Hemingway: New Perspectives

Episode 6 - Hendaye 1953

After winning the Pulitzer Prize for The Old Man and the Sea in September 1952, Ernest and his fourth wife Mary were ready to party. In June 1953, they sailed for Europe with almost 600 pounds of luggage. They were about to embark on an automobile tour of France and Spain before heading to Kenya for Hemingway's second East African safari. At the beginning of July 1953, Hemingway returned to one of his favorite destinations: Hendaye, France. Podcaster and Hemingway aficionado, Curt DeBerg, brings you Podcast #6 from Hendaye.
 

Key West Episode 2 (1932-34)

As Ernest and Pauline settle into their new home at 907 Whitehead Street, Ernest works on "Death in the Afternoon" at his new writing studio above the carriage house in the morning and goes fishing with his "mob" in the afternoon. Pauline oversees the renovation of their new home while recovering from her C-Section delivery of Gregory, born in November 1931. Before long, Ernest seeks out the big marlin in the deep blue Gulf Stream. He finds marlin, discovers the Cuban people, and entertains Jane Mason on board the boat by day, and the Ambos Mundos Hotel by night. Pauline struggles to keep Ernest's interest in the bedroom.

Key West Episode 1 (1928-1931)

Curtis DeBerg makes his first of five podcasts from Key West. DeBerg narrates the story of the time that Hemingway and his second wife, Pauline, spent in Key West from 1928-31. Setting sail from Europe, the Hemingways stop in Havana for two days before making their way to Key West in early April 1928. The Hemingways had several temporary residences in Key West from 1928 to 1931, but they finally settled into their stately home at 907 Whitehead Street in December 1931. Their second son, Gregory, had just been born, and Ernest was beginning to get a seven-year itch (even though he and Pauline had only been married five years at the time).

Episode 5 - Hendaye (1933)

Hemingway visited Hendaye five times in the twenties and thirties: 1925, 1927, 1929, 1931, and 1933. On August 27, 1933, Hemingway returned for his fifth time. He had just published Death in the Afternoon, his "bullfight" story, and was soon to publish Winner Take Nothing, his collection of 14 short stories. SA few months after leaving Hendaye, Hemingway and his second wife, Pauline, took off for their first safari, boarding a ship in Marseilles and heading for Mombasa, Kenya. On December 20, 1933, Hemingway and Pauline, along with Key West Charles Thompson, began their safari. 

Episode 4 (1931) - Hendaye, France

In early 1931, Ernest was recovering from his broken arm suffered on November 1, 1930 in a car accident near Billings, Montana. In May, he felt good enough to resume working on his "bullfighting" book, Death in the Afternoon. He met up with Pauline, Patrick and Bumby in Hendaye to enjoy the two-mile, yellow-sand beach of the beach town in the heart of the Basque Country. Upon their return to the US, baby Gregory Hancock Hemingway was born in Kansas City, in November, and on December 19, the Hemingway family of four moved into their new home at 907 Whitehead St. in Key West, Florida.

Episode 3 (Updated, 1929) - Hendaye, France

In April 1929, Ernest and Pauline returned to Europe after spending an eventful year in the United States, with Key West as their home base. The previous year, 1928, had been an eventful year for the Hemingways. They welcomed newborn baby, Patrick, into their home in June, Ernest completed the first rough draft of A Farewell to Arms in August, and in December, Ernest's father, Dr. Clarence "Ed" Hemingway committed suicide at Ernest's boyhood home in Oak Park, Illinois. In spite of the trauma, Ernest had lots to be happy about when he returned to Pamplona and Hendaye in summer 1929. The Pamplona bullfights and yellow-sand beaches of Hendaye awaited. While in Hendaye, in May 1929, Ernest worked furiously to find just the "right" ending for A Farewell to Arms. Ernest memorialized Hendaye in Chapter 4 of his posthumously published book, The Garden of Eden. 

Episode 2 (1927), Hendaye, France

In this podcast, recorded from his apartment overlooking the Sea of Biscay and Hendaye Beach, Curtis DeBerg describes Hemingway's second visit to Hendaye, in September 1927. This time, instead of Hadley, he was accompanied by his second wife, Pauline. DeBerg reads from a long letter that Hemingway sent to his father in Oak Park, IL, explaining the details behind his divorce from Hadley and how he plans to support them. After this, DeBerg reads from the Prologue of his forthcoming book, Hemingway: New Perspectives, New Inspiration.

Episode 1 (1925), Hendaye, France

This debut episode is recorded in Hendaye, France, a summer playground for Ernest Hemingway, starting in 1925. Curt DeBerg, retired professor from California State University, is the narrator. After introducing himself, DeBerg sets the stage for Hemingway's first visit to Hendaye, France in August 1925, when Ernest was mid-way through his first blockbuster novel, The Sun Also Rises. In the second part of the podcast, DeBerg reads the synopsis of his forthcoming book.