Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13715 in Books
• Published on: 1994-11-03
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

Synopsis
In these Hemingway stories, which are partly autobiographical, men and women of passion live, fight, love and die in scenes of dramatic intensity. They range from hauntingly tragedy on the snow-capped peak of Kilimanjaro, to brutal America with its deceptive calm, and war-ravaged Europe.

Customer Reviews

An excellent Hemingway story
The Snows of Kilimanjaro is among Hemingway's best works. Concise and yet incredibly condense in meaning, it takes the reader through the main events of the protagonist's life. It therefore provides an explanation of how the main character gradually deprives himself of his greatest dreams and ambitions, drifting away in a lifestyle that he accepts rather than chooses for himself. The character and landscape depictions are remarkable, identifiable with the classic Hemingway style. In this way, connections are allowed to be made between this particular work and others by Hemingway, such as, for instance, A Moveable Feast. The magnitude of The Snows of Kilimanjaro is to be found in the fact that it combines many of Hemingway's distinctive storytelling locations in one text and, most notably, in one that greatly demonstrates his craft.
The unique continuity in plot and the marvellous transitions from present to past and vice versa, keep interest in constant maximum level, until the end of the narrative.
The title of the book is highly related to its content, since it defines the outcome. The climax of the story is inseparably linked to its location. The ending is complemented by the scenery and the impact on the reader is immense.
The Snows of Kilimanjaro is bound to be appreciated not only by avid Hemingway readers, but also by readers that select this book in order to become acquainted with the acclaimed author.

Highly recommended!

The Greatest Short Story of All-Time
Quite simply, "The Snows of Kilimajaro" is the greatest short story I have ever read. Hemingway's poignant prose powerfully touches the reader with its rather candid narration and lack of verbosity. A stirring portrait of potential wasted and talent corrupted, this story explores the classic Hemingway themes of death and corruption. As the protagonist faces death and bemoans the ruination of his talent by "betrayals of himself and what he believed in" and by "drinking so much he blunted the edge of his perception," the reader realizes the significance of living life in such a manner that when death beckons, the end will come without any regrets, could-haves, would-haves or should-haves. Perhaps no author embodied this philosophy more than Hemingway; a man who truly lived a life without regrets.

Be prepared: this story shall transform your philosophy on existence. Oh yeah, and the other stories aren't half-bad either :-)

A quick fix of Hemingway.
"The Snows of Kilimanjaro" contains some of Hemingway's finer short stories. And like many of his works, they resemble his life. Everything from his childhood to his later years in Africa are material for these tales. The stories of Hemingway's recurrent character, Nick Adams, who some say is Hemingway himself, are contained in this book also. All the works bear his distinct imprint, even though many are under ten pages in length. "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" is what I consider Hemingway's most potent short story of all. This collection is a great primer for those who are unacquainted with Hemingway's work and wish to discover his talent.