Prof. examines lost Hemingway manuscript

In 1922, Hadley Hemingway, then wife of Ernest Hemingway, lost a suitcase containing one of the renowned author's manuscripts while traveling on a train to Switzerland.

The suitcase, which was never recovered, was the subject of a lecture given by Prof. Nicholas Delbanco yesterday at the Rackham Amphitheater.

The lecture was held in honor of English Prof. Delbanco's appointment to the Robert Frost Collegiate Professorship in English Language and Literature.

"Prof. Delbanco's commitment to writers at the University of Michigan has been extraordinary and I'm delighted that he received the recognition because it is deserved," Rackham graduate student Nicholas Harp said.

Although Delbanco received the University's professorship honoring poet Robert Frost, he chose to speak about Hemingway.

Delbonco's lecture, "The Lost Suitcase," examined how Hemingway's work was never recovered but was not completely lost. "My assumption ... is that it became part of his 'A Movable Feast,'" Delbanco said, adding that "I think that part of the early work was there."

"I found his remarks interesting and what I liked best ... was that it was clearly a project of some personal importance to him," Harp said.

Delbanco, who has authored many books, was insistent that as a prose writer he did not feel comfortable discussing Frost.

But not all audience members shared Delbanco's feelings that parts of Hemingway's work could be replicated in "A Movable Feast."

"I don't think I could remember the best parts," of a manuscript LSA senior Kate Gotham said of Delbanco's assumption that Hemingway was capable of replicating his manuscript from memory.

The lecture comes at a key time as Hemingway fans everywhere celebrate the renowned author's centennial year.

The presentation included reading from Delbanco's own fiction.

Some audience members said they did not completely understand the message Delbanco was trying to convey.

"I think he's an eloquent writer and his vocabulary is extensive," said Music first-year student Josh Lefkowitz, adding that if he could have read Delbanco's speech he could have gained more form the lecture.

09-28-99