Dispatches from the Ruhr

Before gaining fame as a celebrated author and winning the Nobel Prize in 1954, Ernest M. Hemingway honed his skills as a dedicated journalist. In the spring of 1923, he served as a special correspondent for the Toronto Star, traveling to the occupied Ruhr Valley to produce a compelling series of 10 articles, now compiled in Dispatches from the Ruhr. In these pieces, Hemingway delves into the intricacies of the French political system and its decisive role in the military occupation of the Ruhr Valley, an aggressive move to collect on unsustainable war reparations. He poignantly captures the plight of ordinary citizens, illustrating how their suffering contributed to a diminishing faith in the Weimar Republic, the economic turmoil of hyperinflation, and ultimately, the ascent of Nazism. This work serves not only as a profound case study on the unforeseen ramifications of military occupation but also as a masterclass in the evolution of Hemingway’s distinct prose style. - Summary by ASh