Albéric d'Ardivilliers. Ernest Hemingway: Behind the Facade of the Great Myth

The image of Hemingway known to most—that of a great hunter, fisherman, drunkard, brawler, and womanizer—was created by the writer himself. He created it to protect himself from obsessive admirers, so that he could pursue the only thing he truly knew and loved: writing. A master of masks and truthful lies, Ernest perhaps never imagined that this facade would become his greatest enemy, that this caricature of himself would gradually rob him of his meaning. Albéric d'Ardivilliers managed to peer behind the myth and see Hemingway for who he truly was—a deeply erudite, surprisingly modest, and even secretive man, an ardent art lover and experienced collector; at times an incredibly generous, loyal friend, capable of passion and a profound understanding of the plight of others. And also - at times cruel and harsh, a pathological deceiver, a lonely, fragile personality, much richer and much more complex than the one the writer created for the world around him.