Burns documented both the public and private personae of Hemingway from his birth in 1899 to his death in 1961. It focuses on Hemingway's writing, his four marriages, three sons, and Hemingway's peacetime and wartime lifestyle and interests, his alcoholism and character flaws.[2]
Senator John McCain was interviewed for this documentary sometime before his death in 2018. He had often cited Robert Jordan, the protagonist of Hemingway's novel For Whom the Bell Tolls, as his hero.[4]
Episodes
"A Writer (1899–1929)"
"The Avatar (1929–1944)"
"The Blank Page (1944–1961)"
Ken Burns and PBS
In 2007, Burns had made an agreement with PBS to produce work for the network well into the next decade.[5] According to a 2017 piece in The New Yorker, Burns and his company, Florentine Films, selected topics for documentaries slated for release by 2030.
Reception
Stephen Colbert of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert called it "incredibly moving and beautiful".[6]
