Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein’s “Hemingway” is returning to Arkansas TV. The three-part, six-hour documentary will air on Arkansas TV and livestream at arkansastv.gov/live, beginning Monday, Aug. 31, at 8 p.m.
Ernest Hemingway is known around the world for his spare writing style, larger-than-life persona and novels such as “The Sun Also Rises” and “A Farewell to Arms.” But Hemingway’s story also includes a significant chapter in Northeast Arkansas.
Hemingway and his second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer, whose family lived in Piggott, were prominent residents of Northeast Arkansas during their 13-year marriage. Hemingway penned part of “A Farewell to Arms” while staying at their Arkansas home. Hemingway’s time in Arkansas is mentioned in the first episode, in the context of his and Pauline's move to Piggott just before their son Patrick was born.
You can take a closer look at his time in The Natural State through Arkansas TV’s digital series, featuring visits to the Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center and conversations with historians and museum leaders about Hemingway’s time here.
Today, Arkansas State University operates the restored Pfeiffer home and Hemingway Barn-Studio as one of its four Heritage Sites. The Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center, 1021 West Cherry Street, Piggott, is open Monday-Friday with tours on the hour from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
"Hemingway" paints an intimate picture of the writer – who captured the complexities of the human condition on paper in spare and profound prose, and whose work remains deeply influential around the world – while also penetrating the myth of Hemingway the man’s man to reveal a deeply troubled and ultimately tragic figure. The film also explores Hemingway’s limitations and biases as an artist.
The documentary takes viewers through Hemingway's life in three parts, spanning his early years, literary success and later life. Here's what to expect from each episode:
Part One: “A Writer” – airs Monday, Aug. 31, at 8 p.m.
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”.
Part Two: “The Avatar” – airs Monday, Sept. 7, at 8 p.m.
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.
Part Three: “The Blank Page” – airs Monday, Sept. 14, at 8 p.m.
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.
Narrated by long-time collaborator Peter Coyote, the series features an all-star cast of actors bringing Hemingway, voiced by Jeff Daniels, his friends and his four wives – voiced by Meryl Streep, Keri Russell, Mary-Louise Parker and Patricia Clarkson – vividly to life.
HOW TO WATCH
“Hemingway” airs at 8 p.m. Mondays on Arkansas TV beginning Aug. 31, with subsequent parts airing Sept. 7 and Sept. 14. The documentary will also livestream at arkansastv.gov/live.