Ernest Hemingway's Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech

[Xiaolian7]

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[Saxatilis23]

Thanks for posting. As mentioned, it is not Ernest reading the speech. He declined to attend the ceremony in Stockholm, instead writing this acceptance speech while staying at his home outside of Havana, Cuba named Finca Vigia ("Lookout Farm"), which was read by U.S. Ambassador John M. Cabot at the ceremony. Ernest was very shy in fact, and had great contempt of Tuxedos. "Wearing underwear is as formal as I ever hope to get" he once told A.E. Hotchner (the author of Hemingway's biography).

[swiyyahnm]

I heard he suffered from depression. I don't know if it's true.

[Eguan0]

Hemingway, Eichmann, Stranger in a Strangeland...

I'll never forget Hemingway.

[lebarosky]

I believe that Ernest Hemingway is, in many ways, the quintessential American male. He is a classic boy-man. He never wrote a female character that could stay in the ring for even one round with his good male characters: there is a reason for that. He strove so hard, so hard, yet he wrote, in a lifetime, one good novel, and it was his first. He wrote short stories that tear the heart out of your chest, some of the best descriptions of action and grace under pressure that will ever be written.rip

[kennykiller911]

what is hemingway doing with castro?

[elizmanandhar1]

@kennykiller911- trading literature for cigars?

[6Venganza]

@kennykiller911

he lived in Cuba for a while, read the biografy ;)

[chrisjeans35]

awesome speech and he is so hot

[CJWilly]

Beautiful.

[piscesfishK]

what an awesome speech!

thanks for the post

[rbeznash]

This is the first recording I've ever heard of EH's voice...He died in 1961 - not the Dark Ages...Didn't any of his interviewers record him - or was he opposed to it..? Would welcome any knowledge of this..

[JeffersonDinedAlone]

@rbeznash  Not Hemingway's voice. His speech being read by someone else.

[DauphinIslandBR]

@JeffersonDinedAlone - Wrong. The voice is unmistakeable, if you have ever heard it before . . . . which obviously, you haven't.

[JeffersonDinedAlone]

@DauphinIslandBR You just made yourself sound very foolish. If I had never heard his voice before, then, 1) I would not be able to make the distinction, and, 2) If I had never heard his voice before, and was not able to make the distinction, then I would have no way of knowing it was not his voice, and, consequently, would not have made the comment. Before you make a comment, give some thought as to its content.

[funnyapples1]

excellent speech!

[CalebBalderstone]

PS. 0:37 is an example of his ‘Hello, Sailor!’ pose complete with the moustache that inspired that other gay icon, Freddie Mercury.

[CalebBalderstone]

John4Locke’s right, Ernest wasn’t actually present at the acceptance: he was safely ensconced in his Havana apartment rogering Carlos the choir boy . However, the light-loafered author did say that never in his Marmite-mining life had he been so happy; except, of course, for the time he was given a gold tiara by Leonard Mincing (Head of the Association of American Homosexualists) in recognition of his leadership of pre-McArthy American irons..

[ANDREWEHUNT]

This is a fantastic video. Thank you so much for posting it! You did a superb job of making it.

[bass109]

Jesus is lord, great video

[ff7fan05]

I think Hemingway wanted us to find inspiration all around us.

[paulj0557]

...then I don't want to be intellegent anymore!

Wow, quick as that.

[ff7fan05]

@MistyAngel1990 Probably came in Mentally prepared.

[ff7fan05]

Now that, is a Speech.

[tobyweber]

Thanks for posting. That is dynamite. Just read For whom the Bell tolls, wondering how any human could write that. Those words are so deep, and answer the question. wow.

[niqqss274]

wovewy video

[niqqss274]

wovewy video

[lebarosky]

Thank you so much for posting. Hemingway is a good writer for young men to read, especially his short stories. He wrote one very good novel, which is his first. His short stories are, I believe, unparalleled in literature in their compactness and their power. His inability to create a fully rounded female character and his incapacity to write a really good novel are tragic, but the good Lord knows he tried and tried. His depictions of action and grace under pressure are the best of their kind.

[organoleptique]

Put the audio transcriber at 0:55

ha.

[JiffySpook]

This is a great thing to be preserved.

[ff7fan05]

@JiffySpook Yes it is. So I like how he says "writers should write what they need to say, and not speak it." How do we do that today?

[houndogray]

Nothing has ever been written since that says in so many words, so much. 

[drybonesband]

Very nice! Thanks so much for putting this together.

No, he wasn't perfect, but at his best he was a great artist.

[stevevandien]

Have lately reread most of Hemingway's fiction, along with collections of his journalism and the most recent biographies. Hemingway, at his best, produced some truly great work. I would nominate "The Sun Also Rises," "A Farewell to Arms," "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "The Old Man and the Sea" among his novels, plus at least a dozen short stories, such as "Hills Like White Elephants," "The Killers," "The Undefeated," "A Clean, Well-lighted Place" and "Snows of Kilimanjaro."

[carlwinslow408]

CALVES

[thaipulsedotcom]

What a putz this guy was... he's dead, right? It never ceases to amaze me how many other writers quote this clown. What has this guy said that has affected you? I wish I had something to throw at him.

[1234marvin1]

@thaipulsedotcom

have you ever read anything by Hem? And if so, what did make you feel so upset?

i did read it all. Let´s discuss.

[ff7fan05]

@1234marvin1 I have read 4 of Hemingway's books. My favorite is The Sun Also Rises. I have also read The Hills are like White Elephants. So 1234marvin1, why is Hemingway's style defeat? Or Loneliness?

[iParadox1989]

Best 2:30 of my day.

[stevevandien]

Let's clear up a few things. This is indeed Hemingway. Because he was still suffering from injuries sustained in a plane crash, he didn't go to Sweden to accept the Nobel. He did, however, write this acceptance speech, which the American ambassador to Sweden recited at the Nobel ceremonies. But Hemingway's friends also encouraged him to record the speech, and he did so. Here we have that recording. More later:) --

[stevevandien]

@stevevandien Hemingway's close friends, notably A.E. Hotchner, have noted that he hated giving speeches, and in any venue that remotely resembled speech-making, he came across as stiff and stilted, as he does here to at least some extent. Hotchner et. al. maintain that he sounded much more fluent and natural in conversation --

[stevevandien]

@stevevandien Given that Hemingway disliked making speeches (much less records), I wonder whether his Midwest accent -- he was from Chicago -- was as pronounced in everyday speech as it is here --

[zthetha]

Is this Hemingway? I thought he sounded more like Roosevelt - slightly higher pitched and less guttural.

[batman2909]

Is this his voice? Mega fan!

[scottohscott]

I've never heard him speak like that before... he sounds so intelligent

[stealthinsweden]

@scottohscott He was pretty smart...

[Boldred1]

Let us go now, across the river and into the trees.

[zygmuntpc]

From Argentina. Great production. Deep emotion to hear the voice of EH, my favourite writer. In the photos of his younghood, he incredibly resembles Tom Cruise. Thanks. Isn't there any interview of him? Thanks again.

[TheBookWorld]

Im From Argentina as well!

Viva Argentina!

[TSM8088]

Love his quote at the end...to which I would add:

"Cabbages are happy."

[Vorsin]

It's not his voice - it's an ambassador...

[ShoobyBugger]

No, Hemingway recorded this and it played at the assembly. It is, in fact, Hemingway's voice.

[Vorsin]

"surprisingly" - IMAO

[ElstonGunnn69]

That was a surprisingly good speech. Got to read myself some Hemingway.

[Melopeed]

Thanks for sharing. I'd never thought I'd hear Hemingway speak.

[Melopeed]

@Melopeed So you see, every year when the Nobel Prize is handed out, I visit my god again.

[fakeman345]

Hemingway's Nobel Prize acceptance speech was read for him by United States Ambassador to Sweden, John C. Cabot, on December 10, 1954.

Hemingway was unable to attend the ceremony in Sweden because of serious injuries sustained in two airplane crashes in Africa during a safari, but he did record his speech for posterity.

This is Hemingway's voice, recorded in Cuba.

[mattttch]

much thanks for posting this, i've read nearly all his novels, short stories, poems, and interviews but had never actually heard him speak! this gave me chills.

what a great speech by the way, full of weight and truth and humility, sometimes i wish i was one of his friends in Paris in the early 20's...

[olamikkel]

@mattttch

Sorry to dissapoint you, but "Actually Hemingway was not present at the Nobel Banquet in Stockholm... his acceptance speech was read by the American Ambassador."

-john4locke

[Artlitfan]

@olamikkel I know it was. But it IS Hemingway's voice.

[DangerBird]

this IS the voice of the great Hemmingsteen

[damone77]

I'm reading the newly restored "Moveable Feast"; excellent reading!

[ZOOJAMPS]

I love the bit about Alistair C. and Pascin, J.Joyce,...all of it!

[le0s0n]

This is the voice i will imagine when i read his books!

[Caqui]

Ahh. The voice behind the words, speaks!

[Caqui]

Hehe, or maybe not, considering this is the ambassador speaking. Whoops.

[john4locke]

Actually this recording is by Hemingway himself.

[billthestinker]

thanks for posting

[tfh962]

it is a shame we don't have more audio from hemingway. It would have been great to listen to him talk about other stuff. Thanks for the upload!

[FREAKINxCENSOREDxSUX]

I wish I could write half as good as him. Amazing =] All writers should look up to him

[Bluelining]

that's beautifully said.

[cynsmi]

Thanks for the post as I was curious about his voice and speaking style.

[kwaidancincy]

Thanks for post this, john4locke. I'd never heard him reading his Nobel Prize acceptance speech before. You did a great job of selecting photos to show during his speech. Excellent tribute.

[njblanco]

John4locke, this was time well spent! I enjoyed listening to it. You should, as Ernest would have been, not be concerned with ratings or comments but do great things for their sake only. This was a great thing to put together. Thank you. Keep reading and writing.

[john4locke]

Actually Hemingway was not present at the Nobel Banquet in Stockholm... his acceptance speech was read by the American Ambassador.

And hemingway recorded his speech in a Cuban Radio Station.

I hope this answered your question, and I'm glad to see some one who is interested in Hemingway and Faulkner.

[thedavidstrikesagain]

So is this actually Hemingway reading the speech, or the Ambassador?

Either way, fascinating stuff, cheers!

[MDubBeezy]

@john4locke Faulkner.. I've heard excellent things about his work. I haven't read a single piece. Where do you suggest I start?

[elizmanandhar1]

@MDubBeezy- "THE SOUND AND THE FURY"!!! AND IF YOU LIKE IT, OF COURSE, "AS I LAY DYING"... "REQUIEM FOR A NUN" IS ONE OF MY PERSONAL FAVORITES..

[john4locke]

No rating, no comments... just my luck...well i guess this was a time well spent!!!