Classics digested: The Old Man and the Sea

WHO is the author?

A war veteran, Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) was one of the finest writers of the 20^th century. As a reporter, he was the most prominent advocate of the Iceberg Theory, and he maintained his minimalistic approach in his fiction. He believed strongly that the value of a story resides in the beauty of its depth rather than the luster of its surface. The Old Man and the Sea was published in 1952 and was Hemingway’s most celebrated work, with a Pulitzer Prize (1953) and a Nobel Prize (1954) attesting to that fact. It was also the last novel published before his suicide in 1961.

WHAT is it about?

Santiago is an old fisherman who has gone 84 days without catching a fish. His luck is considered so abysmal that even his young protégé, Manolin, is forbidden by his parents to continue seeing the old man. On the 85^th day, Santiago decides to go even further out at sea, determined to break his unlucky streak. Soon enough, a fish takes to his bait. Santiago immediately realises that he is dealing with no small or ordinary fish. It is a majestic marlin. The Old Man and the Sea is the story of the days Santiago spends at sea trying to catch this worthy adversary and the events that unfold thereafter.

WHY should you read it?

A tale of passion, perseverance and faith, The Old Man and the Sea is a gem of American literature. Aside from the fact that it is a well crafted and beautifully written book, Hemingway’s novel will give you hope on the somber days. There will be a time, a darker time, where nothing will seem to be going your way. In this realm of despair you will close your eyes and think of a simpler time, a time where an old man on his boat carried you through the ignominy of previous setbacks to the lights of glory.

Classic quote

“ ‘But man is not made for defeat,’ he said. ‘A man can be destroyed but not defeated.’ ”