Ernest Hemingway is considered one of the greatest American writers, known for his minimalist writing style, he pioneered the use of omission to accentuate thematic undercurrents in his work.
His reputation was also defined by his experiences at war and his voracious appetite for adventure. Born in 1899, Hemingway grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. He loved competition and the outdoors. His father taught him to hunt and fish during family excursions in Northern Michigan, and as a teenager, he excelled at boxing and football. In the spring of 1918, Hemingway was sent to Europe to work as an ambulance driver. After a brief stint in France, he was transferred to the Italian front, where he immediately came face-to-face with the gruesome reality of war. On his first day in Italy, he helped recover the remains of civilians killed by an explosion at an ammunition factory. Hemingway endured a seeming never-ending series of potentially fatal wounds throughout his life, yet some would contend that all of his near-death experiences were what ultimately killed him.
