Coffee with Hemingway (Coffee with...Series) Hardcover – September 1, 2007

So, unlike my experience with Michelangelo, my coffee date with Hemingway didn't go so well.Can't blame the man specifically, although I suppose a lot of truth lays in the way the conversation was crafted, but more so the writer Kirk Curnutt, who really took Hemingway's attitude and impertinence to a whole other level. I understand that Hemingway was known for being a bad-tempered, blunt, sharp kind of individual. I'm also aware that a lot of research and knowledge needs to go into writing one of these installments, so I realize that Curnutt must be fully capable of writing this book to reflect Hemingway's personality as closely as possible to the real thing.However, who knows? Right? That is the real question here. Who can ever know what Hemingway was like unless you've really sat with him at one point in your life.I have always been a fan of Hemingway's work, but I never thought how turned off I'd be by him. This book did that. Turned me off completely, so much so that I could feel myself slowly losing respect for the man as the conversation went on. Again, I have to say, I blame Curnutt for that reaction. There are many ways you could create dialogue, especially when it's a fictional conversation, in which to reflect true character but not allow a reader to lose respect for someone who is so talented and well-known in the literary world.As was the case with Michelangelo, who also had a reputation for being quite overbearing and arrogant, but despite that factor playing a part in the dialogue, James Hall had me leave that conversation with so much respect for the artist.Curnutt failed to do so with Hemingway. The annoying nicknames thing that kept going on and on - as opposed to mentioning just once or a couple of times -, the irritating way in which he would talk down to you and constantly ask you to leave yet continue the conversation, the way he bad mouthed every other writer with just as much skill as him, the way he dismissed you as if you were of absolutely no importance whatsoever became really frustrating halfway through. It starts out as amusing, and you find yourself smiling ironically and nodding your head as if to say, "Yep. That's Hemingway all right." But at one point, you stop being amused and almost want to punch his face in thinking to yourself, this isn't worth it. I don't need to put myself through this degrading conversation to ask this guy a few questions about his career or life.Is Hemingway a good writer with some of the greatest novels out there? Yes. Absolutely. Is he an interesting character with an interesting life? No. Not really. I don't think so anyway. However, I think there was a lot more Curnutt could have done to make this more bearable for a reader to sit through without leaving the conversation with a bad taste in your mouth while thinking to yourself, thank God that's over.

Great read!!!

It's a good intro to the author and his works. The author packs a lot of good info into a tiny book.

I bought this after an inspiring tour of the Hemingway House in Key West, hoping to prolong the experience of feeling in his presence. Didn’t work. It’s an appealing concept, this series of short books that try to capture what it would be like to chat with some interesting historical figures. But particularly in the case of a writer as famous as Hemingway, there is probably already enough published scrutiny of his persona to allow you to imagine your own conversation. The gimmick would probably work best in the hands of an actor, or writer expert in dialogue, who could recreate a convincing voice. In this case, the voice is channeled through an English professor, and it shows. There is a lot of citation, mentioning of literary movements, and forced wordplay, none of which I would have expected over a drink with the real deal. It probably wouldn’t have been coffee, either.

I really enjoyed this book. I am a big Hemingway fan and have read most of his books. The author is a Hemingway scholar and imagines Hemingway’s responses to questions about his life and writing - the answers are short and elegant, just like Hemingway’s writing style. This little gem of a book gave more more insight into Hemingway and his work. I recommend it.

Some interesting insights sprinkled throughout, but it's an ultimately very silly idea for a book and does not feel genuine.

Coffee With Hemingway, by Kirk CurnuttEver dream about a little face time with one of your favorite celebrities? Streisand, perhaps? Sinatra? Elvis? Would such a meet-up edify, or would it disappoint?I’ve never thought that I’d enjoy such an encounter with my favorite writer, but in Curnutt’s imaginative hands, the story reveals much of what Hemingway was about. To be sure, he’s abrasive here, and he’s constantly toying with words and names as he holds court. What’s revealed here? I’ll list just a few bon mots:“The only writing that’s any good is what you make up, out of your imagination. That’s what makes things ring true. Good writing has truths that aren’t necessarily facts.”“(Expatriation) teaches you dislocation, which sharpens the memory and makes you able to recall details you take for granted when you’re in the actual place you’re writing about.”“...journalism is a racket. It puts a dollar value on your words that’s destructive.”This small book, containing a brief read, distills Papa’s attitude toward life and writing quite well, and any reader or writer would find it well worth the hour or so it would take to read.My rating: 19 of 20 stars

Kirk Curnutt takes an interesting approach- what would it be like to sit down and discuss a variety of topics with Papa, that hard-drinking, carousing, womanizing lover of life and master of 20th Century literature, Ernest Hemingway? The author takes known facts about Hemingway, his tastes, his likes and dislikes, his personality and views on life- and crafts interesting "dialogues" with the man. The approach is unique- and fun. You get to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee with the man who many consider one of the greatest writers in American literature and decide for yourself if you enjoy talking with him or not...hearing his views on a wide range of subjects...his prejudices, his weaknesses, his strengths...."Coffee with Hemingway" is simply a refreshing light read for those who already have nearly every other book about the man- and want something different. It works well and should please Hemingway fans of all stripes...-by Gene PisasaleAuthor of "Vineyard Days" and "Lafayette's Gold - The Lost Brandywine Treasure"