Some of Ernest Hemingway’s novels and short stories are considered among the greatest ever written. He’s also remembered as an international man of letters, a famous expatriate and macho outdoorsman spending all the right seasons in all the right places: Paris, Pamplona, Key West, Havana, Sun Valley, on safari in Africa.
But Hemingway’s life was more complicated than the glamorous image that lives in the popular imagination. He was an outspoken antifascist throughout his adult life, and participated in some of the pivotal historical events of the 20th century. He witnessed two Cuban revolutions, rubbed elbows with top Soviet agents in Madrid during the Spanish Civil War, and ran a secret counterintelligence operation based in Havana during World War II, in which his fishing boat, the Pilar, was used to hunt German U-boats.
This richly illustrated talk by Tim Weed will follow Hemingway’s life and work from 1920s Paris to his tragic end in 1961, shedding light on the the author’s contributions to both literature and history.
Mileage
Projector and screen
Available in correctional facilities.
First, contact the speaker by clicking on their biography below to confirm their availability and discuss any special arrangements.
Then, click this “Book this Talk!” button to send a request form to Vermont Humanities. We’ll respond within one week.
Contact Jacob Pelletier at jpelletier@vermonthumanities.org.
A native Vermonter and current resident of Putney, Tim Weed is an award-winning novelist and lecturer. He is the author of four books of fiction, including The Afterlife Project, named a best book of 2025 by Library Journal and the Toronto Star.
On December 27, 1831, after Charles Darwin and Captain Robert Fitzroy shared a final lunch of mutton chops and champagne ashore, the Beagle got underway. Darwin’s firsthand account of the journey, The Voyage of the Beagle, is one of history’s greatest true adventure stories. The voyage was supposed to last two years, but it ended up stretching out to five.
Tim Weed explores Cuba’s long struggle for sovereignty, from the Spanish-American war of 1898 to the 1959 Cuban Revolution.
Some of Ernest Hemingway’s novels and short stories are considered among the greatest ever written. He’s also remembered as an international man of letters, a famous expatriate and macho outdoorsman spending all the right seasons in all the right places: Paris, Pamplona, Key West, Havana, Sun Valley, on safari in Africa. But Hemingway’s life was more complicated than the glamorous image that lives in the popular imagination.
Our seasonal “Words in the Woods” program allows Vermonters and visitors to enjoy our state’s natural beauty while listening to and reading literature in the outdoors.
Humanities Camps are filled with reading and writing projects, field trips, and outdoor activities.
We won a 2020 Schwartz Prize for best public humanities programming in the U.S. for Vermont Reads 2019: “March: Book One.”
We supported the Chandler Center for the Arts’ Global Connections Youth Outreach program, which highlights artists from around the world.
Our free public events help bring the power of the humanities to communities across Vermont.
