For Whom the Bell Tolls is a novel by Ernest Hemingway, set during the Spanish Civil War. It follows Robert Jordan, an American volunteer and explosives expert who is sent to a band of Republican guerrillas in the mountains to blow up a bridge as part of an offensive. Over three days he falls in love with a young woman, María, and sees the brutality and moral conflict of the war on both sides. The title comes from a meditation by the poet John Donne about human connection. The book was a bestseller, became a film in 1943 and is regarded as one of Hemingway's major works.
Before and after
- 23 September 1940Birth of Michel Temer
- 27 September 1940Tripartite Pact
- 9 October 1940Birth of John Lennon
- from 19 October 1940 to 24 October 1940Official visit by Heinrich Himmler to Spain
- 21 October 1940Publication of For Whom the Bell Tolls
- 23 October 1940Birth of Pelé
- from 28 October 1940 to 1 June 1941World War II in the Balkans
- from 28 October 1940 to 23 April 1941Greco-Italian War
- 13 November 1940Release of Fantasia
More in Art, literature & culture
The era
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.
