“Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived that distinguish one man from another.”distinguish one man from another.”
If Ernest Hemingway were still alive today, the sportsman, soldier, Nobel Prize-winning writer and man of adventure would turn 111 this month. To pay homage to the legend, and to help distinguish your own life, take on one of these Hemingway-themed experiences:
Read: A Farewell to Arms
One of our most revered American writers, Hemingway is known for his straightforward prose and terse dialogue. Loosely based on his own experience in World War I, this classic novel is a journey through courage, manhood and the crushing weight of the world.
Run: With the Bulls
Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises put this thrill-seeking tradition in Spain on the map. We’ve experienced this mythical adventure first-hand, but nothing we tell you can replace the raw adrenaline you feel when a 1,000 pound bull barrels towards you on the streets of Pamplona.
Wear: Thomas Raymond & Co’s Hemingway Footwear
When he won the Nobel Prize in 1954, Time magazine called Hemingway “a globe-trotting expert on bullfights, booze, women, wars, big game hunting, deep sea fishing, and courage.” If you want to follow in his footsteps, you’ll need a good pair of shoes to pull all that off.
Watch: To Have and Have Not
Hemingway’s novel of the same name was adapted for film in 1945 featuring a sultry on-screen (and off-screen) romance between Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. The classic film noir follows a tough expat fishing boat captain who becomes a smuggler in the Caribbean.
Head: To Hemingway Days Festival in Key West
In the 1930s Hemingway lived, sailed, fished and wrote in Key West. The remote Southern island is proud of its one-time resident and celebrates his birthday with a festival July 20-25 that includes a $50,000 marlin tournament, a white beard look-alike contest, and a short story competition led by his granddaughter.
“No event in American history which was so improbable at the time has seemed so inevitable in retrospect as the American Revolution.” This is the starting point of Joseph Ellis’ book Founding Brothers – The Revolutionary Generation. Over the next few hundred pages Ellis takes us on a journey observing the intertwined lives of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, James Madison, John Adams, Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin.
Through six moments in history, we follow these founders into a secret dinner that determined our nation’s capital, a deadly duel, a leader’s unprecedented farewell address, a petition that would’ve ended slavery nearly a century earlier, an unlikely political collaboration, and an odd friendship that gave us the most important correspondence of American statesmen.
Founding Brothers offers a unique perspective on the formation of our nation, focusing on the private lives that would form the public legacies. Ellis believes that ultimately what formed and endured as the American republic was shaped less by documents and laws, but by the interaction, character and values of these men.
There is something thrilling and impactful about reading a story of the place where you’re currently traveling. Hopefully this summer you’ll have a chance to get out and explore more of the world and while you do, take along a good book to complement your journey. We’ve selected seven travel/adventure books, each related to one of the continents.
Endurance by Alfred Lansing (Antarctica) – A riveting account of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 expedition to attempt to cross Antarctica in the face of unbelievable hardship.
A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins (North America) – A disillusioned Jenkins and his dog set out to cross America on foot. He finds adventure, companionship, the heart of a nation and purpose for himself.
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemmingway (Europe) – The classic novel put the Running of the Bulls on the map by exploring elements of the human spirit through a group of lost-generation expats’ journey from Paris to Spain.
In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin (South America) – A mix of fact and fiction, this enthralling tale will take you on a journey through the vast natural beauty of South America.
A Fortune-Teller Told Me by Tiziano Terzani (Asia) – Having spent several decades jet-hopping around Asia as a journalist, Terzani spends a year traveling to 11 countries by every means except a plane and rediscovers the continent in the process.
The Covenant by James Michener (Africa) – If you’re heading to the World Cup, Michener’s composition on South Africa’s journey is a must read. This is a masterpiece on the history and humanity of the complex nation.
The Dig Tree by Sarah Murgatroyd (Australia) – The story of the ill-fated quest to cross Australia’s desolate and relatively unknown interior. In 1860 an expedition set out from Melbourne on the 3,500 journey only to face tragedy.
Would you say that what motivates you comes from an internal drive or an external incentive? Are you energized by a reward or by avoiding punishment? Or is there a deeper satisfaction that is more intrinsic in your approach to work, play and relationships? Examining decades of studies and scientific research on human behavior, Daniel Pink asks us to rethink our perspective in Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.
Pink dismisses conventional wisdom that our motivation is always best altered by “carrot-and-stick” methods. By comparing and contrasting history and our evolving culture and business models, he presents a compelling case for improving performance and deepening satisfaction by focusing on:
Autonomy – our desire to be self-directed
Mastery – our urge to get better at what we do
Purpose – our yearning to be part of something larger than ourselves
Whether you have the responsibility of motivating others or yourself, Drive is an interesting and practical read applicable to every aspect of life.
While most film cameras have virtually disappeared from the amateur photography market, the Diana camera, a cult favorite from the 60s and 70s, has, to the delight of photographers, returned. The original made a splash almost by accident: the camera’s cheap construction – the plastic lens allowed light to leak in the camera body that created odd color palettes, slightly blurred photos, and low contrast and resolution – lent themselves to more artistic photographs. This allowed users to play with formats, pinhole shots and angles before Photoshop existed. Discontinued in the late 70s, the Diana gradually became a mantle-piece rather than a functional device.
Now, however, Lomography has reconstructed the Diana camera, bringing back the cheap plastic lens and its singular artistic abilities with a reconstruction that borders on obsessive. All the light-weight camera’s (perfect) imperfections remain intact on the new model, which offers variable shutter speeds, a removable lens for super-wide angle pinhole shots, 12-shot, 16-shot and several panoramic formats (creating both square and rectangular prints), and a commitment to photos with a color-drenched, dream-like quality. The 2010 Diana comes backed with a 2-year international warranty and retails for $60.
