“Hemingway’s plain speech and taut narrative, at once banking down and letting out pent-up emotion, his quick-fire dialogue, his disenchanted comedy, his immersion in landscapes, his toughness muddled up with bewilderment, had a powerful effect on him.”
While recently reading Hermione Lee’s gargantuan biography of Tom Stoppard (2020), I learned of the playwright’s long admiration for Hemingway. He became an avid collector of Hemingway’s books and apparently attended conferences. I’m now wondering if any of my fellow conference attendees encountered him over the years. Here’s an excerpt from Lee’s book, illustrating both the serious and playful aspects of Stoppard’s interest.
