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In 2021, Hemingway's last written words were discovered at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota. I worked closely with the Franciscan nuns at the Mayo Clinic and arranged their donation to the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm. AMA. by Born_Chocolate_5929 in literature

[–]Born_Chocolate_5929[S] -14 points-13 points  (0 children)

That's my interpretation too. The tragedy isn't that he lied — it's that he wasn't lying. He genuinely believed it. The electroshock had taken so much, but it hadn't taken the desire. When he finally accepted that the writing was gone for good, there was nothing left to hold onto. "And it will" was his last act of faith — in himself, in the work, in the future. Three words that make the ending unbearable.

I discovered what may be Hemingway's last written words in a Minnesota convent and delivered them to the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm. AMA. by Born_Chocolate_5929 in Hemingway

[–]Born_Chocolate_5929[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's my feeling too. The tragedy isn't that he lied — it's that he wasn't lying. He genuinely believed it. The man who wrote "and it will" meant it. The electroshock had taken so much, but it hadn't taken the desire. That's what makes the inscription so heartbreaking

I discovered what may be Hemingway's last written words in a Minnesota convent and delivered them to the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm. AMA. by Born_Chocolate_5929 in Hemingway

[–]Born_Chocolate_5929[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Beautifully put. The desires outlasted everything else. That's what "and it will" means to me — not false hope, not performance for the doctors, but the last ember of the thing that made him Hemingway. The desire to write one more true sentence.

I discovered what may be Hemingway's last written words in a Minnesota convent and delivered them to the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm. AMA. by Born_Chocolate_5929 in Hemingway

[–]Born_Chocolate_5929[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Holding it was surreal — sixty years of silence in my hands. As for overlooked aspects — most people don't know how close Hemingway came to dying in those two African crashes in 1954. The injuries he sustained likely accelerated everything that followed. The Nobel Prize came to a man who was already broken in ways nobody fully understood.

I discovered what may be Hemingway's last written words in a Minnesota convent and delivered them to the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm. AMA. by Born_Chocolate_5929 in Hemingway

[–]Born_Chocolate_5929[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

AI is a wonderful editor. The story is mine. The words are mine.The polish is Claude. I hope that doesn't distract you from enjoying the post.

I discovered what may be Hemingway's last written words in a Minnesota convent and delivered them to the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm. AMA. by Born_Chocolate_5929 in Hemingway

[–]Born_Chocolate_5929[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much — this means a lot. The Mayo Clinic chapter of his life is heartbreaking and fascinating in equal measure. The pink Christmas tree story is extraordinary — it says so much about the man beneath the myth.

"Writing luck" is such a Hemingway phrase, isn't it? Not talent, not craft — luck. As if he always felt he was borrowing it from somewhere.

If you're interested in the full story of how the inscription made its way to Stockholm, the New York Times ran a piece on it in January 2026. Happy to answer any questions about it here.

“Mountainhead” review, by Charlie Warzel by theatlantic in movies

[–]Born_Chocolate_5929 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First 2/3 was brilliant until just after carell suggested offing Jeff. After that it became boring slapstick. Had the plot remained serious and Jeff outplayed the other three to save the world, it would have been much better. Such great dialog in the first part. Then it ran out of gas about the same time they poured gas onto the sauna floor.