John Hemingway
Celebrated Author
John Hemingway is an American author whose critically acclaimed memoir, Strange Tribe, examines the similarities and the complex relationship between his father Dr. Gregory Hemingway and his grandfather, Nobel Laureate Ernest Hemingway. In the numerous talks that he has given throughout North America and Europe audiences have found John’s story of adversity, survival and forgiveness, both compelling and inspirational.
John Hemingway is an American author whose critically acclaimed memoir, Strange Tribe, examines the similarities and the complex relationship between his father Dr. Gregory Hemingway and his grandfather, Nobel Laureate Ernest Hemingway. In the numerous talks that he has given throughout North America and Europe audiences have found John’s story of adversity, survival and forgiveness, both compelling and inspirational.
As revealed in his memoir, John had a difficult childhood; not only did his father suffer from bipolar disorder but his mother, Alice, was schizophrenic. As a result, John spent his early years being shuffled from one home to another and trying to make sense of his highly dysfunctional family. He eventually went to study history and Italian at U.C.L.A. and after graduating moved to Italy, as a way of distancing himself from his troubled family background. However, once there he realized that unless he came to terms with his father’s disorder he would never find the emotional equilibrium that had always eluded him. To do that, however, meant understanding his grandfather and what John discovered was that both men, besides being bipolar, were also fascinated by androgyny. Being a Hemingway, it turned out, was much more complicated than most people realized and the macho myth surrounding Ernest Hemingway was in fact only half the story.
As a writer John’s articles and short stories have appeared in American, Italian and Spanish newspapers and reviews. His short story Uncle Gus was recently the featured piece for the re-launch of the Saturday Evening Post.
After leaving Italy and spending a year in Spain, John now lives with his wife and two children in Montreal, Canada.
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3. Gender Issues In A Changing World
Hemingway presents on gender-issues and the process of coming to terms with a crossing-dressing, trans-gendered father.
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2. Literary Icons
Hemingway discusses the life and works of his grandfather, Ernest Hemingway, an American icon whose work and voice are still as vital and relevant as they ever were.
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1. Mental Health Issues
John Hemingway speaks about overcoming adversity and dealing with Bipolar Disorder in the family through humility, love and understanding. Sometimes the hardest journey that any of us will ever have to take is just forgiving, and accepting as they are, the people we love the most.
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Mr. Hemingway spoke to a large crowd at the Clearwater Public Library in March of 2009. He spoke about his experiences growing up as a member of one of America’s most prominent literary families. There is no question that Mr. Hemingway is a dynamic, well-informed speaker. His presentation was electrifying and we received positive comments from the crowd long after he departed Florida. I strongly recommend him as a public speaker. He has a very interesting story to tell and it continues to acquire fascinating new layers of meaning.
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During his recent standing-room-only visit to our museum, John delighted everyone with his candor and his humility in discussing his famous family. He does not shy away from addressing difficult issues, and what comes across is an understanding and acceptance that endears him to his audience. John gave three presentations at three sites in two days while in our area, and at each appearance, his ability to speak of his family with honesty and a beguiling tenderness left everyone spellbound and wanting to hear more. We look forward to enticing him back in the future.
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The story that John Hemingway tells about his life is every bit as exciting as an Ernest Hemingway novel. John has lived the dark side of the Hemingway legacy and brilliantly come out the other side, balanced and strong. I’ve hosted John for three events—two at universities and one at a literary conference in Florida—and found him to be highly professional at all times. All of his presentations were articulate and had audiences on the edge of their seats. One of the qualities I admire most in John’s talks is this ability to connect with diverse types of audiences and take them into his world.
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I've reviewed the evaluations from your presentation and they were overwhelmingly positive. It is speakers like yourself that make the conference a yearly success.
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May 2007Strange Tribe
A memoir that is at once fascinating, compelling, and heartbreaking, Strange Tribe reveals the peculiar dynamics between Ernest Hemingway and his youngest son, Gregory, the author's father.Gregory tried to live up to Ernest's macho reputation throughout his life. Yet as a cross-dresser and (ultimately) a transsexual, Gregory was obsessed with his "female half," and he struggled with personal demons until his death at the Women's Correctional Facility of the Miami-Dade County Jail in 2001. In this wonderfully crafted narrative, John Hemingway reveals how Ernest himself felt a special kinship with Gregory, and how the two men (who both suffered from bipolar illness and shared a fascination with androgyny) were actually two sides of the same coin. In the end, John comes to feel that in his father's lifelong struggles, Gregory most exemplified Ernest's ideal of grace under pressure.
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