First published in the year 1951, The Old Man And The Sea is a book that revolves around the life of a fisherman named Santiago, and his struggle with a huge marlin in the Gulf stream.

 

In the beginning of The Old Man And The Sea, the readers are introduced to the protagonist, who is unable to catch a single fish for 84 days. As a result of him not being able to catch any fish, Santiago is labeled “Salao”, which indicates the highest degree of unluckiness. This causes the parents of one of his young apprentices to bar him from travelling with the protagonist, but venture out for fishing only with successful fishermen.

 

However, Manolin, his apprentice was faithful to Santiago, and visited him regularly. One day, Santiago reveals his plan to Manolin. The plan involves travelling far into the Gulf Stream, with the intention to put an end to this rough patch in his fishing career. On the 85th day, Santiago sets out on his journey, along with his skiff, into the Gulf Stream. A marlin falls prey to his bait, and the old man struggles to get the fish onto his boat. This battle between the marlin and Santiago continues for three days, leaving both parties absolutely exhausted. At the end of the third day, the fish began to circle the skiff, which indicates that it was fatigued, and the old man pulled it in his boat, stabbing it. The battle wasn’t over yet, as the trail of blood from the marlin attracts sharks towards the boat.

 

Santiago killed the first shark with his harpoon, and lost it in the process. He makes a new weapon, and continues to battle with an ever-increasing trail of sharks. Will Santiago make it through this intense battle? This book answers these questions and more. The Old Man And The Sea was greatly appreciated by its readers, and fetched Hemingway the Pulitzer Prize For Fiction in the year 1953. It was also considered the reason behind him being awarded the Nobel Prize For Literature. The book was published in 1952.

 

About The Author:

 

Ernest Hemingway was a renowned author and journalist from America. Apart from this book, Hemingway has written a number of other books, and they include The Sun Also Rises, Across The River And Into The Trees, The Fifth Column And Four Stories Of The Spanish Civil War, To Have And Have Not, The Garden Of Eden, The Dangerous Summer, Under Kilimanjaro, and The Complete Short Stories Of Ernest Hemingway.

 

Hemingway was born on the 21st of July, 1899, in Oak Park, Illinois, United States. He studied at Oak Park and River Forest High School, after which he began his career as a journalist. Hemingway first worked at The Kansas City Star as a cub reporter. For his immense contribution to the field of literature, Hemingway was presented with the Nobel Prize In Literature and the Pulitzer Prize For Fiction. He died in the year 1961, at the age of 61.