Favorite Short Story Collection: Ernest Hemingway

I stole from my high school library. It's been a decade since I graduated. Ten years must surpass the statute of limitations for any hardback thievery. The book was The Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway. High school kids have been ripping off Hemingway for decades, why should I be any different?

There are many Hemingway collections. The one in my grubby paws was first published in 1925. Many reprints followed up to 1966. And beyond possibly, but our library never had books published after the 1960s. Consider this one an official collection as Hemingway wrote the preface as well.

The collection includes his best known short stories such as "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," "Hills Like White Elephants" and "The Killers." My favorite, and the reason I pocketed this book, was "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place."

You are either for or against Ernest Hemingway. Either his style is too dry and direct, or it is brilliant and direct. He was a misogynistic drunk, or he was the epitome of a writer. He was all of that, and all of that is very appealing to a 17-year-old boy.

The direct language and curtness of emotion in "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place", as well as the romance that I read in the story is what hooked me in. Hemingway is romantic to me. The promise of a life fully lived versus the dearth of a life unlived.

It was beat before Jack Kerouac said beat. It was fierce, direct and plain. At 17, there is not much room for subtlety of emotion. There is not much white space to read between the lines. There is no time for introspection.

"You should have killed yourself last week," says one of the waiters to the drunk, deaf man waiting for his brandy refill. This biting, fearlessness in "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" is candy for a self loathing teenage boy. As an adult, I am horrified by the sentiment, but still taken by the story.

Not all of Hemingway's stories cinched in at that time. In my community college English Literature class, I know I didn't understand "Hills Like White Elephants." The instructor explained the imagery. It wasn't until later, after having a child, that I could understand the story. I'll go back through my stolen collection of Ernest Hemingway short stories from time to time. I'll remember why I love him, why I hate him and how he influenced my appreciation.