Memoirs of Hemingway: the Growth of A Legend
Jeffrey Meyers
He looked at the one with the moustache again. "This guy is very tough," he told him. "He wants to shoot an Indian." "Listen, Hemingway, don't repeat everything I say"...."I can't think of any reason why he should call me Hemingway," the big one said. "My name ain't Hemingway."
Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely
Hemingway is the most famous example of the great writer and the commercial success. His public image, which he helped create, sold his books, attracted the interest of Hollywood, and made his private life a subject for public consumption. But Dwight MacDonald, influenced by the publicity that surrounded Hemingway, was quite mistaken when he claimed that his "life, his writing, his public personality, and his private thoughts were all of a piece." The public wants to believe in the existence of a phenomenal human being who fights, hunts, loves, and writes so perfectly. This heroic image satisfies the needs of the public but is irrelevant to the real Hemingway; it tempted, corrupted, and finally helped to destroy him.
