I just finished rereading Hemingway's TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT.
I'm aware of all the criticisms thrown at this book. It's
episodic. It switches from first person to third person to a
different first person. The economic theme waters down the
personal one. I don't find the criticism nearly as impressive
as the book. This book rocks! It's a beautiful powerful
moving story. Parts of it are very visual, like the gunfight
in the beginning or the fishing scene.
Although a liberal definition of hardboiled could pull in
most of Hemingway's novels, this book is truly hardboiled.
Toughness in most of Hemingway's work is predominantly of the
stoic kind, as opposed to the openly aggressive nature of the
classic hardboiled authors, but, driven by hard times, Harry
Morgan is truly a badass. I think I'd classify the book as
noir, too. From the very beginning there are threats and
death, and Harry's desperation and anger and bitterness grows
as the book proceeds.
For those not subscribing to Barthes's "Death of the Author"
theory, Hemingway modelled the pathetic Richard Gordon after
his exfriend dos Passos. Many of the people that Hemingway
disliked turned into pitiful and disgusting characters in his
novels.
miker
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