The Snows of Kilimanjaro / Ten Indians - Ernest Hemingway - book

Kilimanjaro is a snow-covered mountain, 6,021 meters high, and said to be the highest mountain in Africa. The western peak is called "Masai Ngaje Ngai," the House of God. Near the western peak is a frozen leopard carcass. No one has explained what the leopard was looking for at this precise altitude, as Ernest Hemingway prefaces this short story. Relatively short, it is followed by eleven other, even shorter stories. The Snows of Kilimanjaro interweaves adventure stories and memories of his many travels around the world, as illustrated by this anecdote about Turkey in the middle of the African bush. Concise (he hated sentences longer than fifteen words), and dynamic, this story is one of his most legendary writings. Narrating the sublime ascent of this alluring mountain, a film (starring Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner) will be made from this dazzling short story. Hemingway thus reaches new heights here. --Florent Mazzoleni