The Great Literary Feuds of Ernest Hemingway

Many a writer found themselves on the bad side of this notoriously bad-tempered genius.

It is well known that Ernest Hemingway was notoriously bad-tempered. Some speculate this may have been the result of alcohol abuse. 

Hemingway was an iconic American author known for his concise yet impactful writing style. Many generations have read one of his most famous works, The Old Man and the Sea.

His books often had a theme of war adventure and studied what he called the human condition. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. 

Hemingway's bad temper and impulsive nature resulted in his arguing with more than one of his literary contemporaries. 

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald is most famous for his iconic novel, The Great Gatsby. Despite literary success, he struggled with financial problems. This was primarily due to his lavish lifestyle and alcoholism. 

Initially, the two authors had massive respect for each other's work. In 1925, the two met in Paris. A group of writers and artists known as the Lost Generation formed a close community. 

Hemingway was an emerging writer, having written several short stories. He deeply respected Fitzgerald and described The Great Gatsby as a masterpiece. 

It was not long, though, until Hemingway started criticising Fitzgerald. A very proud man, Hemingway resented the help Fitzgerald had given him. 

Hemingway stated that Fitzgerald's talent only existed in his spleen, and he relied on self-pity as inspiration. Fitzgerald countered by saying that Hemingway's writing lacked depth and rawness.

 

Wallace Stephen's 

Stephen's was a prominent American poet known for his modernist style, which explored the interplay between reality and imagination. 

When he had his run-in with Hemingway, he was twenty years his senior, and the younger man smacked him in the face during a fight over the honour of his sister.

Hemingway had several altercations with Stephen's, but the final straw was when his sister Ursula came into the house crying. She stated that during a cocktail party, Mr Stephen's had told her she was a sap in such a manner that it had upset her to the point of tears. 

Hemingway headed out into the rain, meeting with Stephen's leaving a club. Stephen's swung for Hemingway, which he missed. Hemingway, however, did not miss. He knocked him down several times and gave him a good beating. 

Hemingway managed this whilst wearing his glasses. When Stephen's knocked these off, he had a much better chance and hit Hemingway flush on the jaw. 

Hemingway walked away with a broken hand and no damage to his jaw; Stephen's was not so lucky. When he returned to his wife some weeks later after being cared for by a doctor, he had a broken hand and a black eye. 

William Faulkner 

Faulkner is one of the most renowned American authors. He profoundly influenced Southern literature and received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1949. 

During his feud with Hemingway, he was considered a more experimental writer. During a 1947 interview, he was asked to rank himself against other authors. 

In order, he listed Thomas Wolfe, John Dos Passos, Ernest Hemingway, Willa Cather, and John Steinbeck. When asked what he thought of these authors, he praised the others. 

Of Hemingway, he stated that he had no courage and had never crawled out on a limb. He went further to say he has never been known to use a word that might cause a reader to use a dictionary. 

Naturally, Hemingway heard these comments and was less than pleased. It is, however, unclear whether Faulkner meant his comments to be so controversial or even to be made public knowledge

Faulkner and Hemingway carried on a nuanced and complex literary rivalry. At times, each voiced a shared professional respect. At other times, each thought himself the superior craftsman and spoke disparagingly of the other.

The rivalry continued until Hemingway passed away on 2 July 1961. 

Flawed Writers

Many of the best writers in history have been flawed, but this does not stop us from loving their work. JK Rowling has recently caused outrage over her comments on X; however, nothing has stopped me from loving Harry Potter. 

Some of the flaws these writers possess are ploughed into their writing, making them even more popular. This is true of the four men in these feuds. 

The time these four giants inhabited may have played a considerable role in their disagreements, with alcohol playing a significant part in more than one dispute. 

Whether these altercations were drunk or drug-fuelled, they seemed to do minor damage to the writers as all went on to have illustrious careers. Proving the saying there is no such thing as bad publicity.