Macho Facts About Ernest Hemingway, The Lost Writer
Ernest Hemingway and his notorious reputation loom large over the 20th century...but to be honest, most people don’t even know the half of it.
This hard-drinking, fast-living, bad-loving writer had a life most people only get nightmares about, and it all led up to his infamously tragic end. Get out your tumblers and highball glasses, because you’re going to need them for this one.
Ernest Hemingway Facts
1. His Family Was Eerily Normal
Ernest Hemingway wasn’t like other boys, but it didn’t seem that way at first. He was born into a comfortable middle-class family in idyllic Oak Park, Illinois, which architect Frank Lloyd Wright once described as having, “So many churches for so many good people to go to.” But under the cover of this pleasant setting, the Hemingway family was downright disturbing.
2. His Mother Controlled Him
The family matriarch, Grace, was extremely domineering and paid special "attention" to her eldest son Ernest.
Ernest recalled how his mother forced him to learn the cello even he staunchly refused to practice, as well as how she had his father Clarence wrapped around her finger.
Only, when it comes to Hemingway’s relationship with his mother, that just the beginning of the bizarre nightmare.
3. He Masqueraded As A Girl
Ernest and his older sister Marcelline were very close in age, and this drove his mother to make a very creepy decision. For some reason, Grace believed the “healthiest” thing to do was to raise the siblings as twin girls. She dressed them both up in frilly Victorian-style clothing, and until Ernest was three she refused to cut his hair, preferring to let him and Marcelline get mistaken for each other. Did this negatively affect Ernest? Oh heck yes it did.
