Hemingway in Cuba

So, I’m planning on going to see Papa Hemingway in Cuba this weekend. I was introduced to the topic of Hemingway in Cuba through the wonderful novel The Crook Factory, by Dan Simmons, which recounts Hemingway’s Cuba years. Did you know that Hemingway actually functioned as a spy during WWII? Me neither. Read the Crook Factory to learn more.

The Crook Factory

It’s the summer of 1942, and FBI agent Joe Lucas has come to Cuba at the behest of the Director to keep an eye on Ernest Hemingway in the Caribbean. Lucas thinks of it as a demotion-a babysitting job for a famous writer who has decided to play spy, assembling a team of misfits including an American millionaire, a twelve-year-old Cuban orphan, a Spanish jai alai champion and more in a would-be espionage ring Hemingway dubs the “Crook Factory.“But when Hemingway uncovers a critical piece of intelligence that both threatens his life and endangers the political landscape, the fate of the free world and the life of one of its most preeminent writers lies in the hands of the FBI’s most ruthless agent.

https://www.thehawaiiproject.com/book/The-Crook-Factory--by--Dan-Simmons--167237

Here’s another thing you might not have known: Hemingway’s classic short story The Snows of Kilimanjaro was once read (and recorded) by Charlton Heston.

The Snows of Kilimanjaro

Contains ten of Hemingway’s classic stories including “The snows of Kilimanjaro,“ “A day’s wait,“ “Fathers and sons,“ “The killers,“ and “The short happy life of Francis Macomber”

https://www.thehawaiiproject.com/book/The-Snows-of-Kilimanjaro--by--Ernest-Hemingway--18330

You can buy it from Amazon, but even better: you can listen to it for free here, along with other recordings….

https://town.hall.org/radio/HarperAudio/012494_harp_ITH.html