Where it all began

The foundation for Ernest Hemingway's life and art can be found in Oak Park, Ill. His first 20 years in this Chicago suburb, with prairies and woods to the west, prepared him for his life as a writer. His father taught him about the outdoors and to observe nature closely. His mother took him to opera houses and museums in Chicago so he could appreciate the inner life the arts awakened. Hemingway’s family initiated him in the spiritual life of their church where he sang in the choir and reflected on sermons.

It was in Oak Park that Hemingway received his only formal education. In school, Ernest keenly observed what was around him and within him to make stories real for his readers. He wrote most convincingly about people, places and events he witnessed firsthand. When Ernest left Oak Park, he would continue to write from his own experiences on four continents, seeking to convey to readers "how it was." His writing touched what was common in all people's lives.

In 1954, he was recognized with the Nobel Prize for "The Old Man and The Sea" — a novella that reflects

his "powerful, style-making mastery of the art of modern narration." Decades after Hemingway's death in 1961, people around the world recall his adventures and new generations of readers find fresh meaning in his stories.