The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway

This is the quintessential short story collection by a minimalist who doesn’t write just to write. I love the fact that the stories are not contrived. He doesn’t force anything.

The characters, the setting, and the story just interact and produce real, believable results. Hemingway doesn’t stretch credulity, the ridiculous, or the fantastic, yet transports you to his world with a few efficient lines.

For my money, Hemingway is the greatest American short story writer. He is spare and direct until he isn’t. The meter and clipped phrasing and short sentences set up bigger, longer runs that are beautiful and often explain what it’s like to be a human being without being obvious or careless. They never feel false and are edited down to the bone. That’s probably what I learned most from Hemingway, the editing. Just picking a story, “On the Quai at Smyrna,” has such a staccato matter-of-factness that belies just how awful the situation there on the pier must have been.… show more.

Once again, there is much to learn in style and substance from Hemingway. He was another of my inspirations, although as I matured, I have changed my opinion of him. What stands out now is self-indulgence and the attempt to depict himself as hyper-masculine. The combination of brilliant technical skills and an unattractive personality creates strong dissonance, a good thing for prospective authors to confront.