Hem

I was asked the other day to defend my love of Hemingway's non-fiction over his fiction (which I have no patience for). I explained to my co-student (and then later to the cousin/roommate) that I thought his non-fiction had a less imposed structure and was more natural than the fiction. Unlike the fiction, Hem's not trying to impress a style on you, he's just talking. And he's hilarious. Outside of his trip to Lyon with F. Scott Fitzgerald, my favorite example of his non-fiction is this short bit:

"I looked at him and his marked-for-death look and I thought, you con man conning me with your con."

Say what you want about him, I might knock a few drinks back with Hem. (He'd hate me though.)