Fact Finder - Arts and Literature

Fact
Ernest Hemingway’s 'Iceberg Theory'
Category
Arts and Literature
Subcategory
Writers Painters and Poets
Country
USA
Description
Ernest Hemingway, a Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, is famous for his minimalist writing style, which he called the 'Iceberg Theory' (or Theory of Omission). He believed that the deeper meaning of a story should not be evident on the surface but should shine through implicitly. Like an iceberg, only one-eighth of the story is visible (the prose), while seven-eighths is submerged (the subtext, history, and emotion). This resulted in short, declarative sentences and a lack of flowery adjectives. Hemingway’s experiences as an ambulance driver in WWI, a journalist, and an avid hunter and fisherman heavily influenced his themes of masculinity, courage, and 'grace under pressure.' His novella 'The Old Man and the Sea' is the perfect distillation of this style, depicting a simple battle between a fisherman and a marlin that carries profound philosophical weight.