A publisher has put new trigger warnings on legendary novelist Ernest Hemingway’s works, saying publication of the novels is not an “endorsement” of his writings.
Penguin Random House, which reissued some works in 2022 and 2023, has slapped the warnings on the Nobel Prize-winning writer’s novels, including “The Sun Also Rises,” the Daily Telegraph reports.
“This book was published in 1926 and reflects the attitudes of its time,” the warning says. “The publisher’s decision to present it as it was originally published is not intended as an endorsement of cultural representations or language contained herein.”
Another work, “Men Without Women,” a collection of short stories published in 1927, carries the same warning.
“The Sun Also Rises” is considered by many critics to be Hemingway’s finest novel, centering around a group of “Lost Generation” American ex-pats in Paris in the 1920s. Hemingway used his own experience from trips to Europe as he examined sexuality and violence — along with the changing mores of the day.
The new trigger warnings have been blasted by literary experts, with one comparing them to health warnings on packs of cigarettes.
Ulster University Professor Richard Bradford, who wrote a 2018 Hemingway biography titled, “The Man Who Wasn’t There,” told the Telegraph: “The publisher’s comments would be hilarious, were they not also alarming. They state that despite reprinting the book unaltered they do not wish to endorse the ‘cultural representations or language contained herein.'”
“This would be understandable had they brought out a new translation of ‘Mein Kampf.’ They seem to imply that, because it’s a literary classic, they’re willing to take a deep breath and warn readers with delicate sensibilities that something in it might unsettle them,” he said.
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“Scrutinise any novel or poem written at any time, and search for a passage that could create unease for persons who are obsessed with themselves, and you’ll find one. And then every publication will need to carry a warning like this, the verbal equivalent of photos of cancer ridden lungs which now decorate cigarette packets,” Bradford said.
“Publishers and the literary establishment as a whole now seem to be informed by a blend of stupidity and bullying regarding what readers should be allowed to think,” he said.
Other authors have also had warnings labels put on their work, with some publishers even editing out material they think is now offensive. For instance, several of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels have been edited.
“This book was written at a time when terms and attitudes which might be considered offensive by modern readers were commonplace. A number of updates have been made in this edition, while keeping as close as possible to the original text and the period in which it is set,” The Daily Telegraph reported in February.
“In several of the books, including ‘Thunderball’ (1961), ‘Quantum of Solace’ (1960) and ‘Goldfinger’ (1959), ethnicities have been removed,” the U.K. paper reported.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.