The Last Great Cause: Hemingway’s Spanish Civil War Writing

Discusses Hemingway’s time in Spain in 1937-1938 and the various forms of writing inspired by it, e.g. war correspondence, drama, fiction. Focuses on his growing leftist sympathies and interest in the war; relationships with Martha Gellhorn, Joris Ivens, and Herbert Matthews; and work with NANA and Ken. Examines the process of writing For Whom the Bell Tolls and how Hemingway’s experiences play into the plot. Concludes that Spain instilled Hemingway with the importance of freedom and friendship, and that “he did not abandon his conviction that the lost cause had been worth the effort.” Comments on writings of the period, including To Have and Have Not, Green Hills of Africa, “Night Before Battle,” “Under the Ridge,” and “Who Murdered the Vets?”