Men Without Women

2023 Reprint of the 1927 Edition. This collection of short stories presents Hemingway in his most characteristic moods, illustrating particularly his concern with the fighting side of man nature. It contains stories on many of his best themes. The Undefeated is a penetrating study of the mentality of the bullfighter, ending with a tense description of the struggle in which he is gored. Another, Fifty Grand, creates in this same immediate manner the world of the professional boxer. Many of the others, some of them illustrating Hemingway's remarkable gift for catching the essence of a situation in a few brief paragraphs, are set in Italy and connected with the army, the War, or Americans. He achieves some unforgettable reporting of the world in which blood is argument. The author's exceptional gift of narrative quality gives the excitement of a well-told tale to what is, in fact, a simple description of a scene.

First published in 1927, Men Without Women represents some of Hemingway's most important and compelling early writing. In these fourteen stories, Hemingway begins to examine the themes that would occupy his later works: the casualties of war, the often-uneasy relationship between men and women, sport and sportsmanship. In "Banal Story," Hemingway offers a lasting tribute to the famed matador Maera. "In Another Country" tells of an Italian major recovering from war wounds as he mourns the untimely death of his wife. "The Killers" is the hard-edged story about two Chicago gunmen and their potential victim. Nick Adams makes an appearance in "Ten Indians," in which he is presumably betrayed by his Indian girlfriend, Prudence. And "Hills Like White Elephants" is a young couple's subtle, heart-wrenching discussion of abortion. Pared down, gritty, and subtly expressive, these stories show the young Hemingway emerging as America's finest short story writer.

Contents:

"The Undefeated"

"In Another Country"

"Hills Like White Elephants"

"The Killers"

"Che Ti Dice La Patria?"

"Fifty Grand"

"A Simple Enquiry"

"Ten Indians"

"A Canary for One"

"An Alpine Idyll"

"A Pursuit Race"

"Today is Friday"

"Banal Story"

"Now I Lay Me"