Readingtheoldmanandthesea

　　Abouttheauthor

　　ErnestHemingway,oneofthegreatestAmericanwritersin20thcentury,istherepresentativeof“lostgeneration”writer.HewasbornonJuly21,1899,inOakPark,Illinois.workedasareporteraftergraduatingfromhighschoolin1917.,amdservedasanambulancedriverintheItalianinfantryandwaswoundedjustbeforehis19thbirthday.Hospitalized,Hemingwayfellinlovewithanoldernurse.In1954,HemingwaywasawardedtheNobelPrizeforLiterature.Inhislife,Hemingwaymarriedfourtimesandwrotenumerousessays,shortstoriesandnovels.TheeffectsofHemingway'slifelongdepressions,illnessesandaccidentscaughtupwithhim.InJuly1961,hecommittedsuicideinKetchum,Idaho.

　　Aboutthebook

　　TheoldmanandtheseaisoneofHemingway’smostenduringworks.Toldinlanguageofgreatsimplicityandpower,itisthestoryofanoldCubanfisherman,downonhisluck,andhissupremeordeal---arelentless,agonizingbattlewithagiantmarlinfaroutintheGulfStream.HereHemingwayrecasts,instrikinglycontemporarystyle,theclassicthemeofcourageinthefaceofdefeat,ofpersonaltriumphwonfromloss.Writtenin1952,thishugelysuccessfullynovellaconfirmedhispowerandpresenceintheliteraryworldandplayedahugepartinhiswinningthe1954NobelPrizeforLiterature.

　　Abouttheoldman

　　Santiagoisdescribedasafailurebyotherfishermeninthevillageforcatchingnofishforalongtime.However,heshouldberegardedasaheroallhislife,whenhehadplayedthehandgamewiththegreatNegrofromCienfuegoswhowasthestrongestmanonthedocks;whenhefightwiththatlargemarlin;whenhestrugglewiththesharks.Youcanfindhisoptimism,confidence,wisdom,perseveranceandbraveryanywhere.Iadmirehimnotonlybecausethesebutalsohisregardingtheseasthethingshehadtodo,theruleshehadtoobey.

　　Suchamanisreallyaman,amarvelousman.AllthecharactersofhimisworthbeinglearnednotonlyinHemingway’stimes,butforever;notonlyforacertainkindofman,butforallofus.Let’salwaysrememberhisword“Butmanisnotmadefordefeat,”hesaid.“Amancanbedestroyedbutnotdefeated.”