The Old Man and the Sea
by Ernest Hemingway · first published 1952
38% recommend57% neutral5% critical
Why HN recommends it
Short, readable novella that can be finished in an afternoon yet carries deep subtext about struggle and meaning beyond external reward; a common first Hemingway, and rereads reveal more.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Set in the Gulf Stream off the coast of Havana, Hemingway's magnificent fable is the tale of an old man, a young boy and a giant fish. This story of heroic endeavour won Hemingway the Nobel Prize for Literature. It stands as a unique and timeless vision of the beauty and grief of man's challenge to the elements.
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The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway. You'll finish it in an evening. I didn't get how it impacted me at first, but I knew that I was deeply affected by it. It was what made me internalise the idea that struggle doesn't necessarily…
on “Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?” ↗…by Jerome K Jerome, or Diary of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith. - If you want something that is easy to read, but still profound, try Ernest Hemingway. I recommend A Farewell to Arms, or The Old Man and The Sea. This counts as serious literature, so just steer clear of this if you don't want to read "Literature".
on “Ask HN: I don't read fiction, how much am I missing out on?” ↗…Golub, Charles van Loan) - good read if you're into linear algebra 5. Giving effective feedback (Harvard business review) - useful for getting an understanding on how to handle human interaction 6. The old man and the sea (Ernest Hemingway) - enjoyed it a lot, a reflection of Hemingway's romantic spirit. Also, a quick read. 7. Screwjack (Hunter S. Thompson) - didn't resonate with me although I am a fan of existentialism…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗Harmony Silk Factory - Tash Aw Satanic Verses - Salman Rushdi Old Man and the Sea - Hemingway
on “Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?” ↗zero to one - Peter thiel - good read old man and the sea - Hemingway - good read sapiens (currently reading) - Yuval Noah Harari - fantastic till now What if (still reading) - Randall Munroe - an interesting read
on “Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?” ↗To continue the Ishiguro and Hemingway theme, two of the books I enjoyed most this year were The Buried Giant (Ishiguro) and The Old Man and the Sea (Hemingway).
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?” ↗Another interesting book about fishing by Hemingway is "The Old Man and The Sea". I read it as a teenager. Googled it now because of your comment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_Man_and_the_Sea Only now did I get to know this about it - from the Wikipedia article: [ The…
on “Go Fishing” ↗Fiction Enders game Rendezvous with Rama Hunger Games The old man and the sea Non Fiction Rework Wiseguy Sun Tzu The art of war
on “Ask HN: Good books?” ↗Some old that I have re-read, some new, all worth your time: Old Man And The Sea - Ernest Hemingway IQ84 - Haruki Murakami The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch On Writing - Stephen King When Bad Things Happen To Good People - Harold Kushner Catcher In The Rye - J.D. Salinger Notes…
on “Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..” ↗I suggest reading "The Old Man and the Sea". It was the first Hemingway book that I ever read. I read it when I was 13 or 14 years old and I remember being both amazed and deeply moved by the story. I was amazed because it seemed to me that very…
on “How Do You Like It Now, Gentlemen? (1950)” ↗…its introspective impact. It is hard not to interpret the question as "If you could recommend one book, which would it be?" My answer isn't one that I would necessarily call a "must read." Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea was simply the right book at the right time for me. It was more about what it led me to discover through more reading and more books than the book itself.
on “Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?” ↗I'd recommend The Sun Also Rises or The Old Man And The Sea for a first Hemingway book. They are both within novella length, so they make for easy reading. Farewell To Arms is probably my favourite, if only because of the last page. Hemingway rewrote it around…
on “Lessons Learned from “On Writing Well”” ↗…low-effort but very good read, i throw darts at the Pulitzer for fiction list. I'm reading Greer's "Less" today, the most recent winner, and it is really pretty great. If you haven't read Hemingway, "The Old Man and the Sea" is a pretty good starting point. If you are into post-apocalyptic fiction at all, you need to read McCarthy's "The Road" (Note, if you want Steinbeck - personally, I liked 'Of Mice and Men' a lot…
on “Learning to Read in Your 30s Profoundly Transforms the Brain” ↗Steinbeck: The Grapes of Wrath - really spoke to me about what 'poverty' means and how it affects people and perceptions of people. Hemingway: The Old Man and the Sea - a gorgeous tale that brings to life the beauty of struggle and suffering.
on “Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?” ↗Wow, that was interesting. re: ""The handwritten cards show that in 1925, decades before he wrote his novel The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway was borrowing Joshua Slocum’s memoir, Sailing Alone Around the World."" A bit off topic, but Joshua Slocum’s book "Sailing Alone Around the World" sort-of changed my life after I read it when…
on “Legendary Paris bookshop reveals reading habits of illustrious clientele” ↗