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Meaning
The quote says fiction should feel human and believable, not like a set of fake types. It contrasts real, complex people with flat figures that seem exaggerated or simplified. Hemingway is arguing that a writer's job is to make characters feel alive.
When It Was Said
1932
Who It Was Said To
Not documented yet.
Historical Context
Not documented yet.
Source
Ch. 16
Original Language & Translation
Originally said in English.
Did They Really Say It?
Listed with a cited source on Wikiquote: Ch. 16.
Did You Know?
The quote is cited from Chapter 16.
About Ernest Hemingway
American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist
Ernest Hemingway was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His work belongs to the 20th century, and he is widely known for a spare, understated style that shaped later writers. He has 257 quotes on the site. He wrote seven novels, six short-story collections, and two works of nonfiction, several of which became classics of American literature. He was also known for an adventurous public image and a blunt, outspoken manner, and he received the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature.
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READ THE SOURCE
Books by Ernest Hemingway
The Old Man and the Sea
A short novel, quick to read.