Though it's not always the best way to do a profile, we wouldn't want to offend the living. The people that are profiled here will have gone to their greater destinations.
Mechele
Donna
Stories.com
|
What you didn't know about HemingwayAbout.com
To view real estate listings in the Georgia area, click the link below.
Try out our New QuizzesWhat kind of Friend are You?
Dating Tude
Agatha Christie
Blythe Katherine Danner
Clive Cussler
Clive Cussler was born on July 15, 1931, in Alhambra, California. He attended Pasadena City College for two years before dropping out and enlisting in the Air Force. He began work as a copywriter in the 60's, showing creativity, he was promoted to Creative Director, for the D'Arcy Advertising Agency. He has been married to the same woman for 44-years. They have three children and two grandchildren. In 1978, he created the Numa non-profit organization and with his crew he has discovered 60 shipwrecks; two of the most famous, the Hunley (civil war submarine) and the Carpathia (the ship infamous for having saved the survivors of the Titanic). In 1998, NUMA launched her own website and it is fantastic.
Clive Cussler has had 17 Best Selling novels featuring his swaggering hero Dirk Pitt, who was named for Mr. Cussler's oldest son and another hero Kurt Austin, whom my children find less fascinating. Dirk, who drives vintage automobiles, is tall dark and handsome, while Kurt is the opposite, except for the height.
The first novel that I read by Cussler was Raise the Titanic. He mixes an ancient tale of espionage with a modern day secret all of which lead to the need to raise the aging wreck. His theory in this book was later immulated by salvage crews who raised and supposedly drug a portion of the ship ten miles from her resting place, before it sunk, once again, according to an article that our local paper ran on one of the Titanic anniversaries.
Other novels that I have read are, Pacific Vortex , Iceberg, Vixen 03 , Night Probe, Shock Wave and attempted to read the non-fictional account of The Sea Hunters . The novels and Dirk Pitt are fascinating, as they use some real life occurrences coupled with imagination. I read an interview that Cussler gave where he stated "People trying to produce technological accounts get too carried away in the technical side, which consumes far too many pages."
He said, When talking about a bomb or some such thing I simplify it, by having the characters and dialogue carry the subject.
He gives the following, as an example:
"Does the fuse go in this end?"
My husband loves one character, Giordino, who to me is reminiscent of John Ryes Davies. Giordino is a somewhat roughshod man who always appears at the appropriate moment. I think it is the lack of sophistication and general middle-age appearance of Goiordino, my husband likes. The NUMA organization is a frequent mention and Pitt's main employer, having been assigned by the Navy.
Those who remember Alistair McLean The Guns of Navarone and have searched for an author to take his place Clive Cussler is a fine substitute. Their writing is very similar and the intrigue is fantastic.
Cussler has been awarded the Lowell Thomas Award for outstanding undersea exploration and has been made a Doctor of Letters for his non-fictional account of the discoveries of 60 ships. He is a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society, in London, American society of Oceanographers, and the Explorers Club of New York. If you are interested in the Hunley and news of her, go to National Geographic on the web, for frequent updates.
His most recent release was and in August of 2001 he released Vahalla Rising another that is sure to be a good read through G.P. Putnam & Sons.
His books are released in 40 languages and more than 100 countries. He started the novel writing career in 1963, but it was not until 1973 that he was finally published. He laughed while explaining, "People congratulated me on my overnight success, they have no idea."
He says that his success lies in the fact that he considers himself an entertainer, because it's his job to entertain the reader.
Mediterranean Caper was rejected five times and Pacific Vortex seven, while Iceberg only sold 3,200 copies. A pristine version of Iceberg will bring a $1000.00 today.
Usually, a picture of Cussler will be found either on the front leaf or the back of his novels and it will inevitably feature one of his 85 vintage automobiles.
I personally, owe this man a debt, because his and Michael Creighton's novels are the only books my 22-year old son will read.
Top
Gary Cooper
Award Winning Georgian Authors
Flannery O'connor
Flannery O'connor quote--A self-described Christian realist, O'Connor wrote, "The only thing that keeps me from being a regional writer is being a Catholic and the only thing that keeps me from being a Catholic writer (in the narrow sense) is being a Southerner."
Margaret Mitchell
Gone With the Wind
This woman wrote the saga of the South, before we in the south knew what it meant.
Ernest Hemingway
It's difficult to know how much of Hemingway's life one should put into a biography. He wasn't a happy man, but then again, how many people do you know who are truly happy?
He grew to manhood in the average family environment. He laughed, he loved, he experienced war and pain, but these are things that many men of his generation would endure. He was a son, a father, a husband, and a loved one to even the smallest reader of novels. He was human. He wrote of humanity, struggles, pain, hatred, and self-endurance. Did any of these things add to the pain of being Hemingway? Who knows what it is to suffer so, and pull through the one cloud, only to encounter a new darkness?
Ernest Hemingway was born July 21, 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois and died July 2, 1961. Everything that Hemingway experienced, accomplished, and believed led to the legacy we know of this writer. His life was filled with controversy, unseen enemies, and real life love affairs.
His first marriage to Elizabeth Hadley Richardson ended in divorce. His second marriage to Pauline Pfeiffer also ended in divorce, and the third to Martha Gelhorn saw the same demise. His last wife, Mary Welsh would be the one to discover his body July 2, 1961, caused by a shotgun wound to the forehead. Broken marriages, alcohol, paranoia, and many other factors led to his early death, and Ernest was not the first Hemingway to commit suicide, nor would he be the last.
Ernest's father, sister, and brother had committed suicide, as would his son Gregory, and granddaughter Margaux Hemingway. Gregory Hemingway said of his father’s death, “I hope it's peaceful finally . . . because nobody ever dreamed of, or longed for, or experienced, less peace than he. He wrote of that longing all his life, in words as simple and as complicated as autumn and as spring."
Hemingway’s writings are celebrated the world over. He was a traveler, not only in the physical sense, but also in the ethereal sense. His mind wrapped itself around discoveries of life, love, war, and tragedy. His emotional state was that in which the true genius finds loathing, pain, and exhilaration. When his life ended a talent unparalled was lost to this world. It is impossible to read a Hemingway novel without feeling the emotions that he felt as he wrote the passages. His true desires and disappointments culminated in the finished word. His novels were acclaimed by some, and written up as poor attempts at literary supremacy by others. His writings are loved and hated with the same zeal by readers. A poet, philosopher, antagonist, and lover his words will live on long after his life and memory are forgotten. He like Poe had a dark side and a light side, which only proved him as the foremost writer of the 20th century.
Unfortunately, because we dwell in the humanity of life, we remember his death equal to his life. Why should a famous man want to die? What were his thoughts as he took the final step? With a mind so full of pain and passion there are no clear-cut answers. Many famous people find that suicide is the only answer to the gruesome visages in their minds. Some would say that death is the only true rest we can find in a world so stressed by anger and hate. Others, on the other hand, find suicide the ultimate act of self-absorption. Did he find peace, or did he finally realize the true genius of his mind? We may not have that answer it is only those who go before that have that knowledge . His writings can only help to understand the man that was the legacy.
His titles are a goodly range of mental and physical strife:
1923 Three Stories and Ten Poems (Short Stories)
1925 In Our Time (Short Stories)
1926 The Torrents of Spring (Novel)
1926 The Sun Also Rises (Novel)
1927 Men Without Women (Short Stories)
1929 A Farewell to Arms (Novel)
1930 The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories (Short Stories)
1932 Death in the Afternoon (Novel)
1933 Winner take Nothing (Short Stories)
1935 Green Hills of Africa (Novel)
1937 To Have and Have Not (Novel)
1940 For Whom the Bell Tolls (Novel)
1942 Men at War (Edited Anthology)
1950 Across the River and into the Trees (Novel)
1952 The Old Man and the Sea (Novel)
1962 The Wild Years (Compilation)
1964 A Moveable Feast (Novel)
1967 By-Lines (Journalism for the Toronto Star)
1970 Islands in the Stream (Novel)
1972 The Nick Adams Stories
1979 88 Poems
1981 Selected Letters
This list courtesy of Ernest Hemingway.Com
Ernest Hemingway's Books
There are many websites that give information and insight into the life and times of Ernest Hemingway. Please visit these for a full understanding of the man and his written legacy
.
CNN Story of Hemingway
Hemingway's Cats an interesting essay on Hemingway's cats, still very present at the Hemingway home in Key West, Florida.
Discussion group for Hemingway fans.
Books by Ernest Hemingway
Top
Tribute to Mark Twain
Some years ago, as I drove my children to school, Paul Harvey asked if anyone knew who the famous author was that asked for his wife’s hand in marriage five times before her father would approve the union. My first thought was Ernest Hemingway, because of his controversial nature, but it turned out that the man in question was none other than Samuel Clemmons/Mark Twain. I was astonished. Who wouldn’t love Mark Twain and think that he was a wonderful man?
Like many people, the first novel I read by this gentleman was Huckleberry Finn. I can’t say that the reading did much to encourage my interest, because I was a teenager being forced to read this work, but years passed and we learn so much more when the hormones have slowed. Something in Huck Finn stirred me as I reread the book, peaking an interest in the author.
Hal Holbrook did the one-man show of Mark Twain’s writings and it was marvelous. If you haven’t seen it, I’m sure it is available on video somewhere, but it is just too much. I have never laughed like he made me laugh.
Samuel Langhorne Clemmons was born November 30th, 1835, in Florida, Missouri and died in 1910. His airs and manner denoted a man with more modern opinions. He spoke on virtually all subjects with some knowledge or insight most particular to his character. I’ve rarely seen a man so full of it, and yet truthful at the same time. “Always do what is right this will gratify some people and astonish others.”
“Concerning the difference between man and the jackass: some observers hold that there isn't any. But this wrongs the jackass.”
These are two of Mark Twain’s observation though he had many more. One of my favorites speaks of an issue very present in today’s minds. “Ninety-five percent of the population masturbates, while the other five percent lies.”
His writings included speeches, short stories, newspaper articles and many other avenues, each with the wit so very singular to the man. One that I read, a speech given at his 70th birthday celebration, speaks of his first birth celebration. He says that this event was popular because the people lacked for something to celebrate.
He saw the deaths of three children and a wife come to pass before he left this earth for what lay beyond. He was described by Howell as an agnostic, and it is said that in his later years he became bitter.
“Man was made at the end of the week’s work, when God was tired.” I truly believe this as we have always held that lemons (cars under perform) and boxes that have flaws that make them unusable were made on Friday at ten minutes until five, or on Monday when the operator had a hangover.
There are essays available on the net to help students or readers understand Mark Twain’s writings, but they are unnecessary because the man wrote with a purity that has no equal. If you think in southern undertones then reading a Twain novel is pleasurable.
Grammatically speaking, Mr. Twain’s writings were most improper, but the life that he gave to his characters was unbelievably real. I fell in love with Huck Finn the second time I read the novel. Huck, Becky, Tom all were so real with differing personalities which added life to a story about attitudes in the south and beliefs in the Negro as a sinister simpleton. It proves in its way that prejudice and wrongly made assumptions can and do effect lives in harsh, demanding ways. The large black man in the tale is running from the law and a murder he did not commit.
Mark Twain wrote many short stories defining very humanistic characters whose fate had been altered by some event beyond their control. There are listings for 1783 websites on AOL, and this came as no surprise to me as I researched for correctness of the man’s colorful and educational life.
Peter Salwen has written a piece, which compares Mark Twain to Walt Whitman. This, of course, tickled me, as Whitman is one of my favorite poets. It’s possible that the things we read may have a connection to the similarities of the author’s thoughts and life. Though I have not thought of the similarities before, it gave me the possibility to exam why the two had written so much, which interested me.
Mark Twain was a writer, statesman, husband, father and inspiration for several generations as we sought his knowledge. His quotes and speeches are as amusingly interesting as his short stories and essays. I love all that I know about the gentleman and never shy away from learning more. To read is to enjoy, but analysis is unnecessary, for his writings were just fun.
More quotes and quips can be found on the web than the average reader can shake a stick at or is that a leg?
© Donna F. WilsonFind more on Mark Twain, Find more on Mark Twain, Find more on Mark Twain,Find more on Mark Twain,
Top
Byron Herbert Reece: Appalachian Balladeer
©By Mechele R. Dillard
From chips and shards, in idle times
I made these stories, shaped these rhymes
May they engage some friendly tongue
When I am past the reach of song.
--BHR
On September 14, 1917, one of America’s greatest balladeers came into the world. He is not one of literature’s best-known poets; his words are not required recitations for school children; his name does not bring the instant name recognition of Eliot, Shelley, or Keats. Nevertheless, Byron Herbert Reece, 1950 Pulitzer Prize nominee, wrote some of poetry’s finest works.
Reece was born in a time when the mountains of Georgia were still wild and, by some standards, primitive. This was a time when a man’s life was still between him and God. Farming was the norm--if a man couldn’t grow it, his family didn’t eat it. There were no monthly bills--no electricity, no gas, no telephone. Everything, from milking cows to making clothes, was done by hand. It was a hard, disciplined life and, by all accounts, it was a life Reece cherished.
Reece grew up at the foot of the Appalachians in an area still known as Choestoe (chowy-stowy, long "o" sounds). The one bedroom cabin in which he was born was too small for the ever-growing family, so his father moved them into an old cabin standing on Wolf Creek. The move solved the family’s immediate needs for larger living quarters, but the home was situated in an area of the valley where constant dampness lingered and thick fogs hovered well into the mornings--a perfect atmosphere for sickness, especially tuberculosis, which the Reece family would come to know well.
"Hub" was unusually bright. By the time he entered Choestoe Elementary at age 6, he’d read most of the Bible and all of Pilgrim’s Progress. Throughout school, he focused on reading and writing. He hated math, and refused to study beyond the basics. In fact, years later, Hub left Young Harris Junior College without his diploma because he refused to take the required courses in mathematics and French.
Still, Hub’s years at YHJC were some of his happiest. He entered the college in 1935 and attended classes when life at home allowed. In a later interview, Reece would recall, "The leeway between us and starvation was narrow. I had to farm."
In college, Reece’s poetry began to reflect his own voice and individuality. Within 18 months of publishing his first poem, "Return to Remembrance," Hub had published 31 poems in poetry journals and national magazines. By the time he left YHJC in 1940, Byron Herbert Reece was recognized as an established poet with considerable talent.
The oldest male child still in the area, it was up to Hub to take care of his parents, both suffering from TB. It wasn’t really a burden for Hub, however: he loved farming. He loved the feel of newly-turned earth under his feet and, somehow, following behind the team eased his mind. Often, words to his poems would come as he plowed and he would spend *hours* after supper, time he should have been sleeping, putting pen to paper by the light of a kerosene lamp. Morning, however, dawned just as early, and, once again, Hub would be out in the fields, working the farm. Exhausting, yes, but there was simply no other way.
Reece wrote many styles of poetry, but he mastered the ballad beyond reproach. "Ballad of the Bones," based on Ezekiel 37: 1-10; "The Weaver," which powerfully illustrates the passage from Youth into Death; and "Ballad of the Rider," in which Reece explores the lengths to which a man will go to avenge his jealousy, all are fine examples of Reece’s mastery of the ballad form, as well as the true depths of his poetic soul.
After publication of his first collection, "Ballad of the Bones," in October of 1945, Reece received high praise--tho’ little financial compensation, as usual--from a number of notable sources, including the New York Times and the Atlanta Journal. Success created demands he had not foreseen--invitations to speak at graduations, luncheons, churches, whenever, wherever. He had hoped these appearances would expand the publicity of his work, but much of the curiosity was about the "mountaineer," not the actual poetry. In fact, when speaking to one such group, a woman once asked, "What I want to know, Mr. Reece, is with your obvious talent in verse, why in the world do you insist on farming? Anyone can plow potatoes." Reece replied, "Anyone may be able to plow potatoes, but nobody is willing to plow mine but me." Reece came to hate these functions, and avoided them whenever possible.
In 1954, Hub was diagnosed with the "family disease." He spent 3 months in Battey Hospital, the state TB sanatorium, before leaving, vowing never to return. By 1956, he had recovered enough to teach at YHJC for the 1956-1957 school year. Hub was always available to his students, whether for assignments or just a friendly ear; this dedication taxed him to his limit. He had to remain, however--now that he was too weak to farm, there was no other way to pay the bills.
Whether it was the TB, overwork, or simply a loss of spirit, by 1957, Hub was a different man. Friends said he smoked too much, drank too much coffee, and consumed too much alcohol, even appearing in class drunk. He withdrew from friends and students. Finally, in his room on the YHJC campus, while playing Mozart on the phonograph, Byron Herbert Reece shot himself through his diseased lung, ending his own life on June 03, 1958; he was forty years old.
Today, much of the literary world has forgotten Reece, but North Georgia has not. Every summer since 1989, The Reach of Song, Georgia’s official historic drama, has been performed in Young Harris. Written by playwright Tom DeTitta, the musical is a celebration of the rich heritage of the people of North Georgia as seen through the eyes of Byron Herbert Reece, sometimes using Reece’s own poetry to set the stage. Hopefully, as we remember Reece and his works, he has found in death the peace he was unable to secure in life.
©Mechele R. Dillard
Top
|