A Clean, Well-Lighted Place ...

Ahhhh .... the classics

Ever since I've announced to the world that I write novels, people are more interested in what I like to read. These are the same people I've shared books with over the years, talked about our favorite authors' latest and greatest, not to mention that these people have recommended books to me.  Honestly, not much has changed since I've started to write, except that I read more of everything, as often as I can.

For years I have made time to read some of the greatest literary works of our time ... Louisa May Alcott's A Long Fatal Love Chase, Pride and Prejudice, Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter. I've even added a few books of poetry to my library over the years, my favorite is DH Lawrence. But if you really want to know the classic that forever changed my way of writing and reading, I'll tell you about a short story written by none other than Ernest Hemingway called A Clean, Well-Lighted Place. This is the kind of story you can see happening in your head as you read it. It's magical.  The story has the ability to take you out of the world you are in and replant you to an old cafe in Spain after WWII. It arouses so much emotion it's almost difficult to read. The story of the old man stays with you for a long time after you've finished reading it. In your mind's eye you can picture the man, sometimes he wears the face of your father, for others their beloved grandfather and for others they conjure the image of themselves some time in the future.

I REFUSE  to tell you the story, if I did you would not read it for yourself and then you'd be missing out. But, I will tell you this - Hemingway showed the world that he was a master of words and emotions when he wrote it, he showed us what real talent is, and he did so using very little words.

So, if you have a chance and want to know what kind of work inspires writers like me, find a nice little cafe, order a brandy and bring along a copy of a A Clean, Well-Lighted Place (here's the link to make it easier http://www.mrbauld.com/hemclean.html ). Make sure you have plenty of time - the story is only a few pages long - but you'll want to enjoy the brandy and the story will make you think, and you'll feel differently after reading it. I do understand that for many of us, it's not easy to read the classics. It takes time, and let's face it, time is not something we all have a lot of. But there is something to be said for slowing down and taking the time to read something that was meant to make you think differently about the world you live in.

Enjoy!

"In order to write about life first you must live it." Ernest Hemingway