It is a common misconception about the modern world that no one reads anymore. We’ve left books behind, the thinking goes, in favor of social media, algorithms, and short-form content that atrophies our brains and isolates us from one another.
But if that’s true in some places, it’s certainly not true of The Free Press Community. Over the past few months, one of the most common requests we’ve gotten from subscribers—particularly on The Free Press Forum—is for a book club where readers can come together to discuss and debate great works of literature.
So that’s exactly what we did. We kicked things off in August with John Steinbeck’s “East of Eden,” facilitating weekly discussions on Zoom and the Forum with thousands of subscribers. And today, we’re thrilled to announce Volume Two of the Book Club, which will be centered on Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea.” It’s a favorite of none other than Free Press columnist Douglas Murray, who will be joining us for the finale—and who ushers in our newest edition, in his own words. (Scroll down for instructions on how to join The Free Press Book Club.) —Ryan Engelhardt, Community Manager
I came to Ernest Hemingway relatively late. But we all have authors we discover at different stages of our lives. Which is one of the joys of reading. All these great books and writers are waiting for us. We can meet them in our own time.
Some people are put off admitting that they haven’t read certain masterpieces. Which is why a lot of people who like to think of themselves as well read put in that sneaky re before read when talking about a book like The Old Man and the Sea.
I imagine that a number of American readers will have read Hemingway in school. But whether you’ve read it before or are reading it for the first time, there is a reason why The Old Man and the Sea seems to me to be such a good idea for The Free Press Book Club. Some books we are made to read when we are young, others when we are old. Hemingway’s story can be read at any stage in life. It is written in the most crystal-clear prose imaginable. Not a word is wasted.
But the book changes with age. Read the story as a young person and it is a tale of a heroic fisherman hoping to land a great catch. Read it as a person who has lived a bit and you realize it is also something else entirely. The novella was the last full work of fiction that Hemingway published in his lifetime, and it contains the best of him: distilled, deft, and full of uncharted depths.
I’m fairly sure I read it as a boy, but that itself tells you how little impression it made on me. Last year I read it properly for the first time and was blown away. It became one of those books that I live with. Hemingway liked to resist efforts to interpret his work. But that shouldn’t put us off. Authors often try to throw people off their scent. That doesn’t matter. You can’t read the old man’s dialogue with his catch and not find it catching you in the throat. Like the moment as he is heading for home and realizes that he has ruined himself and the marlin he has hooked:
It is easy when you are beaten, he thought. I never knew how easy it was. And what beat you, he thought.
“Nothing,” he said aloud. “I went out too far.”
Doesn’t that speak, among other things, to one of the things that haunts modern American life? The vast opportunities, including the opportunities to wreck ourselves.
I know Free Pressers recently read John Steinbeck’s East of Eden—another masterpiece of American and world literature. But you need to put aside a lot of time to get through Steinbeck. I read it for days on end during the great snowstorms of this past winter. By contrast, Hemingway’s last work of fiction could be read almost in one sitting. Though it would be a shame to rush it. That is why I am looking forward to taking it slowly, over the course of a month with Free Pressers. It isn’t a heavy lift, as a book. But it is the greatest possible haul.
How to Join The Free Press Book Club:
Head to the Book Club Channel in our digital Forum and press “follow” to join and receive regular updates. (“Follow” will be on the right-hand side of your screen on a computer, or at the top of your screen on mobile.) No sign-up needed!
Make sure to pick up your copy of The Old Man and the Sea, and introduce yourself here before we begin! The first reading prompts will be posted on November 15. You can find the discussion schedule and everything you need to know here. Along the way, there will be ongoing Forum discussions and a live finale with Douglas Murray himself.
The Free Press Book Club is open to all paid subscribers.
Not a paid subscriber? Upgrade today to participate in The Free Press Book Club.
Need a copy of The Old Man and the Sea? Consider getting yours through Bookshop.org, where your purchase supports independent bookstores and earns a commission for The Free Press. Or if you’d like to use your Amazon subscription, you can find the book here.
