There is nothing deader than a dead tiger and Georges Clemenceau was a very great tiger. Therefore Georges Clemenceau is very dead.
from “Clemenceau Politically Dead,” The Toronto Daily Star, 18th February 1922
I found this one in On Paris, a brief collection of Hemingway’s early journalism from the time when he lived in the City of Light. I’m struck by his simple, yet funny, wording, which makes a point about Clemenceau’s special brand of deadness in an interesting way, that may take a moment to sink it. I find it very typical of Hemingway, and I love (about this, and about all of On Paris) that his distinctive voice was present, if unpolished, very early on.
Filed under: hemingWay of the Day | Tagged: authors, Hemingway, nonfiction |






He did have a way with words, even when sparse.
That is absolutely the case. Very few words, but very high impact.