The visionary work and the turbulent life of Ernest Hemingway, one of the greatest and most influential writers America has ever produced. Interweaving his eventful biography with carefully selected excerpts from his iconic short stories, novels, and non-fiction, the series reveals the brilliant, ambitious, charismatic, and complicated man behind the myth, and the art he created.
Episodes
A Writer (1899-1929)
Hemingway, yearning for adventure, volunteers for the Red Cross during World War I. He marries Hadley Richardson and moves to Paris, publishes The Sun Also Rises and finds critical and commercial success with his second novel, A Farewell to Arms.
The Avatar (1929-1944)
Hemingway, having achieved a level of fame rarely seen in the literary world, settles in Key West with Pauline Pfeiffer but can't stay put for long. He reports on the Spanish Civil War and begins a tempestuous romance with Martha Gellhorn.
The Blank Page (1944-1961)
Hemingway follows the Army as they advance through Europe. Afterwards, he tries to start a life with Mary Welsh, but is beset with tragedies. He publishes The Old Man and the Sea to acclaim but is overcome by his declining mental condition.
Top Cast
Peter Coyote
Narrator (voice)
Jeff Daniels
Ernest Hemingway (voice)
Michael Kitakis
Himself – Writer
Edna O'Brien
Herself – Writer
Tobias Wolff
Himself – Writer
Mary Dearborn
Herself – Biographer
Abraham Verghese
Himself – Writer
Mary Karr
Herself – Writer
Susan Beegel
Herself – Literary Scholar
Marc Dudley
Himself – Literary Scholar
