• The Short Stories, Volume I

  • By: Ernest Hemingway
  • Narrated by: Stacy Keach
  • Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (620 ratings)

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The Short Stories, Volume I  By  cover art

The Short Stories, Volume I

By: Ernest Hemingway
Narrated by: Stacy Keach
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Publisher's summary

Before he gained wide fame as a novelist, Ernest Hemingway established his literary reputation with his short stories. Set in the varied landscapes of Spain, Africa, and the American Midwest, this definitive audio collection traces the development and maturation of Hemingway's distinct and revolutionary storytelling style - from the plain bald language of his first story to his mastery of seamless prose that contained a spare, eloquent pathos, as well as a sense of expansive solitude. These stories showcase the singular talent of a master, the most important American writer of the 20th century.

The Short Stories, Volume 1 features Stacy Keach reading favorites including:

  • The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber
  • The Capital of the World
  • The Snows of Kilimanjaro
  • Old Man at the Bridge
  • Up in Michigan
  • On the Quai at Smyrna
  • Indian Camp
  • The Doctor and the Doctor's Wife
  • The End of Something
  • The Three-Day Blow
  • The Battler
  • A Very Short Story
  • Soldier's Home
  • The Revolutionist
  • Mr. and Mrs. Elliot
  • Cat in the Rain
  • Out of Season
  • Cross-Country Snow
  • ©1953 Ernest Hemingway, All Rights Reserved (P)2002 Simon & Schuster Inc., All Rights Reserved, AUDIOWORKS Is an Imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster Inc.

    What listeners say about The Short Stories, Volume I

    Average customer ratings
    Overall
    • 4 out of 5 stars
    • 5 Stars
      329
    • 4 Stars
      158
    • 3 Stars
      89
    • 2 Stars
      23
    • 1 Stars
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    Performance
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    • 4 Stars
      89
    • 3 Stars
      39
    • 2 Stars
      6
    • 1 Stars
      5
    Story
    • 4 out of 5 stars
    • 5 Stars
      221
    • 4 Stars
      96
    • 3 Stars
      59
    • 2 Stars
      21
    • 1 Stars
      11

    Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

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    • Overall
      4 out of 5 stars

    Papa wouldn't have like this recording.

    Papa was pretty particular and sometimes labored over a sentence, let alone a paragraph, for hours at a time and his great forte as perhaps the greatest author of prose in the English language in the 20th century was his literary style, his sparce descriptions, what the rain felt like, looked like, and perhaps what it portended. This is an excellent group of short stories, representative of Hemingway's finer works, with only a few obvious omissions (I'm referring to both Vol 1 and II). They are, however, generally well done and the narrator is capable. But Hemingway is not about "the story" or the theme or the plot of whatever he's writing. My rating of this at 4 stars reflects the disappointment any serious reader of Hemingway will have in not having the written pages before him/her, to read that delightful first sentence which inevitablish introduces each chapter of a novel or a story. Not Hemingway at his best, but if the listener wants a taste these two volumes are a good place to start. But for heavens sake, dear God, please read the written stories too. These make a nice companion for a weekend with a bit of interruption. Listen to one on your iPod and stop, then pick it up and be ready for the next.

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    35 people found this helpful

    • Overall
      5 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      5 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      5 out of 5 stars

    Liking Hemingway much more as a short story author

    I'm hot and cold on Hemingway. I loved the Sun Also Rises. For Whom the Bell Tolls was ok, more enjoyable than not. Hated The Old Man and the Sea.

    These short stories are *awesome* and really demonstrate why he came to prominence in the first place.
    In this format, Hemingway's weaknesses as a writer aren't as glaring (i.e. his well known inability to write female characters or avoid complex emotions). The format almost forces him to move things along which helps the story telling tremendously.

    Beware: If you like things tied up into neat packages at the end, this collection isn't for you. These short stories will hit a crescendo and just end leaving plot line open and the reader dangling. And that's what I like so much about it. You the reader are left to ponder and fill in the details on your own. These stories could be used as prompts in creative writing classes.

    One note about the audiobook: I can't believe Audible hasn't fixed this, but starting around halfway through the collection the end of each track has paragraphs from Hemingway's other short story collection "5th Column" spliced into it. You'll hear the end of the short story. Then the narrator will say "Chapter 3" and there will be a paragraph or two from a completely unrelated story. This is not your player messing up, this is an error with the compilation of the audio book.

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    14 people found this helpful

    • Overall
      4 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      5 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      5 out of 5 stars

    Clarinet music has got to go!

    Christ! that clarinet music between chapters would blow my eardrums out! To survive this recording with your hearing intact you'll need to be quick with your volume controls. Keach's brilliant performance was almost worth it though.

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    11 people found this helpful

    • Overall
      5 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      5 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      5 out of 5 stars

    A great introduction!

    What did you love best about The Short Stories, Volume I?

    I confess that I haven't read anything by Ernest Hemingway since I was forced to do so in high school. My teachers TOLD me what a phenomenal writer he was, but my teenaged self failed to appreciate it. So, fast forward a few years and imagine my utter delight and surprise. His writing is clean, precise, succinct; his stories are still relevant and entertaining. I am now a huge fan and am gobbling up everything I can!

    What did you like best about this story?

    Stacy Keach was the perfect choice to narrate this collection. HIs voice was expressive, gritty and hard when required, soft and passionate.

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    5 people found this helpful

    • Overall
      5 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      5 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      5 out of 5 stars

    Beautiful.

    The language feels as good as it sounds. What a treasure. And the reader injects personality and heart.

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    4 people found this helpful

    • Overall
      4 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      5 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      4 out of 5 stars
    • AS
    • 11-02-12

    Hemingway's hard to beat

    I "read" this one at the end of a Hemingway binge, and it doesn't measure up to For Whom the Bell Tolls, but still good reading.

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    4 people found this helpful

    • Overall
      5 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      5 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      5 out of 5 stars

    Highly recommended and I'm picky

    Classic Hemingway stories beautifully read.
    I am picky about narrator's voices; Stacy is one of the best.
    I highly recommend it.

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    3 people found this helpful

    • Overall
      5 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      5 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      5 out of 5 stars

    A great introduction!

    What did you love best about The Short Stories, Volume I?

    I confess that I haven't read anything by Ernest Hemingway since I was forced to do so in high school. My teachers TOLD me what a phenomenal writer he was, but my teenaged self failed to appreciate it. So, fast forward a few years and imagine my utter delight and surprise. His writing is clean, precise, succinct; his stories are still relevant and entertaining. I am now a huge fan and am gobbling up everything I can!

    What did you like best about this story?

    Stacy Keach was the perfect choice to narrate this collection. HIs voice was expressive, gritty and hard when required, soft and passionate.

    Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

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    2 people found this helpful

    • Overall
      3 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      5 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      5 out of 5 stars
    • AJ
    • 03-14-23

    Technical aspects need work

    I thought for 90% of this book that there was something wrong with the editing because at the end of the later stories, the reader would announce a chapter number and then read a few sentences from something completely unrelated to the story that just ended. I almost gave up but at the last minute decided to consult my hard copy of Hemingway’s short stories… nope, that’s how he wrote them. There’s a nice little intro in my print copy that says “I wrote these at such and such time and place and also at the same time began writing snippets of my novels…” In the print version, these snippets are separated from the preceding story and so very obviously align with Hemingway’s own introduction.
    Unfortunately in the audio version, the chapter snippets are the same audio segment as the preceding story. Very confusing AND the story titles aren’t listed on the recording menu, it just says “Chapter 6” and you have to listen or consult the buried Audible description for the story titles, and then at the end of whatever story Chapter 6 is, there’s a pause and the reader says “Chapter 2” and begins the draft novel snippet.
    Ugh!
    Also the volume is really inconsistent.

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    1 person found this helpful

    • Overall
      5 out of 5 stars
    • Performance
      5 out of 5 stars
    • Story
      5 out of 5 stars

    Superb

    Clear, concise and compelling. I couldn’t put it down. I now understand the phrase, “words come alive!”

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    1 person found this helpful