News FeedA Moveable Feast
Date Read: July 22, 2009
Book title: A Moveable Feast
Author: Ernest Hemingway
Book Publisher: Touchstone (1964)
Non-Fiction / 211 pages
A Moveable Feast was the 12th book I read in 2009.
Why I read A Moveable Feast:
A friend of mine here at Taft Camp, Steve Urie, passed along A Moveable Feast to expose me to the wonderful writing of Ernest Hemingway. Although the author calls this a work of fiction, it is clearly a memoir, one that describes a portion of the author’s life while he was living in Paris with other American expatriates from the literary and intellectual community. I read the book, also, because I’m in the midst of writing a memoir of my own, one that describes a much less glamorous life.
What I learned from reading A Moveable Feast:
In reading A Moveable Feast, I became painfully aware of my inadequacy as a writer of beautiful prose. Hemingway’s sentences, paragraphs, and descriptions reveal a magnificent skill. The cadence of his writing made me feel as if I was listening to music rather than reading about a group of misfits who lived on the other side of the Atlantic more than 60 years ago.
I also learned that when a writer has mastered his craft, he frees himself from the blind rules of punctuation. Hemingway wrote in long sentences, sometimes with standard commas, sometimes leaving them out entirely. Despite the break from convention, he clearly stood in control of what he wanted to convey, and I admired his skill.
How reading A Moveable Feast will contribute to my success upon release:
As an aspiring communicator, I have a duty to read good literature and learn from masters of writing. Ernest Hemingway was one of the best American writers, and by reading his work I hope to improve upon my skill.
