The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories

by Ernest Hemingway

Book Overview

The ideal introduction to the genius of Ernest Hemingway, The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories contains ten of Hemingway's most acclaimed and popular works of short fiction.

Selected from Winner Take Nothing, Men Without Women, and The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories, this collection includes "The Killers," the first of Hemingway's mature stories to be accepted by an American periodical;...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684804441
• ISBN13: 9780684804446
• Release Date: October 1995
• Publisher: Scribner Book Company
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

A Good Collection

I read this book many, many years ago and it is still fresh in my mind. Hemingway is an essential writer. If you haven't read this book, you should do so as soon as possible.

Sort stories - about as good as they can get!

I am usually not a short story aficionado, but I love Ernest Hemingway, so I had to read these. Also, Hemingway thought that his story "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" was about as good as anything he had written. And he, of course was right. This story on its own has about everything anyone could ask for when reading a tale. The emotions and character portrayal are remarkable considering that Hemingway put them within the confines of a short story. The best thing about anything that Hemingway writes though is that his stories are based on his actual experiences. And his "bare bones" method of storytelling cuts through everything and gets right to the meat of any of his issues. The stories in this collection are a bit graphic because there are quite a few about big game hunting and also about rum running in the gulf between Cuba and Florida, but they are each masterpieces in their own right. I for one want to read everything Hemingway ever wrote. To my way of thinking he is one of the best English-speaking writers we have ever had.

Beautiful, riveting short fiction from Mr. Hemingway!

This collection of short fiction is a reminder of Ernest Hemingway's place as one of the best authors of all time. The Snows of Kilimanjaro is full of Hemingway's wonderful, clear and timeless language and prose. "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," "A Day's Wait," and "The Killers" possess profound sadness and sentimentality. My favorite story is the semiautobiographical "Fathers and Sons." Hemingway illustrates his feelings about his father's suicide with rich, albeit sharp, prose. The subject title is also a wonderful story. This isn't Hemingway's best work, not as powerful as The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms, but it's a memorable book nevertheless. His short stories have always touched me, and these aren't the exception.

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.