Series synopsis
Hemingway is an American documentary television series that premiered on PBS on April 5, 2021. It ended on April 7, 2021. It stars Peter Coyote, Jeff Daniels, Michael Kitakis and Edna O'Brien.
The visionary work and the turbulent life of Ernest Hemingway, one of the greatest and most influential writers America has ever produced. Interweaving his eventful biography with carefully selected excerpts from his iconic short stories, novels, and non-fiction, the series reveals the brilliant, ambitious, charismatic, and complicated man behind the myth, and the art he created.
Premise
The visionary work and the turbulent life of Ernest Hemingway, one of the greatest and most influential writers America has ever produced. Interweaving his eventful biography with carefully selected excerpts from his iconic short stories, novels, and non-fiction, the series reveals the brilliant, ambitious, charismatic, and complicated man behind the myth, and the art he created.
Premise: The man. The myth. The writer revealed.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Peter Coyote as Narrator (voice)
- Jeff Daniels as Ernest Hemingway (voice)
- Michael Kitakis as Himself – Writer
- Edna O'Brien as Herself – Writer
- Tobias Wolff as Himself – Writer
- Mary Dearborn as Herself – Biographer
- Abraham Verghese as Himself – Writer
- Mary Karr as Herself – Writer
Supporting cast
- Susan Beegel as Herself – Literary Scholar
- Marc Dudley as Himself – Literary Scholar
- Mario Vargas Llosa as Himself – Writer
- Patrick Hemingway as Himself – Hemingway's Second Son
- Ernest Hemingway as Himself (archive footage)
Guest cast
- Olivia Gilliatt as Agnes Von Kurowsky (voice)
- Patricia Clarkson as Grace Hemingway (voice)
- Dave Quay as F. Scott Fitzgerald (voice)
- Josh Lucas as The New Republic (voice)
- Keri Russell as Dorothy Parker (voice)
- Mary-Louise Parker as Marcelline Hemingway (voice)
- Joe Morton as Ralph Ellison (voice)
- Meryl Streep as Martha Gellhorn (voice)
- Arlo Hill as Gregory Hemingway (voice)
Episodes
This series spans 1 season with 3 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 3 | April 5, 2021 | April 7, 2021 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
A Writer (1899-1929) Hemingway, yearning for adventure, volunteers for the Red Cross during World War I. He marries Hadley Richardson and moves to Paris, publishes The Sun Also Rises and finds critical and commercial success with his second novel, A Farewell to Arms. |
April 5, 2021 |
| 2 |
The Avatar (1929-1944) Hemingway, having achieved a level of fame rarely seen in the literary world, settles in Key West with Pauline Pfeiffer but can't stay put for long. He reports on the Spanish Civil War and begins a tempestuous romance with Martha Gellhorn. |
April 6, 2021 |
| 3 |
The Blank Page (1944-1961) Hemingway follows the Army as they advance through Europe. Afterwards, he tries to start a life with Mary Welsh, but is beset with tragedies. He publishes The Old Man and the Sea to acclaim but is overcome by his declining mental condition. |
April 7, 2021 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | PBS |
|---|---|
| First aired | April 5, 2021 |
| Last aired | April 7, 2021 |
| Runtime | 110 minutes |
| Status | ended |