Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
We are updating our website. Some features may be unavailable during this time. For more information, including currently known issues, visit here.

Mastering the Art of Nonfiction

Season 1 Episode 2 | 3m 38s

Referring to himself as "Papa," Ernest Hemingway strived to be an expert on everything. This desire to be knowledgeable on all subjects was often reflected in his writing, especially as he sought to master nonfiction and hoped to pass forward his learnings to others. Studying Hemingway as a young writer, novelist Ralph Ellison once learned how to lead a bird from a hunting description in his work.

Corporate funding for HEMINGWAY was provided by Bank of America. Major funding was provided by the Annenberg Foundation, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, and by ‘The Better Angels Society,’ and its members John & Leslie McQuown, the Elizabeth Ruth Wallace Living Trust, John & Catherine Debs, The Fullerton Family Charitable Trust, the Kissick Family Foundation, Gail M. Elden, Gilchrist & Amy Berg, Robert & Beverly Grappone, Mauree Jane & Mark Perry; and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS.
Latest Episodes
Hemingway writes The Old Man and the Sea but is overcome by mental illness.
Hemingway, having achieved literary fame, goes to report on the Spanish Civil War.
Hemingway moves to Paris and finds success with his second novel, A Farewell to Arms.
Extras
Inside Georgia's push to rebuild trust in elections after Trump's false claims
Poll gauges voter enthusiasm for both parties a week before election
Democrats put economy and affordability at center of final campaign push
Projections show no clear winner in Israel's election
School principal documents Indonesia's worst wildfires in a decade
Why Trump's coalition of evangelical voters could be fraying
Artemizia Foundation, A New Path Forward, Recycling is no mystery in Bisbee, Thuy’s Noodle Shop.
Appraisal: Victorian Slide Chain & Diamond Bracelet
Aaron Glantz and Sophie Hills discuss AI companies' efforts to influence the midterms.
October 27, 2026 - PBS News Hour full episode
Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein on producing their latest documentary.
Ken Burns and Lynn Novick explore the writer and his enduring influence.
Ken Burns and Lynn Novick explore the writer and his enduring influence.
Ken Burns and Lynn Novick uncover the man behind the myth.
Hemingway was inspired to write "The Sun Also Rises" during his travels across Spain.
Edna O'Brien reads a passage from Ernest Hemingway's short story, "Up in Michigan."
Two years' worth of Hemingway's work was lost on a train from Paris when he was just 23.
During his time in Italy during WWI, Ernest Hemingway suffered life-threatening injuries.
Hemingway's love of nature and writers' discipline were instilled in him from a young age.
Senator John McCain discusses his hero Robert Jordan of "For Whom the Bell Tolls."