Of Empty Hooks and Gunshots: My Take on Hemingway
A few days ago, I met a friend to exchange books; I gave her "Don Quixote," which I find so boring I never intend to read, and she gave me "The Old Man and the Sea." Knowing that we readers snatch up books as if they were gold bars, I took the risk of the exchange just to see if I’d get an interesting book. After reading it and investigating the author like those creepy fans who stalk the cast of a series, I found information worthy of being shared.
About the Author
By all accounts, Hemingway was anything but normal. A war correspondent, writer, and fishing enthusiast, he was so impulsive, that today he would be the most toxic Tiktok influencer. He was so impatient that, during his fishing sessions, he wouldn't hesitate to draw a Thompson submachine gun to riddle sharks with bullets if they dared to complicate his afternoon. Living on a peculiar estate on the outskirts of Havana, with a boat, a seasoned captain, weapons, books, and nights of conversation in the most crowded bars of the old Cuban capital, he was a man of extravagant hobbies. One could say his life was a constant attempt to prove he's life had nothing to envy the Pirates of the Caribbean Saga, even if that meant falling into a shootout with every fish he was trying to catch.
Book Summary
The book is about Santiago, an elderly fisherman who has spent 84 days without catching any prey. Consumed by poverty and living among newspapers and rags in a shack by the sea, he decides to venture far into the waters. He manages to hook a marlin, and after a three-day struggle in which the fish would not give up, he decided to finish it off—just like our sympathetic author—with a decisive harpon strike. The way back, however, was not easy; a long odyssey awaited him, full of sharks eager to feast on the old fisherman's only catch and, of course, leave him plunged back into poverty.
Conclusion
This work is almost autobiographical. Personally, I found the first part of the book very relaxing and immersive, but it is a reflection of the difficulties of the author's life, half of which arose from his own impatience and impulsiveness. But then again, having lived on that estate surrounded by rum and extravagant hobbies in the Caribbean must have been a dream come true. It is a work that shows how one can fight to the end, even if the reward is snatched away by the sharks of fate.
Hace dÃas me encontré con una amiga para intercambiar libros; yo le di "Don Quijote de la Mancha", el cual me parece tan aburrido que jamás pienso leer, y ella me dio "El Viejo y el Mar". A sabiendas de que nosotros los lectores arrebatamos libros como si fueran lingotes de oro, me arriesgué al intercambio solo para ver si obtenÃa un libro interesante. Luego de leer el libro e investigar sobre el autor como esas fans intensas que stalkean al elenco de una serie, di con información digna de ser compartida.
Sobre el Autor
A todas luces, Hemingway era de todo menos normal. Corresponsal de guerra, escritor y aficionado a la pesca, era un hombre con una impulsividad tal, que hoy dÃa serÃa el influencer más tóxico de Tiktok. Era tan impaciente que, en sus sesiones de pesca, no dudaba en desenfundar una ametralladora Thompson para acribillar a los tiburones si estos se atrevÃan a complicarle la tarde. Viviendo en una finca peculiar en las afueras de La Habana, con un bote, un capitán curtido, armas, libros y noches de tertulia en los bares más concurridos de la antigua capital cubana, era un hombre de hobbies extravagantes. Se podrÃa decir que su vida fue un intento constante de demostrar que su existencia no tenia nada que envidiarle a la saga de los Piratas del Caribe, incluso si eso implicaba caerse a tiros con cada pez que intentaba pescar.
Resumen del Libro
El libro trata sobre Santiago, un pescador anciano que lleva 84 dÃas sin pescar presa alguna. Consumido por la pobreza y viviendo entre periódicos y harapos en una choza junto al mar, decide adentrarse mucho en las aguas. Consigue hacer que pique un pez vela y, luego de tres dÃas de lucha en la que el pez no se rendÃa, decidió fulminarlo —al igual que nuestro simpático autor— de un impacto decisivo con un arpón. El camino de regreso, sin embargo, no fue fácil; le esperaba una larga odisea lleno de tiburones deseosos de darse un jugoso festÃn con la única presa del viejo pescador y, como no, dejarlo sumido en la pobreza.
Conclusión
Esta obra es casi autobiográfica. En lo personal, encontré muy relajante e inmersiva la primera parte del libro, pero es un reflejo de las dificultades de la vida del autor, de las cuales la mitad surgÃan a raÃz de su propia impaciencia e impulsividad. Pero eso sÃ, haber vivido en aquella finca rodeado de ron y hobbies extravagantes en el Caribe debió haber sido un sueño hecho realidad. Es una obra que muestra cómo uno puede luchar hasta el final, incluso si la recompensa es arrebatada por los tiburones del destino.
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Translator: DeepL Translator
Traductor: DeepL Traductor