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When Michael Palin was researching his novel Hemingway's Chair, his interest was stimulated by Hemingway's appetite for travel and "Papa's" evocations of the places he knew. In pursuit of Hemingway, Palin begins at the beginning, in Oak Park, Idaho, then travels to Italy where Hemingway served in the Ambulance Brigade in the First World War. Then on to Paris in the "Roaring Twenties", bull-running at Pamplona and Hemingway's love affair with Spain. Hemingway became disillusioned and returned to the States, where he lived on Key West in Florida before moving to Sun Valley, Idaho, until the Spanish civil war recalled him.
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As you read it you get to know not only the author, but you feel as if you have spent time in Hemingway's company. The book is richly illustrated with stunning photographs which tell a lot in addition to the printed text.
The numerous quotations from Hemingway's novels help to make the book more coherent, and also give insight on Hemingway's life.
An excellent read for Hemingway fans, for those who know little or nothing about him, or for anyone who is interested in seeing different cultures and ways of life.
This book is based on the BBC TV program where Mr. Palin traveled to all of the places where Ernest Hemingway had lived and traveled. One can't really say the program "follows Hemingway's footsteps" because some sequences are presented out of order, but it's all there:
Chicago and northern Illinois (Hemingway's youth)
Italy (WW I and duck hunting)
Paris (Hemingway's start as an author)
Spain (running with the bulls, bullfighting)
Key West (fishing, boxing)
Africa (hunting, airplane crash injuries)
Cuba (fishing, Hemingway's home for 20 years)
Montana and Idaho (dude ranches, Hemingway's death)
Each chapter that describes a place almost invariably leaves the reader smiling and thinking that it would be interesting to visit that place oneself.
Incidentally, my high opinion of this book (and the associated TV program) has nothing to do with any interest in Hemingway's authorship. I read "The Old Man and the Sea" when I was in high school, and have not read anything by Hemingway since. Still, I find his life interesting, and I think that Michael Palin has made a great travelogue by visiting the various places and telling about Hemingway's life.
I can especially recommend the audio version of this book, which is read by Michael Palin himself. He does a great job of delivering the dialog of the various people, all with their different accents.
Of course, the audio version of the book does not include the beautiful photographs, so the very best strategy might be to get both, and listen to the audio version while commuting and then look at the pictures when you get home.
Rennie Petersen
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