Ernest Hemingway casts a long shadow in literature, reaching beyond his status as a giant of twentieth-century fiction and a Nobel Prize winner—extending even into comic books. Appearing with various icons such as Superman, Mickey Mouse, and Wolverine, Hemingway transcends his reality as a novelist as his persona develops into a pop culture icon.
The exhibition Hemingway in Comics provides a unique and entertaining lens for considering one of America’s most influential authors through themes that explore his origin story as well as his legendary iconic personas, both fact and fiction. In several appearances across multiple languages, Hemingway is often portrayed as the hypermasculine legend: bearded, boozed up, and ready to throw a punch. But just as often, comic book writers see past the bravado to the person, grappling with his own demons. Hemingway’s role in these comics ranges from the divine to the ridiculous, as his image is recorded, distorted, lampooned, and whittled down to its core.
Exhibition curator Robert K. Elder notes that comic book creators and Hemingway share a natural kinship. The comic book page demands an economy of words, much like Hemingway’s less-is-more “iceberg theory,” only in graphic form. In addition, he turned out to be the perfect avatar for comic book artists wanting to tell history-rich stories, as he experienced beautiful places during the most chaotic times: Paris in the 1920s, Spain during the Spanish Civil War, Cuba on the brink of revolution, France during World War II just after liberation. Elder’s research into Hemingway’s comic presence demonstrates the truly international reach of Hemingway as a pop culture icon.
Hemingway in Comics presents a new, more complicated way to look at Hemingway: a man, an artist, and a character that has taken on a life of its own and allows visitors to consider why Hemingway’s image, in particular, is so enduring. However, this exhibition is not only for the dedicated Hemingway fan, it will appeal to all those with an appreciation for comics, pop culture, and the absurd.
CONTENT WARNING: Some of the labels and comics in this exhibition make references to suicide, sexual assault, and firearms.
SUGGESTED READING AND MEDIA
Elder, Robert K., Hemingway in Comics
Burgess, Anthony, Ernest Hemingway
Gigliotti, Jim, Who Was Ernest Hemingway?
Reynolds, Nicholas E., Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy: Ernest Hemingway's Secret Adventures, 1935-1961
Sandison, David, Ernest Hemingway: An Illustrated Biography
Hemingway, Ernest, The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway, Ernest, For Whom the Bell Tolls
Hemingway, Ernest, The Hemingway Stories: As Featured in the Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick
Hemingway, Ernest, A Moveable Feast
Hemingway, Ernest, The Old Man and the Sea
Hemingway, Ernest, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, and Other Stories
Hemingway, Ernest, The Sun Also Rises
Amara, Philip, So, You Want to Be a Comic Book Artist?: The Ultimate Guide on How to Break Into Comics!
Crilley, Mark, The Comic Book Lesson: A Graphic Novel That Shows You How to Make Comics
Roshell, John, Lettering Comic Books with Illustrator (LinkedIn Learning)
Schmidt, Andy, The Insider's Guide to Creating Comics and Graphic Novels
A Program of ExhibitsUSA, a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance with Texas Commission on the Arts and The National Endowment for the Arts.
This exhibition is generously supported by City of Houston, Houston Public Library, and Houston Public LIbrary Foundation