Who Is The Next Hemingway, Ruark?

[Kevin Peacocke]

Is there anyone modern day who can step into these shoes? What made Hemingway was that he really was larger than life, he didn't act the part, he was the part. Craig Boddington?

 

[VertigoBE]

I think this will be difficult.

First of all, current western society has a difficulty with « heroes » and « legends ». Unless of course they are some woke ideal. Just look at todays real life action hero by any standard, Zelensky.

Going through recent covers of the Times or Newsweek, you will not find very much young virile strong (dangerous) men or women! with politically incorrect occupations.

And that brings me to the second point, in order for someone to become a contemporary legend in his/her own right, publicity is needed. His/her exploits will need to be communicated to many. However that would put the spotlight on the activity of hunting, which most professionals today can do without. Nobody wants to come under the same media scrutiny as a certain US dentist.

Look at Trump junior, we know he hunts, he is proud to support hunting, but we do not exactly hear about his exploits while hunting either.

Unfortunately around the fall of the Berlin Wall and the long period of prosperity in most countries that followed, the West decided that the soft liberal intellectual type was the hero of the time, but even then to be thorn down as fast as possible if anything were amiss according to the latest version of acceptable behaviour from the Woke.

My thoughts this morning,

V

 

[DLSJR]

Nobody that currently writes. They’re too busy listing every item that they get sponsored to represent for their writing to rise to the level of the great writers of yesteryear.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

I think this will be difficult.

First of all, current western society has a difficulty with « heroes » and « legends ». Unless of course they are some woke ideal. Just look at todays real life action hero by any standard, Zelensky.

Going through recent covers of the Times or Newsweek, you will not find very much young virile strong (dangerous) men or women! with politically incorrect occupations.

And that brings me to the second point, in order for someone to become a contemporary legend in his/her own right, publicity is needed. His/her exploits will need to be communicated to many. However that would put the spotlight on the activity of hunting, which most professionals today can do without. Nobody wants to come under the same media scrutiny as a certain US dentist.

Look at Trump junior, we know he hunts, he is proud to support hunting, but we do not exactly hear about his exploits while hunting either.

Unfortunately around the fall of the Berlin Wall and the long period of prosperity in most countries that followed, the West decided that the soft liberal intellectual type was the hero of the time, but even then to be thorn down as fast as possible if anything were amiss according to the latest version of acceptable behaviour from the Woke.

My thoughts this morning,

V

Thank you V, as always, good careful thought. I get the feeling that Woke is disproportionately represented because the media of recent times has been liberal. The question is by how much? It is interesting to note that since the silent conservative majority ('Strong') has been prodded into reaction it appears that a) the Strong is actually larger than we thought, and that b) the Woke is smaller than we thought and doesn't represent the mild liberals. For example, look at how Fox news consistently trounces CNN etc. Also look at the very vocal backlash to the far left, even counties seriously wanting to split from liberal states.
So I see a great opportunity for those of courage to just be who they are, tell the Woke and their media to shove it, and just get on with it. This is an ideal time with Strong legislators in the House like Lauren Borbert and Marjory Taylor Greene. 'Go Woke, go broke', 'Go Strong, live long'.

 

[Pavel U]

Excellent question @Kevin Peacocke (as always)

Hemingway and Ruark are THE NAMES for me - because I am not from hunting family and Green Hills of Africa and Use enough Gun basically drew me to take up hunting. So I will be strictly talking about topic of hunting here:

I don't see many modern person who can stand comparison to them. But maybe it is a bit unfair – maybe a bit early to judge – for me the true question is: who will be named as the inspiration by future generation of hunters. And we will see that in the years to come.

I wouldn’t search in politics sphere though. Politics can shape the law, but media can shape the view. Given the current media popularity I would be looking on streaming platforms and internet. They are influencing the future generations these days. One possible name comes to my mind: Franz-Albrecht zu Oettingen-Spielberg (My Outdoor TV and Youtube).

 

[M Whitley]

Hoping that Nathan Askew of Bullet Safaris publishes his adventures some day. I think he’s the closest thing to one of the greats we have in current times. More adventure than anyone I’ve spoken to and 20 plus years as an American PH.

 

[503]

I drink almost as much as Hemmingway so I'm halfway there, just need to work on my writing I suppose haha....

503

 

[503]

Also for any Hemmingway fans check out this book, the Hemming Way. It's about how to live life like the man himself. And it's funny as hell.

 

[Vintageguy]

I don’t believe a Hemingway or Ruark are possible today. Particularly from the sporting side of things. Like it or not hunting has become much less popular than it was only a few decades ago. Sure, hunting shows are much more available with things like YouTube videos but that just has increased the exposure and gives the impression that hunting is growing but as someone who lives in rural America I’ve seen a huge decline. When I was in school we got the first day of deer season as an excused absence. When my son attended school in the same county they did not and I literally knew of more young girls that hunted than young boys. But still a mere handful of kids hunting as opposed to a mere handful not hunting when I was younger.
I just don’t see the demand for sporting type books being there anymore, kinda like the demand for big bore rifles. Lack of popular demand and lack of support for hunting makes it difficult for anyone to gain any real fame outside the hunting community.
Hunting won’t be helped by the new global divide growing between east and west with Africa caught in the middle and increasingly shifting toward China. Add to that the relentless drive for trophy bans with the goal of ending hunting and the success of the anti’s to get even hunters on board in decrying “trophy hunting” and I think there’s a real chance we are going the way of the dinosaurs.
All that translates into such writing occupying a niche at best, not enjoying world wide popularity. Sorry to seem so pessimistic but I don’t see much to be optimistic about concerning the future of hunting on our current course.

 

[Firebird]

I don’t see an author of that magnitude on the horizon. They had the experience and the time, audience and ability. Remember much of their popularity came from mainstream magazines and newspapers, which won’t happen in todays environs. -And I would lump Capstick in that company from sheer ability to tell a very readable story.
Boddington has the experience and writes well about it and it has inspired alot of safari goers-but it’s not high adventure, soul gripping stuff, more like a detailed report. He did write a book with Geoff Broom that is good and I re read his other works on a regular basis.

In my opinion, the best modern work is the memoirs from the PHs. Charlton, Hurt, Kevin Thomas, Aagard, Kevin Robertson(his wife included) off top of my head. Would love some others to step up, maybe an Ivan Carter. . . Several other good compilations are out there from writers good enough to jot them down.

Brad Fitzpatrick maybe or Gordie White could pull it off. . .
Lastly maybe should mention that alcohol consumption killed off the title characters, probably a warning in there somewhere-

 

[Safariswestcam]

Nobody that currently writes. They’re too busy listing every item that they get sponsored to represent for their writing to rise to the level of the great writers of yesteryear.

That is an absolutely excellent observation!! It is no longer about the literary value but monetization of a following and likes!

I’m convinced we have a modern day Hemingway, Ruark or even Roosevelt…… you just don’t know who they are because they are not on TikTok or Facebook.

 

[Red Leg]

It is important to remember that Ruark and Hemingway were great writers (Hemingway arguably the greatest of the twentieth century) who also happened to be sportsmen and wrote about that passion or incorporated into their more famous works. The average Hemingway reader will be familiar with "The Old Man and the Sea" or "For Whom the Bell Tolls" but almost certainly never cracked a page of "Green Hills of Africa." Ruark, far less well known, will still be cited outside our rather small circle for "Something of Value" rather than "Use Enough Gun."

I know of no such broadly gifted modern writer today who is also an outdoorsman.

A modern sporting writer like Boddington has no following outside the hunting world, and quite of few of us who share it with him, while in awe of his prolific production, find his actual writing journeyman at best. Perhaps one of the last truly exceptional purely outdoor writers was Jack O'Connor - a man who was formally educated as a journalist.

Unless someone immune to cancellation like a J.K Rowling or John Grisham emerges from the closet and starts writing great prose based upon their hunting experiences, I think the age of truly great outdoor writing is well and truly over.

 

[Red Leg]

That is an absolutely excellent observation!! It is no longer about the literary value but monetization of a following and likes!

I’m convinced we have a modern day Hemingway, Ruark or even Roosevelt…… you just don’t know who they are because they are not on TikTok or Facebook.

That is likely true. But if they do not gain general public recognition and acceptance, their existence doesn't matter. Even for them, Roosevelt needed San Juan Hill, and Hemingway "A Farewell to Arms."

 

[WAB]

It is important to remember that Ruark and Hemingway were great writers (Hemingway arguably the greatest of the twentieth century) who also happened to be sportsmen and wrote about that passion or incorporated into their more famous works. The average Hemingway reader will be familiar with "The Old Man and the Sea" or "For Whom the Bell Tolls" but almost certainly never cracked a page of "Green Hills of Africa." Ruark, far less well known, will still be cited outside our rather small circle for "Something of Value" rather than "Use Enough Gun."

I know of no such broadly gifted modern writer today who is also an outdoorsman.

A modern sporting writer like Boddington has no following outside the hunting world, and quite of few of us who share it with him, while in awe of his prolific production, find his actual writing journeyman at best. Perhaps one of the last truly exceptional purely outdoor writers was Jack O'Connor - a man who was formally educated as a journalist.

Unless someone immune to cancellation like a J.K Rowling or John Grisham emerges from the closet and starts writing great prose based upon their hunting experiences, I think the age of truly great outdoor writing is well and truly over.

Your point is spot on. Hemingway is quite possibly one of the greatest authors of modern time. His sporting writing is outstanding, but as a sportsman he had far less experience than many on this forum. He was a great writer who loved to hunt and fish and did some writing on the subject.

 

[Nevada Mike]

...Craig Boddington?

Ah, I don't think so, but you do have a sense of humor.

I like Tom McIntyre's work and he has actually hunted some. Good writer, too.

 

[mdwest]

I think what made Hemmingway great (in addition to his magical ability with prose) was that he was an adventurer.. that also happened to be a hunter.. running with the bulls.. ambulance driver during the great war.. volunteered to be a journalist in spain during the spanish civil war.. several boating adventures.. living the island life in the keys and in cuba.. etc.. etc.. he sought out adventure and lived life to the fullest.. which comes out in his works.. to include his hunting related writings..

Im not sure you would get the same effect from a non adventurer author that decided to write about hunting... or a dedicated hunter that has happened to do a few other things of interest in life that writes.. or a true adventurer that isnt at his/her core a writer..

Sadly I think the Hemmingways of the world are very very few and far between... it might be another hundred years before the world produces another one.. and by then.. who knows if anyone on the planet even enjoys reading anymore (the way things are going, im not sure anyone under the age of 40 can absorb more than 140 characters at a time anymore.. or has any interest in anything that isnt presented as a short comedic video)...

 

[Doug3006]

Great writing in general has been on the decline since it’s peak in the previous century. Who today can be included in the same cohort as Hemingway, Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, or Steinbeck? The dumbing down of America, by deemphasizing the study of great writing, leads us to a point where there are far fewer great writers. Outdoor journalism is no exception.

 

[503]

Great writing in general has been on the decline since it’s peak in the previous century. Who today can be included in the same cohort as Hemingway, Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, or Steinbeck? The dumbing down of America, by deemphasizing the study of great writing, leads us to a point where there are far fewer great writers. Outdoor journalism is no exception.

Don't forget jack London. Great author, adventurer and all around bad ass.

 

[Wishfulthinker580]

Great writing in general has been on the decline since it’s peak in the previous century. Who today can be included in the same cohort as Hemingway, Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, or Steinbeck? The dumbing down of America, by deemphasizing the study of great writing, leads us to a point where there are far fewer great writers. Outdoor journalism is no exception.

Exactly what I was thinking!!! I graduated in 2010.. I remember reading for English class and the stuff was so dumbed down it was ridiculous. Fully 3/4 of people who get published have absolutely no business writing

 

[Doug3006]

People learn to write largely by reading. Not everyone will become another Faulkner, but everyone can be a better writer by reading The Greats. Today, The Greats are being cast aside for being old, white guys. Even Harper Lee, who was of course not a guy! What a pity.