Interview with Nancy Sindelar, Part 3: Hemingway’s infatuation

By Craig Mindrum

Third in a series of conversations with Nancy Sindelar about her new book, Hemingway’s Passions: His Women, His Wars, and His Writing. Available here. Check out the first two blogs at #1 and #2, and watch a preview of the book.

Interview

Nancy, when Hemingway was almost 50, he developed an infatuation with an 18-year-old woman from Venice named Adriana Ivancich. It is a bit of a curious story. Can you explain what happened with Hemingway at this time, when he was married to his fourth wife, Mary?

Yes, the story is a bit curious as you say. In my book, I describe this incident at length. In October 1948, Ernest and Mary went to Venice, expecting to spend the fall there. During a day of duck-hunting with an aristocratic Venetian family named Ivancich, Ernest met their 18-year-old daughter, Adriana, and fell head over heels for her.

Though Ernest’s intentions were beyond friendship, Adriana had no romantic feelings for Ernest.  Basically, she was flattered by his attention and intrigued by a friendship with a famous author. They saw each other every day during the 1948 visit to Venice, lunching at the Gritti Palace Hotel and strolling along the canals of Venice.

Eventually, the Hemingways returned to their home in Cuba, and one would have thought that was that with regard to Adriana. But then what happened?

What happened was a period of intense correspondence between Hemingway and the Ivancich family, resulting in an invitation for Adriana, her mother, and her brother to visit Ernest and Mary at their home in Cuba. During the visit, Ernest behaved erratically and emotionally. He even tried to precipitate a break with Mary, who refused to leave.

What does this tell us about Hemingway’s occasional “roving eye”?

Ernest’s interlude with Adriana was consistent with his pattern of escaping the routine of married life no matter how good his life was.  As with Hadley and Pauline, he had an overwhelming need for a new adventure with a new woman.

Adriana doesn’t just disappear from his life, though. Tell us about that.

Yes, he immortalized Adriana in his next novel, Across the River and Into the Trees. She became the primary heroine of the book, Renata. Not surprisingly, Renata is the young daughter of an aristocratic family in Venice, and Ernest used his own life experiences to create the hero, Colonel Cantwell, an older man infatuated with Renata.

There definitely is some wish fulfillment going on in the novel, as Cantwell and Renata make love in a gondola one night. Though the critics thought the novel was a grueling failure, and even Mary called the dialogue between Cantwell and Renata “banal beyond reason,” the novel was a best seller. But, poor Ernest. He once told Adriana, “I love you in my heart and I cannot do anything about it.” However, she later told friends, “I appreciated his kindnesses and his attention. We were friends.”

What was the longer-term impact on Adriana and her family?

After the publication of Across the River and into the Trees, the Ivancich family faced embarrassment in Venice. People quickly identified Adriana as the Renata character, and the family was at pains to defend Adriana against Hemingway’s insinuations in the novel. Interestingly, one of Adriana’s brothers spoke at the Hemingway conference in Venice and was quick to defend Adriana from false accusations and sought to clarify misconceptions and highlight the depth and complexity of Adriana's relationship with Hemingway.

Nancy Sindelar, Ph.D., is the author of a new biography, Hemingway's Passions: His Women, His Wars, and His Writing. She is the author of several other books, including Influencing Hemingway: People and Places that Shaped His Life and Work. Nancy sits on the Board of the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park, which oversees the Hemingway Birthplace Museum.

Craig Mindrum, Ph.D., is a member of the Board of the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park. He received his doctorate in an interdisciplinary field of ethics, theology, and literature from the University of Chicago. He is a writer and business consultant.