I know I'm an English major and all, but sometimes it's nice to look back on an author and really get to know them. While trying to do so in class, it can be a little overwhelming. I read The Sun Also Rises this past semester by Ernest Hemingway, and I really loved it. The only way to explain why I did is simply that is shows a group of people traveling, learning, fighting, drinking, loving, etc--all in one book.
I read up on Hemingway, though, and realized what a crazy life he really had. I have to be honest in not knowing he committed suicide. That makes me sad. Not only that, but so did his siblings and father. He had a seemingly nice lifestyle--living large for a while--but he wasn't happy in the end.
I'm thankful that he was able to write like he did, simply great (literally)-- because now I know more about where the words came from and what background he had. It's unfortunate his life ended the way it did--but it is a tragedy with a legacy left behind--his writing.
