1. This is Hemingway's studio. He had it built on the second floor of the carriage house. Originally, there was a catwalk that ran from his studio, over the cookhouse to the veranda outside his bedroom. Hemingway could get up in the morning and walk right to his studio to work. In 1948, a storm destroyed the cookhouse and catwalk.
Notice the Royal typewriter (above) and Cuban cigar-maker's chair. The studio is filled with mementoes Hemingway collected. It was here where Hemingway worked on many of his classics, including "Green Hills of Africa," "To Have And Have Not," and "For Whom The Bell Tolls." He also penned some of his most-famous short stories, such as "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" and "The Short, Happy Life of Francis Macomber."
2. The house (below) was built in 1851 by Asa Tift, a marine architect and salvage wrecker. Hemingway moved into the home in 1931. The house contains the furniture that the Hemingways used.
3. There are tons of cats around the home and grounds. They are descendants of the cats Hemingway kept while he lived in the house, including many polydactyls, or extra-toed, like the one Hemingway loved.
The cat above lounges on a tiled area outside and the one below at the foot of Hemingway's bed.
I will post more about my trip to Key West in the coming days. Have you ever been to Key West? If so, what was your favorite thing to do or see?
Hey Buffy,
ReplyDeleteI found your blog looking for other runners. Now I see we share another common interest, writing for kids.
I haven't been that far south in Florida. I usually go to Fort Myers. Just seeing those pictures of Hemingway's home inspired me to get off my butt and start writing again. I've been in a bit of a writing slump lately. Thanks!
If you get a chance, stop by one of my blogs and say hello. I have a writing and running blog.
Ken
Sounds like a great trip. That's cool that the cats are descendants of Hemmingway.
ReplyDeleteI love seeing/being in great writers' homes or writing spaces. I've never been to Key West, so thanks for sharing that.
ReplyDeleteTwo other cool places: Thomas Wolfe's Old Kentucky Home in Asheville, N.C. (the boarding house "Dixieland" in "Look Homeward, Angel" -- http://www.literarytraveler.com/authors/thomas_wolfe_dixieland.aspx) and Mark Twain's study from Elmira, N.Y., now on the Elmira College campus (http://www.elmira.edu/academics/distinctive_programs/twain_center/study).
I just went to Key West too! :) I visited the Hemingway House and thought it was great. I'm posting about it on Wednesday.
ReplyDelete