The Hemingway You Didn’t Know: Papa’s Adventures“老爸”的历险：你不曾了解的海明威

郝福合

“Never confuse movement with action.”“不可把心有所動和付之行动混为一谈。”

It should be noted that Hemingway was at times neither a gentleman， a good father， nor a proper example of manhood， and no effort will be made here to rewrite history. Yet for all his flaws he represents an enigma of masculinity that so easily captures the imagination. His life was filled with the grand adventures that fill the dreams of many young boys and grown men alike.

Hemingway the sportsman

As an accomplished outdoorsman， Hemingway was equally at home2 both stalking3 a lion through Africa’s long grass and cruising the Gulf Stream in search of marlin and tuna. His interest in the sport varied between pheasant and duck shooting out West to big game safaris4 in East Africa. Hemingway’s love for safari was very clear in his uncontainable5 excitement in planning his second major hunt in 1954：

“Going back to Africa after all this time， there’s the excitement of a first adventure. I love Africa and I feel it’s another home， and any time a man can feel that， not counting where he’s born， is where he’s meant to6 go.”

Yet while Hemingway loved hunting， it was when he had a rod in his hand that he was truly successful. It was from the deck of the Pilar7 that Hemingway famously landed the largest marlin caught to date in 1935， weighing an astonishing 1175 lbs8. In an interview several years ago， Hemingway’s son recalled that his father’s happiest days were always those spent aboard the boat he made with his own hands， chugging9 along the Gulf Stream in search of marlin.

Hemingway the boxer

Hemingway had practiced the sweet science10 since childhood and at one point was a successful amateur boxer.

Hemingway’s love for boxing was unmatched by his other passions， and he even had a boxing ring built in the backyard of his Key West home， right next to the pool， so that he could spar11 with guests. Hemingway often dedicated his time not spent writing in Key West to boxing， even refereeing matches at the local arena.

Hemingway’s love of the sport carried over12 into the literary world as well. He was known for using boxing analogies in interviews， as well as for attempting to teach the poet Ezra Pound to box during his years in Paris. Several of his short stories reflect his love for the sport， including short stories Fifty Grand and The Battler.

Hemingway the Nazi submarine hunter

For nearly a year during World War II， Ernest Hemingway converted his 38-foot fishing boat Pilar into a Nazi submarine hunting ship in disguise. Coordinating with the Havana branch of the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence， Hemingway loaded the Pilar down with heavy artillery and small arms alike， all the while maintaining the outward appearance of a standard fishing vessel. He filled the Pilar with friends interested in being a part of the mission， and they carried out daily patrols in the waters off Cuba. The goal was to look like a regular fishing vessel so that a Nazi sub would surface and attempt to board them. Eventually the FBI took over Caribbean counter-espionage， and while the Pilar and her crew never fired on an enemy sub， it was adventure of the highest sort nonetheless.

Hemingway the War Hero

As a young man， Hemingway served with the Red Cross on the Italian Front in World War I. While delivering chocolates and cigarettes to soldiers on the line， he was hit by trench mortar fire， leaving over two hundred shrapnel fragments in his leg and nearly destroying his knee. Despite this gruesome13 injury， Hemingway managed to drag another injured soldier to safety. Hemingway was to receive the Silver Medal of Military Valor from the Italian government for his courageous actions that day.

Much later in life， Hemingway left again for Europe to see the action14 of World War II as a war correspondent. He witnessed the D-Day15 invasion from a landing craft just offshore and recorded many of the horrors of the war. Hemingway went on to take a much more active role in the combat he was there to document， often assuming the role of soldier himself in direct violation of the Geneva Convention16’s guidelines for war correspondents. An investigation into his actions during the war by the Army later charged him with several violations of his non-combatant status， including actions such as stripping off his non-combatant insignia and posing as a colonel in order to lead a French resistance group17 into battle.

Several high ranking friends testified on his behalf， and at the end of the investigation he was not only cleared of all charges， but was awarded the Bronze Star18 for his bravery as a war correspondent.

Hemingway the Survivor

Perhaps most unbelievable of all Hemingway’s exploits was the sheer number of potentially fatal diseases and accidents he survived. Aside from the remnants of fragment in his leg left over from the World War I mortar hit， he also bore a bullet wound in his leg. This was the result of a self-inflicted19 gunshot， an accident that occurred while trying to finish off a still thrashing shark he had dragged aboard while shark hunting. In his later years he survived anthrax， malaria， pneumonia， dysentery， skin cancer， hepatitis， anemia， diabetes， high blood pressure， and several major injuries.

During his last safari in East Africa， he survived not one， but two plane crashes. News of the first crash， deep in the jungles of Uganda， set off20 reports of his death back home， spawning21 numerous obituaries which Hemingway would later read daily over his morning coffee with amusement. Following the crash he， his wife， and the pilot were forced to camp overnight in the middle of elephant country， a survival story in itself.  The second crash， following just several days after the first， was much more severe， and Hemingway was severely injured as a result. He emerged with a laundry list22 of injuries， including first degree burns， internal bleeding， ruptured kidney， ruptured spleen， ruptured liver， a crushed vertebra and a fractured skull. Not a month later Hemingway was back in action， this time receiving second degree burns on his left hand and face while fighting a wildfire. All this and he lived to tell the tale23.

Hemingway the Legend

Hemingway’s life experiences provided the source material for his literary works， and much of his life can be seen reflected in his fiction. The male protagonists in so many of his stories share both his machismo24 and his hidden pains， yet always exhibited grace under pressure. Perhaps he is best summed up by actress Marlene Dietrich， a close friend， who commented on his life to his biographer：

“I suppose the most remarkable thing about Ernest is that he has found time to do the things most men only dream about. He has had the courage， the initiative， the time， the enjoyment to travel， to digest it all， to write， to create it， in a sense. There is in him a sort of quiet rotation of seasons， with each of them passing overland and then going underground and re-emerging in a kind of rhythm， refreshed and full of renewed vigor.”

值得一提的是，海明威有时既非绅士，亦非慈父，更不是男人的典范，本文也无意改写历史。然而他虽有缺陷，却是谜一般的男人，极易引人遐想。他一生历险无数，可谓惊心动魄，实现了许多男孩和成年男人的梦想。

热衷运动的海明威

海明威是户外运动健将，无论是潜行于非洲的长草丛猎取狮子，还是航行于墨西哥湾流搜寻马林鱼和金枪鱼，他都同样得心应手。他的户外兴趣广泛，既去过美国西部射猎雉鸡和野鸭，也到过东非猎捕大型野兽。1954年，在筹划第二场大型狩猎时，海明威难掩激动，对游猎的痴迷显而易见：

“阔别多年，重返非洲，有种初次历险的兴奋。我喜爱非洲，感觉这是我的第二故乡。一个人不管生于何处，一旦视某地为第二故乡，就该去那里。”

然而，海明威虽热衷行猎，但他真正的成功却是在手持钓竿之时。众所周知，1935年，在“皮拉尔”号的甲板上，海明威捕获有史以来最大的马林鱼，重达惊人的1175磅。在几年前的一次访谈中，海明威之子回忆说，父亲最快乐的日子是船上时光：乘着亲手建造的小船，顺墨西哥湾流突突地行进，搜寻着马林鱼。

痴迷拳击的海明威

自儿时起，海明威就开始习练这门“令人快意的科学”，曾一度是成功的业余拳击手。

海明威对拳击情有独钟，其余爱好均无法与之相提并论。他甚至在基韦斯特的自家后院紧挨泳池的地方建了一座拳击台，以便与客人对拳。在基韦斯特，海明威在写作之余，常把时间倾注到拳击上，甚至担任当地拳击比赛的裁判。

海明威对拳击的钟情也延伸至文学世界。人们知道，他不仅在旅居巴黎期间曾试图教诗人埃兹拉·庞德打拳，而且在接受访谈时用拳击作比。他有几个短篇小说反映出对这项运动的痴迷，包括《五万大洋》和《拳击手》。

潜击纳粹的海明威

二战时，有近一年的时间，海明威将自己38英尺长的渔艇“皮拉尔”号改作猎潜船，伪装追踪纳粹潜艇。海明威与美国海军情报局哈瓦那分部配合，给“皮拉尔”号同时装备了重炮和轻武器，却始终保持其普通渔船的样子。他邀请来满船想参加任务的朋友，每天在古巴附近海域巡逻，目的是伪装成普通渔船，等待纳粹潜艇浮出水面企图登船。最终，联邦调查局接管了加勒比海域的反间谍活动。尽管“皮拉尔”号和船员们从未向敌潜艇开过火，然而这段经历却成为最动人心魄的历险。

勇赴战场的海明威

一战时，年轻的海明威曾参加意大利前线的红十字会。在给前线的士兵分发巧克力和香烟时，他被迫击炮击中，一条腿内遗留下两百余枚炮弹碎片，还险些毁掉一个膝盖。尽管身负重伤，海明威仍把另一名伤兵拖至安全地带。因当日的英勇行为，后来海明威获颁意大利政府的“银质勇敢勋章”。

多年后，海明威再赴欧洲，以战地记者的身份亲历二战。在近岸一艘登陆艇上，他目睹了诺曼底登陆行动，记录下大量残酷的战争场面。二战中，作为战地记者，海明威扮演了远超自己职责的活跃角色。他时常亲自冲锋陷阵，这直接违反了《日内瓦公约》对战地记者的规定。后来军方对他在战争中的行为展开调查，指控他数次违反非战斗人员身份，包括摘掉非战斗人员证章，还冒充上校，领导一队法国抵抗力量投入战斗。

有几位高级军官朋友为他作证。调查结束时，他不仅洗脱了所有指控，而且作为战地记者还获授“铜星勋章”。

大难不死的海明威

在海明威所有的非凡经历中，最令人难以置信的也许是，他曾多次身染惡疾，遭遇重大事故，每次却都死里逃生。除了一战时遭迫击炮袭击在腿内留下炮弹残片之外，他的腿上另有一处弹伤。这是他自己开枪所致——猎鲨时，他试图射杀一头已拽上船而仍在拼命挣扎的鲨鱼，却误伤自己。在后来的岁月里，他得过炭疽、疟疾、肺炎、痢疾、皮肤癌、肝炎、贫血、糖尿病、高血压，还受过几次重伤，但都挺了过来。

他最后一次游猎东非时，遇到的坠机事故不止一起，而是两起。第一起发生在乌干达的丛林深处，美国纷纷报道他的死讯，出现无数篇讣告，后来海明威每天早晨边饮着咖啡，边津津有味地读着这些讣告。坠机后，他与妻子和驾驶员被迫在大象出没的腹地搭帐篷过夜，这本身就是一段求生故事。仅仅几天之后，再次发生坠机，这次要严重得多，海明威身负重伤。他幸存下来，所受的伤可列出长长一串，包括一度烧伤、体内出血、肾脏破裂、脾脏破裂、肝脏破裂、脊椎压伤、颅骨开裂。不出一个月，他再度上阵，这次在扑灭野火时左手和脸部二度烧伤。他历尽危难而终得幸免。

成就传奇的海明威

海明威的人生阅历为他的文学作品提供了素材。可以看出，他的大部分人生在其小说中都有反映。在他众多的小说中，男主人公既有他的阳刚气概，也同样承受着他的隐痛，然而身处重压之下，却总是不失优雅。他的挚友、演员玛琳·黛德丽向他的传记作者如是评价其一生，这或许是对他的最好总结：

“我认为欧内斯特的最不凡之处在于，他抽空去做大多数男人只能幻想的事情。他有胆魄、进取心、时间和兴致，去游历，去体悟，去写作，从某种意义上说去开创。在他身上，似乎有着时节的悄然轮转，每个时节行经大地，而后隐没地下，又以某种节律去而复返，重焕生机，充盈着再次勃发的活力。”

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖选手）