Timeless Ernie: What makes the author evergreen legend

July 21 marks the 117th birth anniversary of writer Ernest Hemingway.

He published seven novels, six short-story collections and two non-fiction works in his lifetime. Hemingway won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954.

Here are a few facts about “Papa”:
In the 1940s, Hemingway was recruited as a spy by the Soviet KGB, though he never fed the Soviets any intelligence. He went under the name “Argo”. Edgar Hoover and many FBI officials spied on him for much of his later life.

Hemingway underwent shock therapy to treat his manic depression (bipolar disorder). The treatment obliterated his memory, which made it impossible for him to write. This was the catalyst that sparked his desire to commit suicide.

Hemingway was charged with war crimes under the Geneva Convention when he took command and led of a group of French militia into battle against the Nazis.

Hemingway killed himself with his favourite shotgun, purchased from Abercrombie & Fitch.

There’s an annual Ernest Hemingway Look alike Contest in Florida. Bearded men gather to take part in the contest. It is run by the Hemingway Look-Alike Society and has been held every July since 1981.

Few of his noted contemporaries are: F Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Ezra Pound, and Sherwood Anderson.

Source: Huffingtonpost.com, Interestingliterature.com