In a Paris Review interview with George Plimpton in 1958, Hemingway made the admission that he'd rewritten the ending of A Farewell to Arms “39 times before I was satisfied”. There are, in fact, 47 endings which have been preserved in the John F Kennedy Library in Boston.
In July 2012 the novel was re-released by Hemingway's longtime publisher, Scribner's, which includes all the alternate endings, as well as early drafts from other passages in the novel and the original Art Deco cover of 1929.

Variations on the novel's conclusion range from a short sentence to several paragraphs: some dark, some more optimistic, even one suggested by his friend, F Scott Fitzgerald. For someone who is interested in process, this edition allows you to follow Hemingway's struggle to discover the ending which feels inevitable: satisfying, logical and unalterable.
In the Plimpton interview Hemingway was asked what had stumped him. His reply? “Getting the words right.” That's pretty succinct. As lean as the 6-word short story that Hemingway once wrote as a bet: For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.
Stay tuned . . .
Hi Anne, Loved this post...thanks for the reminder that writing is hard, and that the words, when they come, may morph into something else altogether with each successive draft. As someone interested in the writing process, I am fascinated by how a particular author hones his/her prose. I look forward to taking a peek at the new release of A Farewell to Arms. -- Patricia Masar
ReplyDeleteHi Patricia
DeleteDelighted you liked this post. Yes, writing is hard work. I tell my students it is like digging ditching with the mind. Not the romantic, cushy career many people think it is.
And about the 47 endings? In my humble opinion, Hem chose the best.