A new look at Ernest Hemingway

To many, writer Ernest Hemingway, author of such classics as "The Sun Also Rises," "A Farewell to Arms" and "The Old Man and the Sea," was the very definition of toxic masculinity. But a new PBS documentary finds the writer's literary image, personality and sexuality are not so cut-and-dried. Correspondent Mark Whitaker talks with filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, and with Hemingway scholar Marc Dudley, about re-examining the larger-than-life writer in the age of #MeToo.

"CBS Sunday Morning" features stories on the arts, music, nature, entertainment, sports, history, science and Americana, and highlights unique human accomplishments and achievements. Check local listings for CBS Sunday Morning broadcast times.

[shippenman]

A real man. Creative, flawed, lived on his own terms and made a contribution to human beings through his stories.

[billycharles]

Men referring to other men as “toxic masculine” have great insecurities about their masculinity

[TheBibleisArt]

You spent no time on his actual literary art but minutes on his sexuality. Come on, guys.

[drewhendley]

Nothing is worse than judging the past by the ideals of the present

[jamesnetwall]

I never thought that he was toxic I just thought he was a great writer. What in the world is wrong with being masculine

[kevinm.]

The problem with the current cancel culture is that you cannot easily apply the standards of today to people who lived and died even 30 years ago. Being critical of what was totally acceptable then but taboo now is an unfair standard. Of course they know this, but they have an agenda, and they can't let fairness and reason stand in the way.

[pabloalvez]

One of my favorite writers.
His private life was his own business.
Period.

[rubychew]

You never needed to use a dictionary while reading his books. I think he did this because he wanted people (even the lay person) to enjoy his books. I think his mother may have had an impact on him since she seemed to be a dominate person. She would dress him in girls clothes sometimes.

[BigPhilly]

Hemingway was the greatest American writer of all time. Even if you cancel him, you can’t cancel the generations of authors profoundly influenced by his work (whether such authors realized his influence or not).

[jeffjones]

It’s ridiculous to cancel history it is what it is the time was different back then. I think he was brilliant in his writings. Without him we wouldn’t have Hunter Thompson

[southerndandy]

Judging a figure from the past by current standards is low IQ mental gymnastics.

[iwgzvhw]

1:39 Karen alert. "ChAllEnGiNg aT bEsT aNd prOblEmAtiC."

How embarrassing to take this approach to one of the greatest geniuses America has ever seen. I hate living in this timeline. I hate the moral police who judge everything and everybody. I hate the corporate do-gooders who try to run our lives. I wish I could transport back to the early 1900s and be a boss like E.H.

[dougowen]

"Toxic Masculitiy"?? Hey buddy how far do you think his writing would have moved us as much as it did without that overarching "masculine" feel one gets from his great genius as reflected in the stories. Spare us the politically correct crapola when discussing one who was the greatest writer of the 20th century and possibly of all time. Masculine, in this sense was an integral and required part of his persona and genius. His genius eclipses lightweight reporting such as this piece of what passes for 'journalism' these days, Thank God his genius will still stick in the human mind long after tacky personality hit pieces like this are forgotten.

[alejandrogs]

I am not very fond of the way in which Mark Whitaker conducted the note, I perceived it as quite judgemental, diservicing the audience; I feel that when Lynn Novick was talking about the quite interesting topic of the short hair of Hemingway's wives, opening the door to a deeper discussion about his sensibilities and a complementary light to appreciate his work, she was awfully drowned to square one to give a "yes, you see, some boys like boys and some girls like girls" explanation when Mr Whitaker so blatantly reduced the matter to "so he was a papa that wanted to be a mama"

[billsmith]

He was a man of his time. You can't judge him by today's standards.

[johnpresnell]

This CBS segment is embarrassing, and you can tell the people behind it aren’t very bright. On the other hand, the documentary, which I binge-watched, is excellent, and made by some very clever people indeed.

[chrisfinch]

Ken Burns has such a fine narrative voice for these PBS documentaries, as well as Jeff Daniels (of Dumb & Dumber and 101 Dalmatians ‘96) who has a unique voice for Hemingway, himself.

[mmpw]

Saw this. Really liked it. It is tragic, and it is, above all, a story about a very talented man that was flawed, suffered greatly and yet it was amazing to see how the creative force was strong, if not urgent for expression. What was painful, was how his private life had such dissonance with the public life he portrayed. The human condition....

[margo]

I'm not a depressive and so I was surprised how I got so depressed watching the first 2 or 3 episodes. Just being in his world was such a downer for me. I concluded it wasn't for me.

[seamuscannon]

I find it hard to dismiss the fact that he lied about his age and eyesight to drive ambulances for another country, got wounded, carried another soldier, got shot, picked him up carried him further, got shot, and carried it further. Later on he went to France in WW2 as a correspondent only to gain command of a company of soldiers and charged the front lines firing. I wouldn’t call this “masculinity, ” but bravery. I mean he survived two plane crashes in as many days. I don’t think it’s a façade that conceals his awfulness, but one part of a personality that includes true bravery, and truly inexcusable condcut.