Hemingway: The Letters (Two Volumes)

Abdulmaksud Abdulkarim relied in translating Hemingway's letters on a verified copy achieved by the American novelist and critic Carus Baker, published in 1981 under the title "Ernest Hemingway, Selected Letters, 1917 - 1961." Baker (1909 - 1987) was famous for a biography he wrote about Hemingway, and another about the English poet Shelley. This collection of letters begins in August 1917 after Hemingway completed high school studies. It ends days before his death. The letters, collected by Baker from university libraries and research institutions, represent a living biography of Hemingway's life, detailing the events he experienced between July 21, 1899, and the second of the same month 62 years later. He lived a full life, in every sense of the word. According to what Abdulkarim wrote in the introduction to the translation, which is issued in two volumes by the Egyptian "Afaq" publishing house, Hemingway was a multi-talented writer, constantly traveling and moving, and at least can be described as having a spirit of adventure. Hemingway, who received the Nobel Prize in 1954, talks in his letters about his paternal grandfather and maternal grandfather, his relationship with his father, and his poor relationship with his mother. He writes about his four sisters and his younger brother, and about the love relationship that connected him with his nurse, Agnes von Korowowski, during his treatment in Italy. The author of "The Old Man and the Sea" discusses his four wives and his relationships with them before marriage, during marriage, and after marriage. He also talks about his three children, the first from his first wife Hadley, and the second and third from his second wife Pauline. Additionally, he discusses his social relationships with figures whose interests varied as much as his own. In his translation, Abdulkarim numbered the letters for easy reference. He tried to restore the form of the letters to the way Hemingway wrote them, removing everything that the editor of the English version had stuffed into the text, but he used some of it in footnotes when necessary, indicating that they are from Baker, the editor of the version he relied on for the translation. The translation was supplemented with many footnotes, some of which were shared with the editor. The letters cover part of Hemingway's relationships with writers of his era, his friendships with them, and his attitude towards their works. They include a vast array of writers and artists, such as Gertrude Stein, Scott Fitzgerald, Archibald MacLeish, Ezra Pound, James Joyce, Pablo Picasso, Dos Passos, and his stance towards them at different stages of his life. Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms" author also discusses the editors he worked with, whether newspaper and magazine editors or publishing house editors, especially Maxwell Perkins, editor of Charles Scribner's Sons, Charles Scribner Sr., and Charles Scribner Jr. He also mentions some military leaders he worked with and with whom his relationship strengthened. Hemingway writes about his participation in several wars that occurred in his life. He began with World War I, at the age of nineteen, when he was involved in a serious accident that nearly ended his life. Later, he participated in the Spanish Civil War from its early days until its end. The last of these wars that he experienced with all his soul was World War II, especially in the operations on the ground in France to liberate it from the Germans. He also details his life in Italy at the end of World War I, his years in Paris, his travels across Europe, his time in Canada, his life in Cuba, his trip to China, his journeys in Africa, and his passions for fishing, birds, animals, skiing, boxing, and bullfighting. He naturally also talks about his routines and methods in writing his works, and the stages each story or novel went through before being presented to his readers. It is noted that a project to publish a verified edition of Hemingway's letters was initiated by Cambridge University Press, supported and in cooperation with Patrick Hemingway (1928 - ), and the number of letters is estimated at about 6,000, with publication expected in 17 volumes. The project started in 2011 with the release of the first volume (1907 - 1922), meaning it begins with letters Hemingway wrote when he was about seven or eight years old. The second volume (1923 - 1925) was published in October 2013, the third (1926 - April 1929) in October 2015, and the fourth (April 1929 - 1931) in November 2017. The fifth volume (1932 - May 1934) is expected in fall 2019. The main headquarters of the project is at Pennsylvania State University. The letters were scattered widely, and it was not common for Hemingway to keep copies of them. The project officials say they collected them from more than 250 sources inside and outside the United States, including libraries, traders, collectors, Hemingway's correspondents, and his descendants. The largest collection, about 2,500 letters, is in the John F. Kennedy Library. It is worth noting that Hemingway himself advised against publishing these letters. He wrote three years before his death to those implementing his will: "I hope these letters I wrote during my life are not published. Therefore, I ask you not to publish any of these letters or approve their publication." Baker mentions that Hemingway was not very interested in his letters and believed that the best writers write the worst letters. He paid the most attention to his creative output, saying that if he wrote a good letter at any time, it meant he was not working. Abdulkarim recalls Baker's words to suggest that the devil lies in what he mentions about Hemingway and his opinion of the letters he wrote. He says, "I got to know a new language through Hemingway's letters, especially his early ones. In them, the titles he gives to his friends, sisters, wives, and children form a maze that must be carefully navigated to understand who he is talking about or addressing." Another problem is the writing of some words, along with some errors he himself points out in spelling certain words, especially non-English names, whether of people or places, as well as intentionally misspelling some names to mock them. These issues may seem simple or expected in letters, but they pose a significant challenge in translation. Finally, neglect of punctuation in many places makes the meaning ambiguous in many cases.