Customer Reviews

Ernest Hemingway Audio Collection CD

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Of the Charleton Heston readings of The Old Man and Snows little need be said; they are professional in all respects and fine as they can be. It is good to hear Hemingway's deceptively simple prose read well, for it discloses the fundamental modern English architecture beneath it: decidedly tuned to the ear, with conscious attention to alliteration and repetition of sounds and words. The stories are two of the most carefully crafted in Hemingway's canon, and the resonant voice of Heston will gratify repeated listenings.

The addition of a rare disc of Hemingway's own voice will seem, in context, a throw-away or add-on. First of all, the listener will be startled by the high, occasionally hesitant pitch of the author's voice, simultaneously tentative and clipped, and heavily accented. It is no species of stereotyped tough guy one might have expected, neither Jimmy Cagney nor John Wayne. Nor is it one used to public performance. It is quite obviously private, and distinctly regional -- the timbre found in many great plains settlers, with a distinctly 19th century timbre that by now has all but vanished.

The occasion was Hemingway's pal A.E. Hotchner (author of Papa Hemingway) bringing a tape recorder down to Cuba in the 1950s. Set pieces of the public non-fiction voice were what the author obviously found most comfortable in this experiment: introductions to an obscure play and the collected stories, and finally a very moving performance of the short Nobel speech. There is also humor -- a self-parody of Across the River and Into the Trees harder on himself than any critic, and an outrageous improvised bawdy tale that sounds rather boozed. Yet there are two incredible, serious performances here: the wartime Second Poem to Mary, and the first chapter of book III of the then unreleased Islands in the Stream. In the world of audio literature, this is about as good as it gets. The poem eerily harks back to the horrors of the World War II Battle of Hurtgen Forest; it sounds as convincing as a battle report, and is an anguished, angry testament to bravery amidst death and monstrosity and the tactical errors of top brass, leaving fighting men in an impossible situation. The Islands reading describes Thomas Hudson amongst similar unspeakable things. If not for everyday or for cruising through town, this disc is certainly for sometimes, preferably late at night and perhaps aided by a shot of your favorite tonic to help you take the hit. In such a setting you will quickly understand how and why this unusual voice became a standard in the war-ravaged "American Century."

The thoughtful listener might aid appreciation by picking up Caedmon's Gertrude Stein Reading, and listening to it at the same sitting. Here is another classic, lost Midwestern voice -- and Hemingway's perhaps most important Paris teacher. The similarity of the diction between her Picasso and his Second Poem is a grand revelation, and the sort only possible through this aural dimension Stein thought so essential to her pioneering sandblast job honing our modern English tongue. Yeah kids, maybe you can do it now, perhaps even in your sleep. But only because they did it first.

I have read everything Hemingway wrote and visited his home in Key West, the man is a legend on many levels. In order complete one's Hemingway collection this CD is required. Enjoy the readings and the brief glances at the man's voice

How could you not enjoy another endeavor of Hestons talents, he delivers time and time again. What a team, Heston and Hemmingway!!!!

This is a 4-CD combo. CD1 is "Kilimanjaro", CD2 and CD3 comprise "Old Man", all narrated by Charlton Heston. It is unabridged, so it means you have every word of the book on tape(CD).

CD4 is a bit of an oddity and a collector's item, with the high-pitched voice of none other than Hemingway himself reading miscellaneous material (of varying quality)and I suspect lets us listen to Papa at varying degrees of sobriety.

This combo serves as a fine introduction to Hemingway's world or as a treasure to be savored by the old faithful. Heston's voice is awesome, obviously, and I find hid performance in "Old Man and the Sea" absolutely touching and spell-binding. If someone knows a better or comparable aural delivery of the beloved book, please share with me on comments. I started listening to the set on my daily commute (30 minutes each way) and it has been wonderful to carry the world and the struggle of Santiago with me through the freeways of Texas. What a great storyteller!

This is one of my favorites, just wonderful and rich. My husband loved it too! You are there in the boat. You can almost smell the sea. Great find

Heston's reading of the old man and the sea is so-so, he did a much better job on the snows.

I simply don't understand what all the fuss about Hemingway is about. I know the man was mad and killed himself but I remember reading an interview with him where her said something to the effect :"I write sloppy but people seem to like it" and man if that ain't the truth! There is NOTHING special about his writings! I could have written them. I only give it 2 stars because "The Old Man and the sea" were somewhat entertaining. I understand how symbolysm can be pulled out of the stories but that is the case with any story written so simplistically.