Ernest Hemingway is a literary legend, whose life and travels provided him with many experiences which would inspire him to write many acclaimed works. For Whom the Bell Tolls
In 1937 Ernest Hemingway traveled to Spain to cover the civil war there for the North American Newspaper Alliance. Three years later he completed the greatest novel to emerge from “the good fight,” For Whom the Bell Tolls. The story of Robert Jordan, a young American in the International Brigades attached to an antifascist guerilla unit in the mountains of Spain, it tells of loyalty and courage, love and defeat, and the tragic death of an ideal. In his portrayal of Jordan’s love for the beautiful Maria and his superb account of El Sordo’s last stand, in his brilliant travesty of La Pasionaria and his unwillingness to believe in blind faith, Hemingway surpasses his achievement in The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms.
Young Adult Mag: What was the inspiration for For Whom The Bell Tolls?
Ernest Hemingway: The story was inspired by my time reporting on the Spanish American War. I began writing it after I returned from the war. Much of the novel was written in Havana, Cuba.
YA: Tell us a little bit more about the novel.
EH: The story focuses on a group of guerilla soldiers who are fighting the fascist dictatorship in Spain. Many of the characters are based on real people, while some are completely fictional. Additionally, some of the characters are the real people who were involved with the conflict.
YA: What are the major themes of the book?
EH: I would say the major themes are love and death. The protagonist falls in love with a woman who rejuvenates his love of life, while simultaneously being asked to go on a mission that will surely be his demise.
YA: You’ve been portrayed in films many times. Are there any particular performances you liked or diskliked?
EH: I quite enjoyed Clive Owen’s portrayal of myself in HBO’s film Hemingway & Gellhorn. I also quite liked Nicole Kidman’s portrayal of my journalist wife, Martha Gellhorn.