Book Reviews

The Old Man and the Sea, a novel about the meaning and dignity of life through the struggles of an old man

Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea is a moving novel about the human will and the dignity of life through the struggles of a lonely old man.   About the artwork The Old Man and the Sea is a middle grade novel by American novelist Ernest Hemingway, published in 1952. It was first published in the magazine Life, and after an overwhelming response, it was published as a book...

Reading Log – The Old Man and the Sea (Is an old man who loses his fish a loser?)

The Old Man and the Sea is a deep reflection on defeat and victory in the battle between man and nature. It explores what true victory is through the story of an old man who loses his fish.   I read it when I was in high school, probably. I once stayed up all night reading Hemingway’s (1899-1961) The Old Man and the Sea. I remember looking out the window in awe as the sun came up and...

The life and work of Ernest Hemingway, a master of 20th-century American literature

Ernest Hemingway’s life of adventure and creativity was as intense as his work. A war reporter, novelist, and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Old Man and the Sea, he is remembered as one of the leading lights of 20th-century American literature.   The eldest son of Clarence Edmunds Hemingway, a physician, and Grace Hall, a musically talented mother, Hemingway was born...

Book Plot – Why is Don Quixote still loved 400 years later?

Cervantes’ Don Quixote is a classic that’s still loved 400 years later. Let’s take a look at why his adventures and philosophy are timeless.   The plot of Don Quixote Alonso Quijano, a 50-year-old man living in the Spanish town of La Mancha, is obsessed with medieval knightly novels and sets out to become a real knight by donning an old horse, rusty armor, and helmet. He...

Reading Note – Why is “The Old Man and the Sea” an uplifting tale of lone human triumph?

“The Old Man and the Sea” depicts the indomitable will of the human spirit through the lonely struggle of an old man. The spirit of hope and defiance in the face of failure is the true triumph of life.   The humanism of self-overcoming The Old Man and the Sea weaves together a story of one man’s perseverance in the face of adversity. The old man, Santiago, is alone at sea and struggles...

Book Summary – An overview of Don Quixote, the satirical novel by Spanish author Cervantes

Cervantes’ masterpiece, Don Quixote, is a satirical novel about the conflict between ideals and reality. Through the adventures of the chivalrous Don Quixote and the realist Sancho, it hilariously explores human dreams and frustrations.   About the work The full title is El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha. The first installment was published in 1605 and the second in 1615...

Book Review – The Old Man and the Sea (The Meaning of Life Shines Through Despair)

In this book about the struggles of an old man, the loneliness of the sea, and the importance of faith and perseverance, we can find the true meaning of life.   There is Always a Bright Sun After a Dark Night In this book, as the title suggests, it’s just an old man and the sea. There is an occasional boy who follows him, but most of the events center around an old fisherman and the...

An introduction to the chronology of Ernest Hemingway’s life and the meaning of The Old Man and the Sea

This article provides a chronology of Ernest Hemingway’s life, organized by year, and an introduction to the main meanings and features of his masterpiece, The Old Man and the Sea.   Ernest Miller Hemingway chronology Ernest Miller Hemingway (1899-1961) was born on July 21, 1899, in Oak Park, Illinois, United States. His father was an obstetrician and gynecologist who enjoyed hunting...

How to understand and interpret the works of Franz Kafka?

Kafka’s work explores the nature of human existence amidst absurdity and solitude. His symbols and metaphors offer a way of reading reality and the inner self.   Franz Kafka was born on July 3, 1883, the son of a Jewish merchant in Prague, where he was educated in German and received a doctorate in law from the Charles Ferdinand University in Prague. From 1908, he worked in the legal...

Franz Kafka, a brief introduction to his life and literary world

Franz Kafka is an iconic writer of 20th-century literature, whose life and work have profoundly influenced modern literature by exploring the absurdity and alienation of human existence.   Throughout his short and long life, Franz Kafka was an eternal stranger, moving back and forth between two countries (Czechoslovakia and Austria), unable to find his own identity and never settling down in...