Era da qualche tempo che mi frullava per la testa di tornare a rileggere Hemingway. Pensavo di optare per Fiesta, che per me sarebbe stata comunque una rilettura. Ma poi mi è giunto un suggerimento da una persona conosciuta questa estate, che mi ha fatto propendere per Di là dal fiume e tra gli alberi.

Tornando dalla Croazia, ho trascorso un giorno a Jesolo, da amici veneti. E non so come si è cominciato a parlare di libri. Ovviamente, su sei adulti e vaccinati, nessuno era lettore. Mi sentivo come un pigmeo tra Titani o, secondo i punti di vista, un Titano tra pigmei. Ma ad un certo punto, proprio uno fra i sei non-lettori-soddisfatti-e-felici-della-propria-esistenza-avulsa-da-cartacei/digitali mi giunge un suggerimento prezioso: “Se ti piace la lettura allora devi assolutamente leggere Hemingway perché qui a Caorle (che è quasi limitrofa a Jesolo) Hemingway ha vissuto, ha combattuto, ha cacciato e ci ha lasciato il cuore”. “Be grazie molte del suggerimento, non mancherò”.

E’ proprio vero: a volte e inaspettatamente i consigli migliori vengono da dove meno ci si aspetterebbe. Di là dal fiume e tra gli alberi è un racconto quasi totalmente autobiografico. Hemingway parla di sé, della sua esperienza come corrispondente di guerra, dando voce a un colonnello americano in pensione, malato di cuore e pieno di ferite di battaglia, che torna nei luoghi dove da giovane ha combattuto. Il colonnello soggiorna all’hotel Gritti di Venezia e ama Renata, una giovane aristocratica veneziana in un rapporto quasi figliale.

Renata è avida di assorbire il passato del suo compagno per recuperare quella distanza temporale che la fa sentire lontana da lui. Abbracciati, percorrono il reticolo di stradine di Venezia, fredda e spazzata dal vento. Il colonnello conosce meglio quelle calli di uno stesso veneziano e, sul filo del ricordo, come in un viaggio della nostalgia, fa rivivere per lei e nel suo ricordo quei luoghi, quella gente, la caccia alle anatre nella laguna ghiacciata e brumosa prima dell’alba. Tuttavia, lo stile è il suo, tipicamente hemingwayano: dialoghi brevi asciutti, essenziali privi di orpelli, senza concedere una parola in più anche a rischio di non farsi capire, paesaggi descritti con pochi tratti ma con grande verità di resa.

Devo dire però che nonostante Hemingway è una lettura che non mi ha convinto pienamente, come avrei preteso e desiderato. Tre stelle un po’ scarse ma è un autore a cui devo moltissimo in termini di educazione alla lettura e non riesco, né voglio, essere obiettiva, verso Hemingway sarò sempre e totalmente piena di pregiudizi, quelli positivi.

Hmm, a bit spoilerish, sorry, so I hid some of this.

Set in Italy, near the end of World War II, the story revolves around retiring Colonel Richard Cantwell. He pays a visit to a small town near Venice, where he encounters his much younger girlfriend, Renata. The Colonel, who is fifty-one, and Renata, who is nineteen, have an age gap that adds an interesting dynamic to their relationship.

The Colonel is a somewhat brash and rude man, often defaulting to a'military' response too easily. However, Hemingway delves into his inner struggle as he tries to be less rude and less confrontational. His military career is over, and while he has his share of anecdotes and past glories, he realizes that he has little else. His young girlfriend, who refuses to marry him, becomes his only source of love.

As the Colonel spends his long weekend, he busies himself with putting things in order for his departure. Hemingway constructs an interesting character in the Colonel, one who may not be immediately likeable but whose complexity becomes more apparent towards the end. There are several interesting interactions throughout the story, although for some readers, the dialogue in certain parts may prove to be a bit of a challenge. In fact, some of it could have been omitted without significantly affecting the closure of the story.

Overall, this work earns 3 stars for its engaging character study and the exploration of themes such as love, aging, and the aftermath of war.

The worst Hemingway I have ever read is truly a disappointment. His writing style, which is usually lauded for its simplicity and power, seems to have failed him in this particular work. The characters lack depth and the plot meanders aimlessly. There is none of the usual tension and drama that one expects from a Hemingway novel. The dialogue is stilted and unconvincing, and the descriptions are overly simplistic. It is as if he was writing without his heart and soul. I have always been a fan of Hemingway, but this work has made me question my admiration. I hope that this is just a fluke and that he will return to his former glory with his next book.

Starting in the 1930s, through the 1940s and into the early 1950s, the critics' stance towards Hemingway underwent a shift. They maintained the view that as an artist, he often struggled unsuccessfully to match the quality of his earliest works. One reviewer even wrote that he “may have slipped slightly south of genius.” While For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940) and The Old Man and the Sea (1952) received praise, other published works like Death in the Afternoon (1932) and The Green Hill of Africa (1935) had decidedly mixed reviews. The debate also extended to Winner Take Nothing (1933) and To Have and Have Not (1937).

By 1950, with the publication of Across the River and Into the Trees, Hemingway's public dissipation seemed to have added fuel to the negative evaluations of his new writings. Philip Rahv, an American critic and essayist, noted in his 1950 review that the novel was “so egregiously bad” that it was embarrassing for those who esteemed Hemingway as a considerable prose-artist. However, in recent times, critics have re-evaluated much of his post-1930 production and found it far stronger, more innovative, and creative than earlier reviewers thought. Across the River and Into the Trees has benefited from this re-evaluation.

The story's structure is simple. Richard Cantwell, a 50-year-old Army officer dying of heart disease, reflects on his life and love during a duck hunting trip in Venice. The flashback spans the hours before the hunt, during which he is with his 19-year-old Italian countess. They eat, make love, exchange gifts, and meet his old war buddies. The story also includes reflections on contemporary politicians, military figures, and writers. In the end, Cantwell dies.

At its core, the story is about aging and death, classic themes that recur in the works of other novelists. Hemingway was obsessed with death, and this is evident in Across the River and Into the Trees. However, what detracts from the novel, in my opinion, is its length. Hemingway is a bit too wordy, especially in the middle sections where Cantwell recounts his war experiences or reflects on others. Could it not have been shortened into a more powerful short story like “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”?

Ernest Hemingway's works often explore the theme of war and its profound impact on human lives. His novels are centered around the experiences and changes that occur during and after war. Even when writing during a time of war, he approaches the subject from unique perspectives.

One of his notable works is about a colonial complex that has endured numerous wars and near-destruction. Through these experiences, the protagonist emerges with a complex and unique personality, filled with contradictions. He falls into a captivating love that lasts for many years, encompassing all aspects of his life.

Hemingway's romanticism is dry and intense. He focuses on the essential details and ignores the typical flow of emotions and feelings found in other romantic works. It is not a dreamy romanticism but rather a more realistic and gritty one. His skill in describing places, natural landscapes, and ordinary life, as well as his characters, is truly remarkable.

Once again, Minir Baelbaki's translation is excellent.

Much like Islands in the Stream, Across the River and into the Trees is one of Hemingway’s later books that just doesn’t quite pass muster. There are kernels of quality sporadically peppered throughout the story but it just cannot compare with his earlier works.

The story itself centers around an old soldier named Richard Cantwell right after (or possibly during) the capitulation of Germany near the end of World War II. Richard’s fighting days are over, and with a failing heart he returns to his adopted hometown of Venice, which he helped defend as a young infantryman in the first war. This visit, however, does not revolve around military matters as Richard is only in town to spend the weekend with a young Italian girl who he’s fallen in love with. And by young, I mean young. At nineteen, she’s only half his age (he rather appropriately calls her ‘Daughter’ as a pet name).

As with Islands in the Stream, one of the major faults I found with this novel is a hellishly annoying protagonist, if you can even call him that. Poor Richard has seen perhaps one too many battles and had too much shrapnel ricochet off his helmet, because he seems to see his whole life as a military battle, even his love life. His excessive bravado and bogus machismo are enough to make me puke after a few sentences. It is very difficult to believe that Renata, his girl, could possibly stand to listen to him blather about old war stories for longer than a minute, much less have feelings of love for him. Then again, what is a Hemingway novel without a completely unbelievable female love interest?

The story flows along nicely and it makes for a quick read, but despite some pleasant moments, reading this novel only makes me want to pick up The Sun Also Rises or his short story collection to remind myself why I still regard Hemingway as my favorite author.

My book (26) for the year 2018.

Love knows no small or large... That's what they say, and here's exactly what happened: The colonel, who is fifty-one years old, falls in love with a girl more than thirty years younger than him to live a quiet and short love story over 335 pages.

I never liked the book, and my first experience with Ernest Hemingway was disappointing because everything he wrote was a detailed and boring diary of the colonel's life over several days.

The rating:

He smiled. His eyes were as kind as always. He knew that he was never too kind. But there was nothing else left for him to do except to be kind to his last love, the only true love he had ever known.

In my opinion, the only person who can write two hundred flawless stories about war, hunting, and the sea is like this! The way he shows the love between a nineteen-year-old girl and a fifty-one-year-old general is such that in reality, you can't pursue it, but when you read it, it's so touching! When you read Richard's war memories, it gives you the same feeling that I get when I read Reza Amir-Khani's books! War is the same everywhere, but love is not...

This story seems to be a beautiful and touching account of a unique love. The description of the characters' expressions and the comparison between war and love add depth and emotion to the narrative. It makes the reader curious to know more about the details of this love story and how it unfolds.

Perhaps the author is trying to convey the idea that love is a powerful force that can transcend age and other obstacles. It can bring out the best in people and give them a reason to keep going even in the midst of war and chaos.

Overall, this is a thought-provoking and engaging piece of writing that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

Free download available at Faded Page.

Shortly after World War II, an American colonel embarks on a visit to the Adriatic coast. This journey is not just a simple trip for him. There is a plethora of thoughts crowding his mind. Among them is a young Italian woman named Renata. The colonel finds himself constantly reflecting on her. Her image seems to linger in his thoughts, perhaps a symbol of something more profound. As he walks along the beautiful Adriatic coast, the gentle breeze caresses his face, but his mind is far from at ease. He wonders about his connection with Renata and what it might mean for his future. The war has left him with many scars, both physical and emotional, but Renata seems to offer a glimmer of hope in his otherwise tumultuous life.

Ernest Hemingway is best read when one knows his life's adventures. Although the author repeatedly emphasizes that his characters and stories are fictional, the contemporary reader probably has no illusions and knows that there is a lot of Hemingway in Hemingway.

The Hemingway collection from Wydawnictwo Marginesy is an excellent project. The new beautiful editions and refreshed translations have made me gladly reach for the known and unknown works of one of the greatest novelists of the 20th century.

And Hemingway practiced a unique kind of art, combining memories with literary narration in an extraordinary way.

And although "Across the River and into the Trees" fares worse in comparison with "A Farewell to Arms", "For Whom the Bell Tolls", or "The Sun Also Rises", there is something in this story that hooked me and keeps pulling me. I just simply like Mr. Ernest's prose.

"Across the River and into the Trees" is a paraphrase of the last words that the dying Confederate General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson supposedly said in delirium and to some extent it sounds like a farewell prophecy.

It was the last novel before "The Old Man and the Sea", a novella from 1952 that was a success, the last one he published before his suicidal death in 1961.

The hero of the novel is Richard Cantwell, known for most of the narration as "the Colonel". He is a hero who strikingly resembles Hemingway.

The Colonel is fifty years old and, like the author, has vivid memories of the war years.

Once a general, demoted for a military defeat during the war. The Colonel comes to Venice. He is drawn to hunting and a certain beautiful, nineteen-year-old rich aristocrat he calls "the Daughter". The two have a complicated emotional relationship. It is a love and romance suspended between reality and dream, a love that is not entirely platonic and not entirely consummated. He is old and sick, she is young, naive and full of life.

The Colonel himself is a man who on the one hand wants to love, feast on the best food and wine, delight in literature and art, on the other hand he can be cynical, harsh and disappointed.

There are many memories, war experiences and existential considerations here. One feels that some end is approaching, and one senses sadness and regret.

The relationship between the Colonel and the young Renata, whose character is associated with the person of Adriana Ivancich, a Venetian aristocrat who charmed Hemingway, is intriguing.

When reading "Across the River and into the Trees", it is worth using the annotations that the translator leaves at the end of the novel. They make it more complete and one can delight in Hemingway more fully, maturely and with greater understanding.

I read Hemingway because I like him. I like him, so I recommend him.

A beautiful, tragic, and complicated novel indeed. It may not be believed to be Hemingway's absolute finest work, but it surely stands as a remarkable testament to the power of his keen observation and vivid description.

Here, Hemingway's writing skillfully outlines a profound way of thinking about the world that surrounds us. It's about uncovering beauty within the ordinary routine and in the mastery of the familiar. It's like looking at the ceiling and having the vision to call it art. Or standing on a bridge over the Great Canal on your way to the early morning market, facing North, into the wind, and having the audacity to describe the air as cool, hard, and majestic, and then simply continuing on your path.

It's about that moment when your breath catches as you look at a girl, and the ability to describe her beauty in a hundred slightly different ways, all the while always understanding the ephemerality and finality of your love. Hemingway's words have the power to transport us into a world where the simplest of things hold the most profound meaning.

Uh, this was truly bad. It is by far the worst Hemingway work I have read. I often wish that when it comes to books that I really don't like, I could just be a quitter. But unfortunately, I'm not. So here I am, trudging through this disappointment.

Unless you have an extreme passion for duck hunting, be prepared for extremely boring dialogues that seem to repeat endlessly on every page. The story lacks any real direction and just meanders aimlessly. And as if that wasn't enough, there is a weird and disturbing sex scene in a gondolla that just adds to the overall yuck factor. Ew!

I really cannot recommend this book to anyone. It's a waste of time and energy. There are so many other great books out there that are worth reading. Save yourself the trouble and skip this one.