Summary
Abstract
Ernest Hemingway, American novelist and former newspaper writer, was born July 21, 1899, in Oak Park, Illinois. The collection contains letters written by Ernest Hemingway to his mother Grace Hall Hemingway, father Clarence Edmunds Hemingway, and sister Madelaine "Sunny" Hemingway Miller. With a break during World War II, the letters cover 1917 to 1957, the broad range of his writing life from cub reporter to Pulitzer and Nobel prize winner. In addition to the letters, the collection contains photocopies of a 1909 typewritten story about killing a porcupine, and a handwritten short story about a cook at a lumber camp. Also includes a clipping about one of Grace's paintings and two letters to Madelaine; and one letter from Clarence to his father A.T. Hemingway, 1901.
Dates
- Creation: 1901-1957
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1917-1954
Extent
1.4 Linear Feet
Background
Biographical / Historical
Ernest Hemingway, American novelist and former newspaper writer, was born July 21, 1899, in Oak Park, Illinois, the son of physician Clarence Edmunds Hemingway and music teacher Grace Hall Hemingway. He married four times: to Hadley Richards, September 3, 1921 (divorced March 10, 1927); writer Pauline Pfeiffer, May 10, 1927 (divorced November 4, 1940); writer Martha Gellhorn, November 21, 1940 (divorced December 21, 1945); and writer Mary Welsh, March 14, 1946. He had three children. Hemingway committed suicide July 2, 1961, in Ketchum, Idaho.
Hemingway began his writing career as a cub reporter for the Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Missouri, 1917-1918. He served as an ambulance driver for the Red Cross Ambulance Corps in Italy, 1918-1919 during World War I. After the war he wrote for the Co-operative Commonwealth, Chicago, 1920-1921; Toronto Star, Toronto, Ontario, covering the Greco-Turkish War, 1920, and as their European correspondent, 1921-1924; covered the Spanish Civil War for the North American Newspaper Alliance, 1937-1938. He was a war correspondent in China, 1941, and in Europe, 1944-1945, during World War II.
When Hemingway turned to fiction, both short stories and novels, he won the Pulitzer Prize, 1953, for The Old Man and the Sea; nobel Prize for Literature, 1954; and the Award of Merit from the American Academy of Arts & Letters, 1954.
Scope and Contents
The collection contains letters written by Ernest Hemingway to his mother Grace Hall Hemingway, father Clarence Edmunds Hemingway, and sister Madelaine (nicknamed "Sunny" and "Nunbones") Hemingway Mainland Miller. Unlike his very public persona, these letters reveal a different side of Ernest Hemingway in his devotion and generosity to his family. With a break during World War II, the letters cover 1917 to 1954, the broad range of his writing life from cub reporter to Pulitzer and Nobel prize winner. In addition to the letters, the collection contains photocopies of a 1909 typewritten story about killing a porcupine, and a handwritten short story about a cook at a lumber camp. There are two letters from Grace Hall Hemingway to her daughter Madelaine, and one from Clarence Edmunds Hemingway to his father A.T. Hemingway, 1901.
Organization of the Collection
This collection is organized into series:
- 1, Writings
- 2, Letters
- 1, Writings
- 2, Letters
Physical Location
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Penn State University Libraries catalog via the link above. Archival collections may be housed in offsite storage. For materials stored offsite, please allow 2-3 business days for retrieval.
Custodial History
The collection was retained by Ernest Hemingway's sister, Madelaine "Sunny" Hemingway Miller, then passed to her son Ernest Hemingway Mainland upon her death. Miller sold slected letters to the Lilly Library at Indiana University.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Collection was purchased from Ernest Hemingway Mainland in 2007.
Processing Information
Collection was processed by Susan Hamburger, 2008.
Using These Materials
Repository Details
Part of the Eberly Family Special Collections Library Repository
104 Paterno Library
Penn State University
University Park 16802 USA
(814) 865-1793
spcollections@psu.edu
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Facsimile copies are available for patron use. Access to the original materials requires the permission of the curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Conditions Governing Use
Photocopies of original materials may be made available for research purposes at the discretion of the Eberly Family Special Collections Library. Photocopies or reproductions of original materials may be subject to fees as outlined by the Pennsylvania State University Libraries reproduction policies.
Copyright is retained by the creators of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law. Patrons seeking advice on the availability of unpublished materials for publication should consult relevant copyright law and laws of libel.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Ernest Hemingway Letters to His Family, 06189, Eberly Family Special Collections Library, Pennsylvania State University.
- Title
- Guide to the Ernest Hemingway letters to his family
- Status
- Published
- Author
- Susan Hamburger
- Date
- 2008
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 2021: Lexy deGraffenreid added the Related Materials note and updated standardized notes to current standard.
- 2023: Lexy deGraffenreid updated the Biographical/Historical note and updated broken diacritical marks