Ernest Hemingway anyone?

Question

I'm looking for new, experimental authors to read over break. A couple of my favorites are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and H.G. Wells. Will I be pleasantly surprised?

well, "experimental" for me at least...

Answer 1

If you like Doyle and Welles, Hemingway will be a bit of a surprise. He wrote spare, undemonstrative prose --rugged, if you like. Very effective but kind of trying in large doses. Your best bet is to read "For Whom the Bell Tolls", probably his best work. Or, if you want something shorter, try "The Old Man and the Sea"
I prefer John Steinbeck to Hemingway myself---"Cannery Row" is a great introduction to his style.
Though Hemingway and Steinbeck are not at all new, they introduced some fine new voices to literature. Give 'em a try!

Answer 2

For 20th century writers, Hemingway is one of the elite. However, I'm not sure I would categorize him as experimental. The most "experimental" thing about him would be his rather spartan, prose, which is more reminiscent of journalism than anything else. Any of his books would be a good read, though for me, I would start with The Sun Also Rises. For more experimental fare, try James Joyce (Ulysses) or Thomas Pynchon (V). Another interesting work, though less "experimental", is Truman Capote's haunting Other Voices, Other Rooms. The book is gay-themed (but as a sort of undercurrent), so you might have to get over that, but the writing is brilliant.

Answer 3

My first Hemingway book was The Sun Also Rises, and I personally didn't care for it. I decided later to read For Whom the Bell Tolls, and I was impressed by it. I found it far more engaging and for me, the better of the two.

Answer 4

i like them too but hemingway was torure!
i had to read the old man and the sea for class and that was pure torure!