The Torrents of Spring: Amazon.ca: Ernest Hemingway: Books

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Product Description

An early gem from the greatest American writer of the twentieth century

First published in 1926, The Torrents of Spring is a hilarious parody of the Chicago school of literature. Poking fun at that "great race" of writers, it depicts a vogue that Hemingway himself refused to follow. In style and substance, The Torrents of Spring is a burlesque of Sherwood Anderson's Dark Laughter, but in the course of the narrative, other literary tendencies associated with American and British writers akin to Anderson -- such as D. H. Lawrence, James Joyce, and John Dos Passos -- come in for satirical comment. A highly entertaining story, The Torrents of Spring offers a rare glimpse into Hemingway's early career as a storyteller and stylist. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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8 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars A book as much about itself as about its characters, May 28 2002

By	Michael J. Mazza (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Torrents of Spring (Paperback)

"The Torrents of Spring," by Ernest Hemingway, is a curious little book (90 pages) by one of the 20th century's most distinguished novelists. According to the back cover blurb, "Torrents" was first published in 1926. The short novel tells the story of the intertwined lives of World War I veteran Yogi Johnson and writer Scripps O'Neill, both of whom work at a pump factory.

I think of "Torrents" as a metafiction: a work of fiction that reflects on its own creation as a work of fiction. The story is interspersed with authorial asides to the reader in which the narrator comments on the process by which the story was written, and sometimes makes specific pleas to the reader. These asides are often ridiculous and funny. Example: "If any of the readers would care to send me anything they wrote, for criticism or advice, I am always at the Cafe du Dome any afternoon." This metafictional flavor is further enhanced by the frequent references to various American authors: Henry James, Willa Cather, Gertrude Stein, etc.

The story itself contains some whimsical and surreal scenes. Hemingway offers a curious presentation of race and gender issues; in particular, there are a number of Native American characters. Recommended as companion texts: the also very metafictional "The Things They Carried," by Tim O'Brien, and "Breakfast of Champions," by Kurt Vonnegut.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Changing contracts, Sep 4 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Torrents of Spring (Paperback)

For one to understand why Hemingway wrote a book of this caliber, it must be understood that Sherwood Anderson, whom Hem parodied, had just had a contract signed by Hemingway. An offer had also been made by Scribner's which was more prestiegeous of the two literary firms. To get out of the contract, Hem offered this book, which he knew would be turned down by Anderson's firm, thus giving Hemingway the chance to accept Scribner's contract. The book was not intended as a great literary work, and thus must be examined in the light of which it is written. There are many funny idosyncrasies which Hem used for some of the characters in the book. Most of these came from people he knew there in Paris. Entertaining? Yes it was to me. A great literary work? It achieved what he was looking for. So you be the judge.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Hemingway juvenilia?, Jan 13 2000

By	ABC "ABC" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Torrents of Spring (Paperback)

The Torrents of Spring is important because of who wrote it. It is supposed to be a parody of Sherwood Anderson's work. I don't get it. The book reads like Hemingway's high school work (he wrote it in his 20s). Both are important because they reveal something about the development of a giant. There is some interesting byplay in the book between protagonist and others, some good place descriptions. It was not fun or absorbing to read but it has importance for one who studies Hemingway's body of work. It is contemporary with In Our Time. The literary gulf between the two books is vast.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars The Best Hemingway Novel
hey yall! Ernest Hemingway is the bomb diggity!! The Torrents of Spring is so funny!

Published on Oct 28 2001 by P. Vidal

5.0 out of 5 stars Still holds up after all these years.
I thought I'd read everything Hemingway ever published, but I was not even familiar with this one. When I read that it was a parody, I thought I might not get it, since it had... Read more

Published on Dec 5 1999 by LaLoren

3.0 out of 5 stars Hemingway's Shortest !
This was the first Hemingway book I ever read. It was about 25 years ago and at the time I had tried to read H's longer books, such as The Sun Also Rises, and failed. Read more

Published on Jul 3 1999 by Ted Ficklen

5.0 out of 5 stars Ever want to meet Hemingway?
I have wanted to meet Hemingway for some time now, but that being impossible for obvious reasons this book is the next best thing. Read more

Published on Jun 24 1999