Hemingway and the fiction/biography hybrid

[Michael Atkinson]

I have a new novel out, HEMINGWAY DEADLIGHTS (St. Martrin's Press), that enlists EH has a reluctant sleuth in Key West in 1956, and it is the first of a series. Every interview and reading I've had, nearly the first question, is why? Not "why Hemingway?" -- who else would you want to use? -- but why the admixture of genuine writer and genre fiction? And I cannot rightly say, except I love it, and I loved it when Sherlock Holmes and Sigmund Freud conspired in The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, and when Steven Soderbergh made a mystery-thriller with Kafka as the hero, and etc. I'm not the only one -- or else Austen, Wilde, Ferber, Poe and others would not have been employed this way as well. But there's something irresistible about the paradigm, I think; it seems magical to me. But why? What say you?

[eHemingway.com]

Hi Michael,

I enjoy the blending of bio and fiction as well (I think I'll coin the term fictionography and trademark it :)

It seems Hemingway lends himself well to this sort of story telling because he could pretty much do it all. A man of action and a man of sensitivity and art and intellect. It makes it easy to drop him as a character into just about any situation and maintain a high degree of believability.

You couldn't say the same about Fitzgerald, let's say, or James Joyce, but Hemingway as character can pull off a wide range of plotting.

[Paul Hammersten]

Michael,

The year, 1956, you have chosen for your Hemingway character's sleuthing in Key West was quite the time in Hemingway's life. He completes his Africa Book by the end of February and makes plans for another trip to Africa - late August.

I am prompted to ask how much of Hemingway's ' inner life ' during this time makes it into your story.

I should read the book.

All the Best

Paul

www.paulhammersten.com

[Michael Atkinson]

My thoughts exactly -- and he comes bearing a full set of conflicts, bad habits, egomania, and brilliance.

eHemingway.com said:

Hi Michael,

I enjoy the blending of bio and fiction as well (I think I'll coin the term fictionography and trademark it :)

It seems Hemingway lends himself well to this sort of story telling because he could pretty much do it all. A man of action and a man of sensitivity and art and intellect. It makes it easy to drop him as a character into just about any situation and maintain a high degree of believability.

You couldn't say the same about Fitzgerald, let's say, or James Joyce, but Hemingway as character can pull off a wide range of plotting.

[Michael Atkinson]

Thanks Paul. Yes, he was working in 1956, but not, I think, accounted for very much (for once), and so I filled in the gap with a mystery. In terms of EH's interiority, I tried to walk the line between his various crises and dilemmas, acknowledging them but knowing too that the amount he drank and earned and lusted for fun meant that he wasn't a just dull brooder, or the miserable bastard the last biographies portray him as.

Paul Hammersten said:

Michael,

The year, 1956, you have chosen for your Hemingway character's sleuthing in Key West was quite the time in Hemingway's life. He completes his Africa Book by the end of February and makes plans for another trip to Africa - late August.

I am prompted to ask how much of Hemingway's ' inner life ' during this time makes it into your story.

I should read the book.

All the Best

Paul

www.paulhammersten.com

[Steve]

I'm pleased to learn of your book! The concept reminds me of the late George Baxt's novels, which featured Golden Age movie stars as real-life detectives. The series included Carole Lombard and Clark Gable, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and William Powell and Myrna Loy teaming up to solve "real" crimes in Hollywood. Papa would make a great protagonist, though I thought Cuba was his base of operations in '56, but with Hemingway being the globetrotter that he was, why not Key West?

And I just ordered a copy! You had me with "his eyes were like pissholes in the snow"!

[Michael Atkinson]

Thanks, Steve! Hope you dig it. In June, #2 is coming -- Madrid in '37.

Steve said:

I'm pleased to learn of your book! The concept reminds me of the late George Baxt's novels, which featured Golden Age movie stars as real-life detectives. The series included Carole Lombard and Clark Gable, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and William Powell and Myrna Loy teaming up to solve "real" crimes in Hollywood. Papa would make a great protagonist, though I thought Cuba was his base of operations in '56, but with Hemingway being the globetrotter that he was, why not Key West?

And I just ordered a copy! You had me with "his eyes were like pissholes in the snow"!

[Steve]

Oh, that's great! I was going to mention that 1930s-era Hemingway is a favorite of mine and that there would be much for him to get involved with, whether it be based on his actual adventures or ones you create on your own.

Great concept; hope you make scads of $$$ with it.

I'll be sure to post a review of Hemingway Deadlights, as well.