Dr. Alex VernonCONWAY, Ark. (December 12, 2011) - Hendrix College English studies professor Dr. Alex Vernon's new book Hemingway's Second War: Bearing Witness to the Spanish Civil War received critical praise in the fall 2011 edition of Hemingway Review.
Hemingway Review described the book as "[A] brilliantly concise and extraordinarily informative narrative of Hemingway's journalistic contributions, the details of the production and an analysis of the film and book versions of The Spanish Earth, and a critical discussion of the film and book versions of For Whom the Bell Tolls-all solidly within the context of the war….From the beginning we are immediately caught up, along with Hemingway, in the labyrinth of political ideologies, battle strategies, corruption, comradeship, and deep-seated rivalries that characterized the war….Vernon has provided more information on the inception, production and distribution of The Spanish Earth-including Hemingway's involvement with the project and details surrounding the print version by Jasper Wood-than has ever been amassed in one book up to this point. Among other benefits, this unprecedented scholarship has allowed Vernon to shed further light on…the nature of Hemingway's relationship with the Communist party as well as with Dutch filmmaker Joris Ivens….Overall, Hemingway's Second War offers an in-depth overview of Hemingway's political, professional and personal involvement with the Spanish Civil War and can be appreciated both for its coverage of the war's complexities and for its outstanding scholarship. Perhaps more importantly, Vernon's book will encourage casual readers and literary scholars alike to open up new discussion on this fascinating topic." (v31n1, Fall 2011, 128-130)
Hemingway's Second War was published late spring 2011 by University of Iowa Press, which called the book "the first book-length scholarly work devoted to four trips Ernest Hemingway made to Spain in 1937 and 1938 to cover its civil war for the North American News Alliance wire service and to help create the pro-Republican documentary film The Spanish Earth."
Vernon is also the author of On Tarzan, most succinctly bred, Soldiers Once and Still: Ernest Hemingway, James Salter, and Tim O'Brien (Iowa, 2005), and The Eyes of Orion: Five Tank Commanders in the Persian Gulf War (with Neal Creighton, Greg Downey, Rob Holmes, and Dave Trybula), editor of Arms and the Self: War, the Military, and Autobiographical Writing, and coeditor (with Catherine Calloway) of Approaches to Teaching the Works of Tim O'Brien.
Founded in 1876, Hendrix College is a national leader in engaged liberal arts and sciences education. Hendrix was named the country's #1 "Up and Coming" liberal arts college for the third consecutive year by U.S. News and World Report. Hendrix is featured in the 2011 edition of the Princeton Review as one of the country's best 376 colleges and is listed in the 2012 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges as one of 25 "Best Buy" private colleges included. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.