Who wrote the novella "The Old Man and the Sea"?

Ernest Hemingway wrote the novella “The Old Man and the Sea.”

Published in 1952, the story follows Santiago, an aging Cuban fisherman who struggles to land a giant marlin in the Gulf Stream. Hemingway drew on his long fascination with fishing, the sea, Cuba, and the physical and moral demands of endurance.

The novella became one of Hemingway’s most celebrated works after the mixed reception of his previous novel, “Across the River and into the Trees.” It was published in “Life” magazine before appearing as a book and quickly became a major bestseller. Hemingway completed the manuscript in Cuba after beginning it as part of a planned sea-themed project.

“The Old Man and the Sea” won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953 and was specifically cited when Hemingway received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. A common mix-up is confusing Santiago, the fisherman, with Hemingway himself: Santiago is a fictional character, although the story reflects the author’s experiences and interests.