The Killers (Hemingway short story)

Last updated
"The Killers"
Short story by Ernest Hemingway
Country United States
Language English
Genre(s) Crime fiction
Publication
Publisher Scribner's Magazine
Media type Short story
Publication date1927

"The Killers" is a short story by Ernest Hemingway, first published in Scribner's Magazine in 1927 and later republished in Men Without Women, Snows of Kilimanjaro , and The Nick Adams Stories . Set in 1920s Summit, Illinois, the story follows recurring Hemingway character Nick Adams as he has a run-in with a pair of hitmen, who are seeking to kill a boxer, in a local restaurant.

Contents

Historians have some documents showing that the working title of the piece was "The Matadors". [1] How much Hemingway received for the literary piece is unknown, but some sources state it was $200. [2] Hemingway's depiction of the human experience, his use of satire, and the themes of death, friendship, and the purpose of life have contributed to make "The Killers" one of his most famous and frequently anthologized short stories,[ citation needed ] and it has been adapted or referenced in various other works since its initial publishing.

Plot summary

In 1920s Prohibition-era Summit, Illinois, hitmen Max and Al enter the restaurant "Henry's Lunch-Room", staffed by George, the owner, and Sam, the cook. They order pork chops and chicken dinners but, learning they are not yet available, settle for ham, bacon, and egg breakfasts. Suddenly, Al takes restaurant patron Nick Adams into the kitchen and ties him up alongside Sam, while Max converses with George and reveals he and Al have been hired to kill Ole Andreson, a Swedish ex-heavyweight prizefighter expected to arrive at the restaurant soon. However, when Andreson does not arrive, Max and Al leave to search for him themselves. After they depart, George sends Nick to Hirsch's Boarding House, run by Mrs. Bell, to warn Andreson about the hitmen. Nick finds Andreson in his room, but is surprised when Andreson does not react to the news, and simply tells Nick not to do anything as there is nothing that can be done to save him. Nick returns to Henry's Lunch-Room to inform George of Andreson's dismissive reaction; when George no longer seems concerned for Andreson, an unsettled Nick decides to leave Summit. [3]

Historical context

"The Killers" was written in the 1920s, when organized crime was at its peak during Prohibition. Chicago was the home of Al Capone, and Hemingway himself spent time in Chicago as a young man. When things became too dangerous for the mob, they retreated to the suburb of Summit, where "The Killers" takes place. Not long before the story was written, the Chicago mob had ordered the killing of a popular boxer of the time, Andre Anderson. His killer, Leo Mongoven, went on the run after the killing in 1926 and was captured following a traffic collision that killed Chicago banker John J. Mitchell and his wife in 1927; Hemingway was probably unaware of the accident as his short story went into print. Anderson once defeated Jack Dempsey, likely Hemingway's source for the character of Ole Andreson. [4]

Despite Hemingway's knowledge of organized crime, he omitted much of that background from the story. Hemingway himself said, "That story probably had more left out of it than anything I ever wrote. I left out all Chicago, which is hard to do in 2951 words." [5]

The story includes several instances of the "n-word" as description of the cook, both in the characters' dialogue and from the 3rd person limited narrator. The cook, Sam, is only in this scene, though he is referred to in a scene that follows shortly thereafter.

In 1984, Oak Park and River Forest High School in Oak Park, Illinois published the anthology Hemingway at Oak Park High, which included short works that Hemingway had written for his school newspaper and literary magazine. One of the stories, "A Matter of Colour", involves the plot of a boxing manager having a man named Swede hide behind a curtain and hit an opponent during a bout; the Swede fails, and the reader is left with an impression that in retaliation, the boxing manager puts out a contract on his life. [4] [6] [7]

Adaptations

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernest Hemingway</span> American author and journalist (1899–1961)

Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Best known for an economical, understated style that significantly influenced later 20th-century writers, he is often romanticized for his adventurous lifestyle, and outspoken and blunt public image. Most of Hemingway's works were published between the mid-1920s and mid-1950s, including seven novels, six short-story collections and two non-fiction works. His writings have become classics of American literature; he was awarded the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature, while three of his novels, four short-story collections and three nonfiction works were published posthumously.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ring Lardner</span> American writer (1885–1933)

Ringgold Wilmer Lardner was an American sports columnist and short story writer best known for his satirical writings on sports, marriage, and the theatre. His contemporaries—Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, and F. Scott Fitzgerald—all professed strong admiration for his writing, and author John O'Hara directly attributed his understanding of dialogue to him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mamoru Oshii</span> Japanese filmmaker, television director, and writer

Mamoru Oshii is a Japanese filmmaker, television director and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of acclaimed anime films, including Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer (1984), Angel's Egg (1985), Patlabor 2: The Movie (1993), and Ghost in the Shell (1995). He also holds the distinction of having created the first ever OVA, Dallos (1983). As a writer, Oshii has worked as a screenwriter, and occasionally as a manga writer and novelist. His most notable works as a writer include the manga Kerberos Panzer Cop (1988–2000) and its feature film adaptation Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999).

<i>In Our Time</i> (short story collection) 1925 Ernest Hemingway collection

In Our Time is the title of Ernest Hemingway's first collection of short stories, published in 1925 by Boni & Liveright, New York, and of a collection of vignettes published in 1924 in France titled in our time. Its title is derived from the English Book of Common Prayer, "Give peace in our time, O Lord".

<i>The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway</i> Posthumous collection of Ernest Hemingways short fiction

The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway: The Finca Vigía Edition, is a posthumous collection of Ernest Hemingway's short fiction, published in 1987. It contains the classic First Forty-Nine Stories as well as 21 other stories and a foreword by his sons.

<i>The Killers</i> (1946 film) 1946 film

The Killers is a 1946 American film noir starring Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien and Sam Levene. Based in part on the 1927 short story of the same name by Ernest Hemingway, it focuses on an insurance detective's investigation into the execution by two professional killers of a former boxer who was unresistant to his own murder. Directed by Robert Siodmak, it featured an uncredited John Huston and Richard Brooks co-writing the screenplay, which was credited to Anthony Veiller. As in many film noir, it is mostly told in flashback.

Nicholas Adams is a fictional character, the protagonist of two dozen short stories and vignettes written in the 1920s and 1930s by American author Ernest Hemingway. Adams is partly inspired by Hemingway's own experiences, from his summers in Northern Michigan at his family cottage to his service in the Red Cross ambulance corps in World War I. The first of Hemingway's stories to feature Nick Adams was published in his 1925 collection In Our Time, with Adams appearing as a young child in "Indian Camp", the collection's first story.

<i>The Killers</i> (1956 film) 1956 film

The Killers is a 1956 student film by the Soviet and Russian film director Andrei Tarkovsky and his fellow students Marika Beiku and Aleksandr Gordon. The film is based on the short story The Killers by Ernest Hemingway, written in 1927. It was Tarkovsky's first film, produced when he was a student at the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK).

<i>Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs</i> Japanese manga series

Kerberos Saga Rainy Dogs is an alternate history political thriller manga written by Mamoru Oshii and illustrated by Mamoru Sugiura, running from 2003 to 2004. Part of the Kerberos Saga, it is a sequel to Oshii's manga Kerberos Panzer Cop and a prequel to the 1991 film StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops.

Andre Anderson was an American boxer from 1915 until his death in 1926. He was best known for knocking down and drawing the World Heavyweight Champion Jack Dempsey on 24 June 1916 in a match held in the Bronx, New York.

"The Killers" is a short-story by Charles Bukowski collected in his 1973 collection South of No North, originally published by John Martin's Black Sparrow Press. The story elucidates Bukowski's publicly acknowledged artistic debt to Ernest Hemingway, the writer who had the most influence on American writers of Bukowksi's generation. Like Hemingway's "The Killers", Bukowski's story of the same name has as its thematic trope murder in a nihilistic universe. Unlike Hemingway, the killers actually accomplish their act in the time-frame of the story.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernest Hemingway bibliography</span>

Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, journalist, and sportsman. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction. Many of his works are considered classics of American literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Camp</span> Short story by Ernest Hemingway

"Indian Camp" is a short story written by Ernest Hemingway. The story was first published in 1924 in Ford Madox Ford's literary magazine Transatlantic Review in Paris and republished by Boni & Liveright in Hemingway's first American volume of short stories In Our Time in 1925. Hemingway's semi-autobiographical character Nick Adams—a child in this story—makes his first appearance in "Indian Camp", told from his point of view.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The End of Something</span> 1925 short story by Ernest Hemingway

“The End of Something” is a short story written by Ernest Hemingway, published in the 1925 New York edition of In Our Time, by Boni & Liveright. The story is the third in the collection to feature Nick Adams, Hemingway's autobiographical alter ego.

<i>The Nick Adams Stories</i>

The Nick Adams Stories is a volume of short stories written by Ernest Hemingway published in 1972, a decade after the author's death. In the volume, all the stories featuring Nick Adams, published in various collections during Hemingway's lifetime, are compiled in a single collection. The Nick Adams Stories includes 24 stories and sketches, eight of which were previously unpublished. Some of Hemingway's earliest work, such as "Indian Camp," as well as some of his best known stories, such as "Big Two-Hearted River," are represented.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Doctor and the Doctor's Wife</span> Short story by Ernest Hemingway

"The Doctor and the Doctor's Wife" is a short story by Ernest Hemingway, published in the 1925 New York edition of In Our Time, by Boni & Liveright. The story is the second in the collection to feature Nick Adams, Hemingway's autobiographical alter ego. "The Doctor and the Doctor's Wife" follows "Indian Camp" in the collection, includes elements of the same style and themes, yet is written in counterpoint to the first story.

"A Way You'll Never Be" is a 1933 short story by Ernest Hemingway, published by Charles Scribner in the short story collection Winner Take Nothing. It features the character Nick Adams as he recovers from a traumatic head wound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cross Country Snow</span> 1924 short story by Ernest Hemingway

"Cross Country Snow" is a short story written by Ernest Hemingway. The story was first published in 1924 in Ford Madox Ford's literary magazine Transatlantic Review in Paris and republished by Boni & Liveright in Hemingway's first American volume of short stories In Our Time in 1925. The story features Hemingway's recurrent autobiographical character Nick Adams and explores the regenerative powers of nature and the joy of skiing.

On Writing is a story fragment written by Ernest Hemingway which he omitted from the end of his short story, "Big Two-Hearted River", when it was published in 1925 in In Our Time. It was then published after Hemingway's death in the 1972 collection The Nick Adams Stories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birthplace of Ernest Hemingway</span> Historic site in Oak Park, Illinois

The Ernest Hemingway Birthplace is a historic Queen Anne home and museum in Oak Park, Illinois, where American author Ernest Hemingway was born. Hemingway lived in the home with his family for the first six years of his life. The house was sold out of the Hemingway family in 1905, and it was subsequently renovated and converted into a multi-family residence.

References

  1. ↑ Tyler, Lisa. Student Companion to Ernest Hemingway. New York: Greenwood P, 2001. p. 78
  2. ↑ The Killers - Introduction & Overview.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  3. ↑ Hemingway, Ernest. "The Killer", The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway. New York: Scribner, 1987.
  4. 1 2 Lundin, Leigh (23 Dec 2012). "Literary Mystery". The Killers. Durban: SleuthSayers.
  5. ↑ Tyler, Lisa. Student Companion to Ernest Hemingway. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001. pg. 80
  6. ↑ Lundin, Leigh (6 Jan 2013). "Hemingway Punchline". A Matter of Colour. Durban: SleuthSayers.
  7. ↑ Blades, John (24 March 1984). "Favored Son Oak Park May Have Solved a Mystery With Its New Hemingway Book". Chicago Tribune. pp. 13 C. ProQuest   283701603.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.