Art, literature & culture

Publication of A Farewell to Arms

1929

A Farewell to Arms is a novel by Ernest Hemingway set during the First World War. It tells the story of Frederic Henry, an American volunteer ambulance driver with the Italian army, who falls in love with an English nurse, Catherine Barkley, and eventually deserts after witnessing the chaotic retreat from Caporetto. The novel draws on Hemingway's own experiences as an ambulance driver in Italy, where he was wounded, and on his romance with a nurse. Its spare, direct style influenced many later writers, and its disillusioned view of war and its tragic ending won critical praise. The book was a bestseller and has been filmed several times.

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This moment belongs to the Modern era (1914 CE to 1945 CE), world wars and a changing world. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.