Don't Meet Your Heroes, Especially the Dead Ones
Esquire US|October - November 2023
In 1933, Hemingway needed money. Esquire needed a writer. A boat brought them together. It's a mostly true story that speaks volumes about the lives of men then and now.
By David Coggins
Don't Meet Your Heroes, Especially the Dead Ones

Ernest Hemingway aboard his fishing boat, Pilar, which he bought with the help of this magazine.

WHEN ERNEST HEMINGWAY WASN'T AT FINCA VIGÍA, HIS HOUSE 30 MINUTES FROM HAVANA, he was likely at the Floridita, drinking frozen daiquiris at the end of the bar. Hemingway was very specific about those daiquiris, as he was with many things. They contained two shots of rum but no sugar-his daiquiri record in a single night was 16. Remember, they were doubles, but who's keeping track? These days, the Floridita is a tourist theme park with a life-size Hemingway statue installed along the rail. A statue in a bar means its best days are behind it. One look inside and you know to keep walking. The old magic is long gone.

Hemingway was a regular at the Floridita, but he spent even more time on the water, aboard his beloved Pilar, the boat he owned nearly half his life. This was where he fished, of course, and where he entertained his children and wives number two, three, and four, as well as legendary anglers, film stars, publishers, suitors, sycophants, and soon-to-be enemies. How Hemingway acquired Pilar is tied up in the history of this magazine, and where the boat rests reveals the complicated legacy of its owner, who, along with Esquire, helped define how men lived in the 20th century. In a life of celebrated stories, many exaggerated, this story has the benefit of being true. Or true enough, anyway.

Denne historien er fra October - November 2023-utgaven av Esquire US.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra October - November 2023-utgaven av Esquire US.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA ESQUIRE USSe alt
hasan minhaj had a very strange year
Esquire US

hasan minhaj had a very strange year

The comedian felt the wrath of the Internet AND lost a career-defining job opportunity. NOW he's back with an interview series, A NEW NETFLIX SPECIAL, and a fresh perspective on his COMEDY.

time-read
4 mins  |
October/November 2024
the perfect girl friend
Esquire US

the perfect girl friend

Flirty, sexy, seductive, supportive. Your AI companion can be whatever you want her to be. And now a growing number of men are turning to bots to ease their loneliness or satisfy their kinks. The choices are endless. The emotions are real.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October/November 2024
thinker
Esquire US

thinker

Andrew Garfield has big ideas about life and death-even a theory about the nature of time. Over an afternoon at one of his favorite New York City haunts, the actor let us into his world.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October/November 2024
priceless
Esquire US

priceless

At Hermès, Axel de Beaufort will make whatever you imagine. Its value can be measured not in dollars but in the hours spent crafting it and the beauty it adds to the world.

time-read
9 mins  |
October/November 2024
shoes with staying power
Esquire US

shoes with staying power

The Shannon lace-up from Church's is a study in enduring style

time-read
1 min  |
October/November 2024
THE MIDLIFE CRISIS? TRY THE THREEQUARTER-LIFE QUANDARY.
Esquire US

THE MIDLIFE CRISIS? TRY THE THREEQUARTER-LIFE QUANDARY.

Black men's life expectancy is short, thanks to history. At 49, am I on the downslope?

time-read
6 mins  |
October/November 2024
HOW THE DEMOCRATS GOT THEIR GROOVE BACK
Esquire US

HOW THE DEMOCRATS GOT THEIR GROOVE BACK

They've been flinching ever since Reagan, but the party has finally figured out who they are.

time-read
5 mins  |
October/November 2024
WRITTEN ON THE BODY
Esquire US

WRITTEN ON THE BODY

As we age, we're fighting a losing battle against memory. Maybe that's why, in my 40s, I've tattooed myself with everything I can't bear to forget.

time-read
5 mins  |
October/November 2024
I Wore This Jacket to Death. Now It's Even Better.
Esquire US

I Wore This Jacket to Death. Now It's Even Better.

Menswear designer Aaron Levine, who helped revitalize brands like Abercrombie & Fitch and Club Monaco, explains why he reaches for his Carhartt again and again and again

time-read
1 min  |
October/November 2024
Check Yourself
Esquire US

Check Yourself

Todd Snyder and Woolrich have teamed up to create a new breed of wearable luxury fashion. The iconic buffalo plaid remains a staple.

time-read
2 mins  |
October/November 2024