“The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” by Ernest Hemingway #44

There is little that can make a man feel more worthless than for his wife to know that he is a coward. Francis Macomber is one such man. He and his wife Margaret have come down to Africa on safari, with Robert Wilson being their guide and professional hunter. They thought it would be fun, something different. Besides, Francis was thirty-five, very fit, and had set a number of big-game fishing records. Hunting shouldn’t have been a problem for Francis. But, fishing isn’t even close to the same as hunting a lion.

From reading Hemingway’s "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" I knew a little bit of what to expect here. Like the prior story, this one takes place in Africa, with much of the dialog between a husband and wife couple, and laced with a significant amount of questionable language. There is the additional dynamic of the story having a third major character in the form of Robert, and I also found the examination of male cowardliness to be of significant interest. I had never seen it tackled like this before. One particularly enjoyable facet of this work were the hunting scenes. The descriptions of the hunting were exciting, and really drew me into this piece. Perhaps that is the reason that I enjoyed this story more than the one I hade reviewed earlier. I do recommend it, but it is important to note that this is a very graphic story so reader discretion is advised. You can find this work in The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway: The Finca Vigia Edition.

Content Advisory: Blood and Gore, Foul Language, Violence, Sexual Situations