美國文豪海明威2天內2度遇飛機失事 劫後餘生手寫信763萬售出

美國大文豪、諾貝爾文學獎得主海明威(Ernest Hemingway)生前曾和妻子於2天內遭遇2次飛機失事,幾個月後他寫信給律師詳述自己的嚴重傷勢,如今這封信在拍賣會上以23萬7055美元(約新台幣763萬元)拍出。

美國大文豪海明威老年時留著招牌大鬍子(Ernest Hemingway,1899-1961年),圖為1952年在非洲狩獵期間。American writer Ernest Hemingway (1899 - 1961) working at a portable table while on a big game hunt in Kenya, September 1952.  (Photo by Earl Theisen/Getty Images)
美國大文豪海明威老年時留著招牌大鬍子(Ernest Hemingway,1899-1961年),圖為1952年在非洲狩獵期間。 (Photo by Earl Theisen/Getty Images)

美國全國公共電台(NPR)報導,海明威於1954年4月寫下這封信。當時,他向律師萊斯(Alfred Rice)解釋,自己何以要其他人「轉達」他在同年1月墜機事件中的傷勢。他在信中寫道:「由於右臂受到3度燒燙傷,無法寫太多字,而且寫字還會讓我抽筋(現在還會有點抽筋,但燒燙傷均已無大礙)。」他還說右腎破裂,肝臟和脾臟也受傷。「由於大量內出血,我相當虛弱,一直當好孩子試著休養。」

FILE - This March 14, 1946 file photo shows author Ernest Hemingway with his new wife, Mary Welsh, after their wedding in Havana, Cuba. Hemingway and John F. Kennedy never met, but the author's most extensive personal collection is housed at JFK's presidential library and is now on public display. The exhibition opening Monday, April 11, 2016, in Boston includes original manuscripts of some of his most famous literary works; letters to other major literary figures of his time; photographs and other personal mementos. (AP Photo, File)
海明威與第四任妻子瑪麗1946年在古巴哈瓦那舉行婚禮。 (美聯社資料照)

海明威的妻子瑪麗(Mary Welsh)也飽受折磨,他解釋道:「瑪麗受到很大的驚嚇,記憶力不太清楚,需要很長一段時間才能釐清事情。」

美聯社當時報導,海明威夫妻兩人前往烏干達觀光,搭乘的單發動機飛機賽斯納(Cessna)「墜毀」。海明威指出,飛行員當時為了躲避一群正在飛行的朱鷺而俯衝,因此迫降陸地。一行人隨後在偏遠的叢林地區紮營過夜。

禍不單行,隔天前來搭救他們的飛機竟又起火燃燒,迫使機上人員倉皇逃命。美聯社報導,當海明威夫婦經歷約274公里車程後脫險時,瑪麗跛腳而行,海明威頭部和手臂則纏著繃帶。但海明威「帶著一串香蕉和一瓶琴酒」,「看似神采奕奕,彷彿已走出墜機陰霾」。

海明威(右)1954年在哈瓦那的家中,接獲諾貝爾文學獎電報通知。(Original Caption) At his home near Havana, Ernest Hemingway smiles to himself as he reads a wire informing him he is this year's Nobel Prize winner for Literature. The bearded author, whose hard-boiled style and violence-packed tales set a pattern for 20th century prose, will most likely be unable to receive the gold medal and $35,000 cash award from Swedish king Gustaf Adolf at traditional ceremonies in Stockholm. He is still recuperating from injuries received while on his African safari. Hemingway said he wrote The Old Man and the Sea, which helped him win the coveted prize, because
海明威(右)1954年在哈瓦那的家中,接獲諾貝爾文學獎電報通知。(Getty Images資料照)

海明威的確也在致律師的信函中堅稱「我這裡一切安好」。他在看似更急迫的事務中穿插他傷勢的細節,請律師支付一筆他從未收到的帳單,還說他希望「該部門或該局能理解」,他此行的收據都在第2次墜機事件中付之一炬。當時他是受《展望》(Look Magazine)雜誌託付前往攝影。

他還打趣寫道:「請轉告該部門,我活著比死了更有價值,目前正在試著保持活命並恢復生產。」

墜機事件同年,海明威憑生涯代表作《老人與海》獲得諾貝爾文學獎。

編輯:秦穎雯