wensleydale.

During lockdown I posted a few at-home cooking videos on The Patricia's Instagram account - this was one of them and it's still up there on the highlights for a slightly more detailed walk-through.

You'll need some pasta (a small shape like fusilli, macaroni or orecchiette is ideal), a herby sausage like Lincolnshire, fresh cherry tomatoes, chilli flakes, garlic, Wensleydale and some fresh basil.

Start by crushing the garlic, halving the tomatoes, and removing the sausage from its casing and tearing it into small pieces.

Fry the sausage pieces in oil until you get a light colour on one side, then stir and move it over to half the pan.

In the other half of the pan, add the tomatoes, a bit of salt and some chilli flakes and fry it all for another five minutes or so.

Then lightly squash the tomatoes and combine them all, adding in your cooked pasta at the same time with a little pasta water to emulsify the sauce. Plate it up and top it with a good amount of torn fresh basil, thinly grated cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

Super tasty, fast and cheap.

How did you get into cheffing?

I only started cooking seriously when I was 27 and took over The Garden House in Durham.

Before that, I was in construction and although I always cooked at home I never thought it would turn into a profession. It all happened by accident.

During the recession, the construction company I was working for in Qatar went bust. I came back to the North East and took on shared ownership of The Garden House with family and friends, just to make a bit of money.

We were pretty naive in the beginning and were short on kitchen staff, so I ended up helping with all the food and just fell in love with it.

From there I taught myself a lot, watching and reading everything I could, including a lot of Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray.

After leaving the pub I headed to London and worked in both Fera and The River Cafe where I learnt a great deal, especially about discipline, attention to detail, the importance of good produce and how proper kitchens work.

I loved my time there, but I'd always wanted to be my own boss and was desperate to open somewhere off my own back home in Newcastle.

Fortunately, backed by my gran Pat, I was able to open The Patricia in Jesmond shortly after that - she's the reason I am where I am today.

And then following on from the success of The Patricia I was then able to open my current restaurant, Ophelia, a French-inspired bistro in south Gosforth in Newcastle.

We've spoken to lots of top chefs - check out their cheap eats from around the country here...

The UK economy recorded no growth in July, according to official figures.

It's the second consecutive month of stagnation, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

GDP - the measure of everything produced in the UK - flatlined in the weeks after the election of the Labour government.

But there's "longer-term strength" in the services sector, meaning there was growth over the last three months as a whole and 0.5% expansion in the three months up to July.

Commenting on the GDP figures, Liz McKeown, ONS director of economic statistics, says: "The economy recorded no growth for the second month running, though longer term strength in the services sector meant there was growth over the last three months as a whole.

"July's monthly services growth was led by computer programmers and health, which recovered from strike action in June. These gains were partially offset by falls for advertising companies, architects and engineers.

"Manufacturing fell, overall, with a particularly poor month for car and machinery firms, while construction also declined."

Chancellor Rachel Reeves says: "I am under no illusion about the scale of the challenge we face and I will be honest with the British people that change will not happen overnight.

"Two quarters of positive economic growth does not make up for fourteen years of stagnation.

"That is why we are taking the long-term decisions now to fix the foundations of our economy."

PrettyLittleThing will stop charging "royalty" customers to make returns, its founder has announced.

The online fashion giant made headlines in June for scrapping its free returns policy, with all customers having to pay £1.99 to send back items.

It also started closing accounts for having a high returns rate.

Royalty holders, who pay a £9.99 subscription fee for unlimited free deliveries and returns, were angered by the move.

In a post on Instagram, the company's founder Umar Kamani announced his return to the business and apologised for any "negative experiences" in his absence.

"Over the past few years, I've watched from the sidelines as the brand we built together has, at times, lost touch with make it so special - you, our loyal customers," he wrote.

"This has driven me to step back in and take on the responsibility of steering PrettyLittleThing forward, putting your needs and desires at the forefront of every decision we make."

He added: "As part of this renewed commitment, one of my first changes will be to reintroduce free returns for our royalty customers, a step I believe is vital to making your shopping experience more seamless and enjoyable."

He also hinted that there might be more changes to come, saying the retailer was moving into its "next exciting chapter".

Fans were quick to react to the news, with some saying they were glad Mr Kamani had returned.

"Thank you for coming back. PLT hasn't been the same without you," one person said on X.

"Thank you for coming back. The company was in shambles," said another.

Others asked him if their blocked accounts would be reinstated, or if they would get a refund for the returns they were charged for.

Mr Kamani stepped down last April after 12 years as PLT's chief executive.

Under his leadership, the brand collaborated with huge stars including Kylie Jenner, Naomi Campbell and Jennifer Lopez.

In recent years, the company has seen its profits wane, with its revenue falling from £712.2m to £634.1m in February 2023.

By Megan Harwood-Baynes , cost of living specialist

When Monique Bertrand found out she was carrying triplets at eight weeks pregnant, she had no idea the unexpected arrivals would push her family to the brink of bankruptcy.

New research has found families with twins or triplets face at least a £20,000 financial hit in the first year after birth, compared with those who have two babies in succession.

Having been told she could never carry children, Monique had been considering foster care when she unexpectedly fell pregnant - but a bigger surprise was in store when she found out she had naturally conceived triplets.

After a difficult pregnancy, at 31 weeks and surrounded by a team of 35 doctors, nurses and midwives, she gave birth to Macho and Lylah, weighing a tiny 2lb 8oz, and Trinity, 2lb 1oz.

Research, commissioned by the charity Twins Trust and carried out by Per Capita, found raising multiples is more difficult in the UK than in almost any other advanced OECD economy, due to the lack of additional support.

"Triplet mums just need extra hands," said Monique, 39, from Lewisham.

The triplets spent 50 days in the hospital (Monique herself was admitted for 34) and by the time they returned home, her partner had already used up his two weeks of paternity leave. With him working lengthy night shifts, she was left to care for three infants alone.

"I felt I could not do it. I felt I wanted to run away. There was no support in any way," she says.

"I wish the government realised there is a huge difference between having multiples and having singletons."

Families of twins and triplets experience a 15% decline in household income (around £12,500), with 72% having to buy a new car to accommodate their children. Twins and triplets are often born premature, requiring families to take more time off work to care for their children.

"People don't realise, I have to pay for everything three times," said Monique, who works as an assistant director of education. "A twenty-pound baby outfit, for me that costs sixty. We go through nappies like they are tap water, formula... the costs just mount up.

"There is no passing things down between children, you have to have everything at once. It almost bankrupted us."

She said she knew of some multiple mums who had to transition their children onto cow's milk early, simply because they could not afford the cost of formula.

Families she had previously supported would send Monique clothes, food, formula and baby items to help the family survive: "The doorbell would ring, and it would be Amazon delivering three high chairs."

'I had to work while my twins were in hospital'

When Frank Fallon and Frankie Wakefield's twins, Ezra and Theo, arrived a day before their wedding, it was just the latest surprise of an unexpected pregnancy.

The couple had gone through IVF but only implanted one embryo, to try to mitigate the risk of multiples - but their eight-week scan showed two healthy heartbeats.

Born three months early, Frank had to continue working while the twins spent seven weeks in hospital, to avoid rinsing through his paternity leave: "I would go visit them at 6am before work and we had to rely on friends and family to drive Frankie to hospital to see them."

Now the twins are energetic two-year-olds, and the couple are finally having their much-delayed wedding on Saturday, but they are calling for more support for multiple families.

"Everything just adds up," said Frank. "Extra nappies [the family orders approximately 240 every four to six weeks], high energy bills because they are having more baths.

"I think I am at Tesco every day because they now go through litres of milk."

He added: "Even children's classes that Frankie goes to so she can socialise, you have to pay double for the extra baby."

' Childcare would have cost £5k a month'

Almost 90% of the 1,800 families surveyed said current childcare provisions are inadequate.

As Monique prepared to return to work, she sat down and wrote her resignation letter, after realising the cost of childcare for her triplets would be more than £5,000 a month.

"It broke my heart because I have never not worked," she said.

On learning this, her family held a meeting, volunteering to look after the children on different days so she could return to work. Now the twins are 21 months old, she qualifies for 15 hours free childcare, but the bill still stands at an additional £3,500 a month, and she relies heavily on her family to help.

At one point, Frank considered putting his children in on different days, to try and lower the cost of their £4,000 a month childcare bill (the boys go two days a week).

"We are lucky we have both been promoted, but in our old jobs we would never have been able to afford it," he said.

The Twins Trust report is calling for maternity pay to be allocated per baby, rather than per pregnancy, as well as an expansion of the Sure Start Maternity Grant and additional mental health support for families of multiples.

Shauna Leven, chief executive of Twins Trust, said: "This report lays bare the grim reality facing families with multiples - the financial burden, mental health toll and lack of support.

"Raising multiples is harder in the UK than almost any other nation. We will continue to campaign tirelessly to tackle the issues highlighted here, so our families can access the support they desperately need and deserve.

"With one set of multiples born every hour across the UK, it's critical that our society steps up and provides adequate support, rather than sending our families to the back of the queue."

By Megan Harwood-Baynes , cost of living specialist

When James* was followed by an Instagram account offering an investment opportunity he thought it would be a quick way to supplement his apprentice salary.

Two weeks later, all his bank accounts were closed, he had a fraud marker against his name and now he cannot even take out a new mobile phone contract.

He is one of thousands of "money mules" identified by Lloyds Bank - this is someone who transfers or moves illegally acquired money on behalf of someone else.

Scammers often use social media to find their victims, and many do not realise what they are doing is illegal. It is sometimes framed as a legitimate job or investment - some victims are drawn in by loved ones, who are also unaware they are acting as money mules.

The Lloyds bank mule-hunting team has uncovered more than 160,000 mule accounts and stopped more than £114m from getting into the hands of fraudsters since it was set up in 2018. There has been a 44% increase in money mules identified in the past year alone.

James was told he could make large profits by buying Bitcoin, and after being contacted by an unfamiliar account he agreed to invest £200 through an app.

James was then told to invest a further amount, which would give him an access code for withdrawing profits from the account, which had grown to £3,900. But he was told the access code would be available once he invested a further £900.

James didn't have that sort of money, so asked for his initial investment back. His mentor said he could instead pay £200 for the access code and that the mentor himself would pay James £700 to cover the rest of the total needed for the access code - meaning James received £700 from his mentor which he in turn then transferred on.

James continued to follow instructions sent to him via Instagram, sending and receiving more funds over the next few days. When he asked to release the so-called profits from his "investment" he was again told he would need to transfer more money to do so.

At this point, James began to realise he may have fallen victim to a scam - but didn't know how serious the consequences would be.

Within two weeks of that first payment, he received a letter from his main banking provider (not Lloyds Bank), saying his account had been frozen while it reviewed his recent activity.

A few weeks later, he was told that his main account had been closed with immediate effect.

Then, Lloyds Bank also got in touch to say his account would be closed.

He had been flagged as a third-party fraud facilitator - or a "money mule".

But age is no limit

Young people, like James, are often short on cash, so it's no surprise to find they may be targeted by fraudsters. Nearly a quarter (24%) of money mule accounts belong to customers between 19 and 30, with over half (58%) belonging to those under 40.

But there has been an increase in older people falling prey - the latest Lloyds Bank data shows 19% of money mule accounts are held by customers over 40, a growth of an astonishing 73% over the last year.

Liz Ziegler, fraud prevention director at Lloyds Bank, said it is vital to realise how easily people can be lured in.

"Criminals are very good at making their illegal activities look like a real job opportunity and at tricking people into unknowingly recruiting family members and friends into becoming money mules," she said.

"Fraudsters will keep the illusion of legitimacy up until the mule gets caught, then disappear, leaving the mule to deal with the fallout of unintentionally laundering money."

And the fallout can be severe - with up to 14 years in prison, being prevented from opening a bank account for six years, being listed on the national fraud database and being unable to take out a mortgage, loan or even a mobile phone contact.

"While the realisation that you've mistakenly helped a fraudster clean their dirty money would be devastating for anyone when it comes to mules, it won't save them from the consequences, which can be extremely serious," she said.

"Always remember - no legitimate company or person will ever ask you to use your bank account to receive and transfer their money. Do not do it under any circumstances, it’s not worth risking your own future by doing so."

*Name has been changed

A man has been charged with running a network of illegal crypto ATMs in the first-ever criminal prosecution of its kind.

Crypto ATMs are standalone electronic kiosks that allow users to buy and sell cryptocurrency in exchange for cash. All sell Bitcoin, while some offer other cryptocurrencies but not all ATMs allow the sale of crypto, as some are limited to just purchases.

Olumide Osunkoya, who is 45 and resides in London, has been charged with running a network of crypto ATMs that processed £2.6 million in transactions over almost two years, without the required registration.

These are also the first charges brought against a person accused of operating crypto ATMs in the UK.

Mr Osunkoya will appear before Westminster Magistrates' Court on 30 September.

There are no legal crypto ATM operators in the UK.

Therese Chambers, from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), said: "Our message today is clear. If you're illegally operating a crypto ATM, we will stop you.

"If you’re using a crypto ATM, you are handing your money directly to criminals. Criminals can exploit crypto ATMs to launder money globally."

The FCA warns people that if you buy crypto, you should be prepared to lose all your money as the currency remains largely unregulated in the UK and is "high-risk".

JD Sports is set to cut nearly 200 jobs by closing its distribution centre in Derby.

Staff at the Derby Commercial Park were informed of their job losses on Friday, following a six-week consultation, the BBC has reported. The company is now trying to find them alternative roles within the company.

A spokesperson for the company said it was "working with those affected to ensure they are fully supported during this challenging period."

Legislation to strengthen a public finances watchdog is set to become law after clearing the House of Lords.

It would mean any major tax or spending announcements would be subject to an independent assessment by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

The legislation, classified as a Money bill, will provide information but the government will not be forced to comply with what it advises.

Viral chicken chain Dave's Hot Chicken has reportedly eyed up London's Piccadilly for its first UK site.

Backed by rapper Drake, its spiced-to-order chicken has seven levels, with the highest (Reaper) requiring a signed waiver from guests.

The group has submitted planning proposals to display a series of illuminated signs at Vernon House, 40 Shaftesbury Avenue.

As hundreds of thousands of teenagers head to university for the first time this month, many will be facing financial independence for the first time.

In our first ever Money blog spin-off, we put together some essential reads that will hopefully help stand them in good stead...

The iPhone 16 was announced last night to much fanfare across the tech world.

As well as coming in a range of new colours and having a fancy new camera button, it is also capable of running the company's new AI, Apple Intelligence.

But despite the fact it is all over the news, today is actually probably the worst day to buy an iPhone.

If you're looking for the latest tech, you are better off waiting for the release, as otherwise, you'll find yourself with a year-old processor in a matter of months. This is particularly true if you want to make the most of Apple Intelligence, which will only be available on the iPhone 16, 16 Pro and existing iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.

Buying a new iPhone right before the next model launches is not a wise move, even if you aren't looking to upgrade to the flagship phone. Waiting until the new phone hits the shelves will not only give you time to decide whether you want to upgrade, but when a new model comes out it usually means its predecessors bump down in price.

Lisa Barber, tech editor at Which?, said: "Apple's latest launch event hitting the headlines this week might mean consumers are immediately tempted to upgrade to a newer iPhone model. However, in terms of price, today is usually one of the worst days to do this.

"To save money, we'd encourage consumers to wait until the iPhone 16 has actually been released later this month and then look out for the discounts which are likely to emerge on older models.

"For example, we wouldn't be surprised to see the iPhone 14 drop to around £300 below its original price once the 16 range hits the market.

"Another tip is to check the second-hand market, particularly as we could see a flood of iPhone 15s appearing when people start replacing them with iPhone 16s."

So even if you are looking for an iPhone 14, you can expect a price drop - in September 2023, Apple dropped the price of the iPhone 13 after it announced the 15 would shortly go on sale.

The possible exceptions

As with everything, there are a few exceptions to the rule: if you are looking for an iPhone 13, or SE. Apple is likely to stop selling these entirely (although they may be available on the secondary market for a while yet, while retailers clear out old stock), so you may want to get that while you still can.

However, as Macworld says, "bear in mind that soon the iPhone 14 will have a similar price", so you may be better off waiting anyway to get more bang for your buck.

As expected, the House of Commons has voted to approve the government's cut to the winter fuel allowance.

For clarity - the motion that has been voted on was to cancel the government's move to cut the £300 payment to pensioners.

The result of the vote is:

Yes (to cancel the cut): 228
No (to approve the cut): 348

For all the latest news from parliament, read more in our Politics Hub ...

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Porchfest, Chelsea Handler, ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ and more to do this weekend

Plus, two options for takeout chicken wings to pair with Sunday's Patriots game.

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Chelsea Handler at the 29th Annual Critics Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California on Jan. 14, 2024. Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock.com

Can you even handle how much is going on this weekend?

For one, there’s the Chelsea Handler show at Merrill Auditorium on Friday. There’s also the HenryFest music festival in North Yarmouth on Sunday, the Laudholm Nature Crafts Festival in Wells on Saturday and Sunday and the Portland Maine Comedy Festival all weekend long.

What? That’s not enough? Then head to see Pigeons Playing Ping Pong at Thompson’s Point on Sunday. We’ve got the skinny on all of these things , so hop to it.

Chelsea Handler, HenryFest, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and more comedy

Musician Jon King who performs and records under the name King Kyote.

There’s a ton of other live music options to choose from this weekend .

The final show at Sun Tiki Studios in Portland is on Friday, featuring Vapors of Morphine with local opener Sparxsea.

Then there’s a pair of pretty epic festivals to choose from. Advertisement

On Saturday, WMPG presents McGoldROCKS Music Festival with Plague Dad, Vices Inc., Euphemia, Bondeko and Spose. The music happens on the University of Southern Maine campus in Portland.

Also on Saturday is the Big Falls Music & Cider Fest in New Gloucester, featuring Hayley Jane, King Kyote and Love By Numb3rs, among other acts.

Sun Tiki Studios holds its last show, plus 2 festivals happening Saturday

Drumstick with fire sauce from Leonardo’s in Portland. Photo by Leslie Bridgers

Fans of the New England Patriots, rejoice! The first game of the season is Sunday at 1 p.m. against the Cincinnati Bengals. One of the best parts of watching a Pats game at home is the ability to eat whatever you want, including the qunitessential football snack: chicken wings. Two tasty choices of wings are available at Smoked and Leonardo’s, both on Forest Avenue in Portland, and both open well before kick-off to make your takeout dreams come true.

For football season, 2 choices for takeout chicken wings on Forest Avenue

Bob Carroll hosts a band or two in his driveway on Bedell Street during Deering Center’s annual Porchfest. Photo courtesy of Bob Carroll

Porchfest is an annual event in Portland’s Deering Center neighborhood that features several residences hosting local music performances on porches and in driveways and yards. The music starts at 12:15 p.m. Sunday. Check out our interview with Bob Carroll, one of the Porchfest hosts.

What to expect at Porchfest, from a longtime host of the Deering Center event

Latrice Royale plays the man-eating plant in “Little Shop of Horrors” at Ogunquit Playhouse, through Sept. 21. Photo by Jeremy Daniel

It might technically still be summer, but fall theater season is upon us, and we’ve got the lowdown on several upcoming productions, including Portland Players’ “Legally Blonde: The Musical.” For instant theater gratification, see “Little Shop of Horrors” now through Sept. 21 at Ogunquit Playhouse.

Two different takes on ‘Dracula’ and a dozen other plays you can see this fall

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IMAGES

Review: The old man and the sea by Ernest Hemingway
The Old Man and the Sea Book Summary
The Old Man And The Sea
William Faulkner’s 1952 Review of The Old Man and the Sea Book Marks
The Old Man and the Sea
The old man and the sea book report. Free Essay: "Old Man and the Sea

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The Old Man And The Sea: Book Review
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COMMENTS

Book Review: 'The Old Man and the Sea' by Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway published 'The Old Man and the Sea' in 1952, and it was to be his last major work. It is easy to see the parallels between the old man in the novel, called Santiago, and Hemingway. Santiago suffers from bad luck in his old age despite being a great fisher in his youth. Hemingway had been trying to reclaim the literary success of his older books, such as "The Sun Also Rises ...
The Old Man and the Sea Review: Hemingway's Masterpiece
Book Title: The Old Man and the Sea. Book Description: The Old Man and the Sea is a short novel that tells the story of an old Cuban fisherman, Santiago. The novel focuses on his poverty, determination, and incredible spirit as he battles to reel in the biggest fish he's ever seen. Book Author: Earnest Hemingway.
THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Share your opinion of this book. A long short story and worth the money in quality of the old Hemingway of Men Without Women days — though in quantity it can't bulk to more than a scant 150 pages. A unique fishing story — as old man Santiago determines to try his luck in the Gulf waters off Cuba for the eighty fifth day.
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Tackling such a review head on seems, somehow, wrong, like using paint by number to copy the Mona Lisa, ... (Book 521 From 1001 Books) - The Old Man and The Sea, Ernest Hemingway The Old Man and the Sea is a short novel written by the American author Ernest Hemingway in 1951 in Bimini, Bahamas, and published in 1952. ...
"The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway Review
James Topham. Updated on July 01, 2019. "The Old Man and the Sea" was a big success for Ernest Hemingway when it was published in 1952. At first glance, the story appears to be a simple tale of an old Cuban fisherman who catches an enormous fish, only to lose it. There's much more to the story -- a tale of bravery and heroism, of one man's ...
1953 Pulitzer Prize Review: The Old Man and the Sea ...
The Old Man and the Sea is a rich and deep novella about an old fisherman named Santiago and his Herculean efforts to overcome a dry-spell of fishing. Much like the book's protagonist, Ernest Hemingway was also going through a dry-spell of his own at the time. The Old Man and the Sea was written at a time when Hemingway was believed to be a ...
The Old Man and the Sea
813.52. LC Class. PS3515.E37. The Old Man and the Sea is a 1952 novella by the American author Ernest Hemingway. Written between December 1950 and February 1951, it was the last major fictional work Hemingway published during his lifetime. It tells the story of Santiago, an aging fisherman, and his long struggle to catch a giant marlin.
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
The impact that The Old Man and the Sea has is so intense that its review preaches more than the book does. No wonder the book was recognized and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953, also gaining a mention when its author, Ernest Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature the following year.
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
The Old Man and the Sea is a memorable novel. Love it or hate it, it sticks with you. It is a story of hardship, perseverance, and the indomitable nature of the human spirit. It is a book about suffering and accepting that suffering as part of one's life-it is inescapable. When readers make their way through this novel, it's emotionally ...
The Old Man and the Sea
By. Micaela Emanuela Camaroto. Written by Ernest Hemingway in 1951 and published a year later by Life magazine, The Old Man and the Sea is the last completed novel by the American writer before his tragic suicide in 1961. It sold 5.3 million copies in the first 48 hours alone. The work won him the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 and contributed to his ...
The Old Man and the Sea. By Ernest Hemingway. A Book Review
In The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago speaks to the great fish, the lesser fish, the sea, birds, sun, and sharks as though they were present in the conversation in much the same way Hanks character ...
The Old Man and the Sea
The Old Man and the Sea is a classic novel written in 1951 by Ernest Hemingway. It is considered to be the last major work by the eminent author to be published while he was alive. The book is a short read (under 100 pages) which is set in Havana, Cuba. The story tells us the tale of an old fisherman, a young boy and a beautiful and brave fish.
Book Review: The Old Man and the Sea
This is the tiniest book on my bookshelf, but it has taken a much bigger place in my heart. This book with 99 pages will bring you to the middle of the sea, you will be on a small fishing boat with the old man Santiago, the adventure of eighty-four days will make you fall in love with this old man. His courage, energy, enthusiasm will remind ...
The Old Man and the Sea Book Review
Old man and the sea. The Old Man and the Sea is an elegant work by a legendary author. The reader follows the fishing trip of Santiago, an old man who hasn't caught a fish in many months. There is no need to be a fan of fishing to like this book. Hemingway is such a great writer than any reader can easily be "reeled in" by this book.
The Old Man and the Sea
A hugely popular film adaptation starring Spencer Tracy was released in 1958. The Old Man and the Sea, short heroic novel by Ernest Hemingway, published in 1952 and awarded the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. It was his last major work of fiction. The story centers on an aging fisherman who engages in an epic battle to catch a giant marlin.
A Review: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
A Review: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway. I wouldn't feel right about my pursuit to be well-read and an accomplished author if I didn't make time for the classics. Ernest Hemingway is one of the most esteemed authors of the modern era, and his Nobel Prize-winning novel, , is often cited as his greatest work.
Book Review: The Old Man and the Sea
The plot is simple, and can even seem quite boring at the first glance. But the narration is incredible and manages to make a mundane story rather poignant. You almost feel sorry for the old man ...
Review: Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea"
These hostile streaks in Santiago's consciousness, combined with a vaguely racist reminiscence of beating a "negro" at arm wrestling earlier in life, make The Old Man and the Sea feel dated in some parts (55-6). However, the novel's timeless message is ultimately strong enough to overshadow these anachronistic elements.
Hemingway's Tragic Fisherman
"The Old Man and the Sea" written more than twenty-five years later, in the maturity of Hemingway's art, is a novella whose action is directly, cleanly and, as he would say, "truly" told. ... Like "Across the River and into the Trees," "The Old Man and the Sea" (a September Book-of-the-Month dual choice) is an interruption in the long major ...
The Old Man and the Sea
Santiago, an old fisherman, hasn't caught anything in 84 days. He's discouraged. His friend and former sailing mate, Manolin, longs to help him, but Manolin's parents refuse because of Santiago's poor fishing record. On day 85, Santiago feels a tug he knows to be the fish he's been looking for. But the fish is so enormous and strong ...
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway: Book review
So, on the 85th day, the old man set sail with bait (sardines, which the boy got him) and little else to net a fish. "And the best fisherman is you," the boy told him. The old man hopes no ...
Book review -- Ernest Hemingway THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Ernest Hemingway New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1952 127 pages. Once again I return to the work of Ernest Hemingway after an almost 50 year hiatus. The Old Man and the Sea is a magnificent story. At one level it is the tale of a man and a fish, at another, a story of man versus nature, at yet another, the story of the culture of manhood ...
Books of The Times
Today you can buy "The Old Man and the Sea" in Life for 20 cents. On Monday, Sept. 8, Scribners will publish it for $3. Mr. Hemingway, whose books have won him a world- wide audience, is now being presented to a new mass audience at bargain rates. What the book sellers who have distributed his works for twenty-six years think of this situation ...
Money blog: House prices hit two-year high
House prices have hit a two-year high after jumping 0.3% in August, the latest data from Halifax has shown. Scroll through the Money blog for this plus more personal finance and consumer posts ...
Porchfest, Chelsea Handler, 'Little Shop of Horrors' and more to do
Fans of the New England Patriots, rejoice! The first game of the season is Sunday at 1 p.m. against the Cincinnati Bengals. One of the best parts of watching a Pats game at home is the ability to ...

Book Review: ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ by Ernest Hemingway

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THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA

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'The Old Man and the Sea' Review

Life and Death

Great Books Guy

1953 Pulitzer Prize Review: The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Notable Quotations:

Ernest Hemingway’s Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech

On the 1953 Pulitzer Prize Decision

Film Adaptation:

Further Reading:

Literary Context in 1952-1953:

Did The Right Book Win?

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The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway | Book Review

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