American novelist and short-story writer awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954 Ernest Hemingway’ was raised in Oak Park, Illinois. After high school, he was leaving for the Italian Front in World War I. In 1918, he was seriously wounded and returned home. His wartime experiences formed the basis for his novel A Farewell to Arms. In 1929, Ernest Hemingway’s classic A Farewell to Arms was published to critical acclaim. The book quickly became a best-seller. The plot is centred around the main character, Frederic Henry, a lieutenant in the Italian Army ambulance corps. As a paramedic, Henry’s time at the front of the war is cut short by a significant injury. Yet, that injury also allows him the opportunity to grow closer to his love interest, Catherine Barkley, while he recovers at the hospital. When Frederic returns to his unit, he discovers that morale has severely dropped. Not long afterwards, the Austro-Hungarians break through the Italian lines in the Battle of Caporetto, and the Italians retreat. Due to a slow and chaotic retreat, Frederic and his men go off trail and quickly get lost, and a frustrated Frederic kills a sergeant for insubordination. For many people, when they think of a text such as A Farewell to Arms, they assume an older book, about war, will be dry and boring. However, Hemingway’s classic novel is so much more than a war story. It also contains timeless themes of love and tragedy. Listen online to free English audiobook "A Farewell to Arms” on our website to experience the third Hemingway's novel.
