Comments on: Review by Alvah Bessie: For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway http://www.alvahsbooks.com/alvah-bessie/review-by-alvah-bessie-for-whom-the-bell-tolls-by-ernest-hemingway/ Book Reviews, Essays, and Author Interviews Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:15:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jack Sylvester http://www.alvahsbooks.com/alvah-bessie/review-by-alvah-bessie-for-whom-the-bell-tolls-by-ernest-hemingway/comment-page-1/#comment-1969 Jack Sylvester Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:15:28 +0000 http://www.alvahsbooks.com/?p=592#comment-1969 Yes, this is a wilfully blind Stalinist review of FWTBT. Actually, for the most part Hemingway acted shamefully and boorishly in Spain, particularly in his willingness to buy and propagate the Soviet propaganda line. John Dos Passos had to endure Stalinist character assassination in New Masses and elsewhere after questioning the disappearance and presumable execution of his friend Jose Robles in Barcelona. But history has vindicated Dos Passos. Hemingway's dreadful early writings about the war (particularly The Fifth Column) reflect his ideological naivety. FWTBT, although something of a potboiler romance, was a thankful emergence from a period of two-dimensional thinking. Yes, this is a wilfully blind Stalinist review of FWTBT. Actually, for the most part Hemingway acted shamefully and boorishly in Spain, particularly in his willingness to buy and propagate the Soviet propaganda line. John Dos Passos had to endure Stalinist character assassination in New Masses and elsewhere after questioning the disappearance and presumable execution of his friend Jose Robles in Barcelona. But history has vindicated Dos Passos.

Hemingway’s dreadful early writings about the war (particularly The Fifth Column) reflect his ideological naivety. FWTBT, although something of a potboiler romance, was a thankful emergence from a period of two-dimensional thinking.

]]> By: Curt http://www.alvahsbooks.com/alvah-bessie/review-by-alvah-bessie-for-whom-the-bell-tolls-by-ernest-hemingway/comment-page-1/#comment-1316 Curt Tue, 08 Feb 2011 13:01:29 +0000 http://www.alvahsbooks.com/?p=592#comment-1316 Having recently reread Bell, and while still immersed in a long study of the Spanish Civil War (which includes reading Bessie, among many others), I am obliged to disagree slightly. Yes, Bessie does make some very insightful criticisms in this review of both Hemingway as a writer—his talents and limitations—and certain works. But when it comes to the political angle, Bessie is anything but ‘honest and…very correct.’ Though this is understandable, it is also regrettable. Understandable, given the period in history, the moment when Bessie wrote his review; regrettable in terms of the self-imposed blindness. Ironically, the citation Bessie uses to disparage what Hemingway did in Bell—“There are events which are so great that if a writer has participated in them his obligation is to write them truly rather than assume the presumption of altering them with invention.”—actually corresponds to what Hemingway did do: he questioned Russia’s role in the war, an attitude that history has now vindicated (and regardless of the stark choices the Republic faced at the time) and he criticized André Marty in particular, a man who is remembered by anyone not towing the Party line as the brute and murderer—yes, murderer—that he actually was. Having recently reread Bell, and while still immersed in a long study of the Spanish Civil War (which includes reading Bessie, among many others), I am obliged to disagree slightly. Yes, Bessie does make some very insightful criticisms in this review of both Hemingway as a writer—his talents and limitations—and certain works. But when it comes to the political angle, Bessie is anything but ‘honest and…very correct.’ Though this is understandable, it is also regrettable. Understandable, given the period in history, the moment when Bessie wrote his review; regrettable in terms of the self-imposed blindness. Ironically, the citation Bessie uses to disparage what Hemingway did in Bell—“There are events which are so great that if a writer has participated in them his obligation is to write them truly rather than assume the presumption of altering them with invention.”—actually corresponds to what Hemingway did do: he questioned Russia’s role in the war, an attitude that history has now vindicated (and regardless of the stark choices the Republic faced at the time) and he criticized André Marty in particular, a man who is remembered by anyone not towing the Party line as the brute and murderer—yes, murderer—that he actually was.

]]> By: Randall Radic http://www.alvahsbooks.com/alvah-bessie/review-by-alvah-bessie-for-whom-the-bell-tolls-by-ernest-hemingway/comment-page-1/#comment-226 Randall Radic Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:17:39 +0000 http://www.alvahsbooks.com/?p=592#comment-226 That's quite a review. Well worth waiting for. People rarely criticize Hemingway in any way, shape or form. Bessie has guts, is honest and is very correct. Thanks for posting this. Where on earth did you ever find it? That’s quite a review. Well worth waiting for. People rarely criticize Hemingway in any way, shape or form. Bessie has guts, is honest and is very correct.

Thanks for posting this. Where on earth did you ever find it?

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