Robert Wheeler is an adjunct faculty member at Southern New Hampshire University and has been a passionate Hemingway enthusiast since reading his first Hemingway novel in 1986. We first spoke to Robert about capturing Ernest Hemingway’s Paris. Now, Robert takes us through Hemingway’s Cuba with the Leica X (Typ 113).
Q: In creating your Hemingway Lost Paris portfolio, you noted that you used two cameras, a Leica X2 and a Leica X (Type 113). Did you use the same cameras to shoot this Hemingway’s Havana portfolio? If so, what particular characteristics and feature of the Leica X-Cameras did you find especially valuable for crating this project?
A: Yes, during my thirty-seven days in Cuba, I used my Leica X (Typ 113) all day, every day. The Leica X looked right as my permanent and only accessory, felt right in my hand, and performed brilliantly. I began to refer to my 113 as the Queen: she is polished and dignified, confident in her role, and she produces lovely offspring. As in Paris, I kept the 113 on automatic. For this, I apologize to the technical aficionados, but I am beyond pleased with my results.
Q: Obviously Ernest Hemingway lived in Cuba and he loved and absorbed Cuban culture. What was your plan for expressing his Cuban connection, how did this project differ from the Paris portfolio in terms of its visceral character and its execution, and did any particular work(s) of Hemingway influence the images you captured there?
A: Knowing that Hemingway was connected to Cuba and to its culture and people was a fine and significant, and lovely starting point for me. I have quite the extensive library of books to highlight this fact. What I needed to discover was the converse, why and how were the people of Cuba connected to him and how is he regarded and engrained in their memory and culture. I needed to find, as I did in Paris, the soul of Hemingway. Where is he – outside of those iconic bars he frequented and away from his home, the Finca Vigia, in San Francisco de Paula. This was different from Paris, in that Paris was the place where Hemingway learned and loved, but Cuba was the place where he lived and worked. All of his published work, especially beginning with For Whom The Bell Tolls, was in my mind’s eye as I lived, listened, and worked in Havana. The most significant, however, was The Old Man And The Sea. It seems that Santiago and the sea and fishing and religion and baseball were everywhere, everyday. Of course, the politics and the revolution were also present, and there are many short stories and the novel To Have And Have Not that filled my senses while walking the streets of Havana.
Q: In the book announcement for Hemingway’s Havana: A Writer’s City In Words And Images one sentence stands out for me, “This book will tell the story of why Hemingway felt most at home in Cuba, and illustrate the beauty of the people and the island setting that most inspired him.” That’s quite an undertaking, especially the first part of the sentence that relates to Hemingway’s feelings and emotions. How do you think you were able to express these feelings in photographs, and how do you think the words and images interact to achieve that lofty goal?
A: Yes, quite the undertaking, and one I do not take lightly. I learned in Paris that I had a unique, significant, and lovely point-of-view on Hemingway and that I could contribute to the study and to his legacy in a creative, artistic, and introspective manner. I do not consider myself a scholar, just someone who has read everything by and about Hemingway that is available. I also became very well-read in all the history and the people and artists who touched his life. Because I have never been a scholar, I interpreted all I read and all the places relating to Hemingway that I traveled to, in a very personal way. It is in the spirit of this personal journey, one that began in 1986, that I now feel qualified, and honored, to touch on the feelings that existed between Hemingway and Paris (or Hemingway and Cuba). I feel that I am able to filter all that has been written, and all I have learned, to provide an emotional, touching, and sincere dimension of Hemingway, one that has been sadly missing for decades. When I write a sentence or take a photograph, I first channel the filter – the emotion – by listening for, and feeling, the tone of what I wish to say and portray. Nothing leaves my pen or my lens without emotion.
Q: Why and how do you think Hemingway’s experiences with the Cuban community helped inspire and nurture the writer and the person, and what approach did you take both as a photographer and a writer to express these things in your book?
A: Like most everyone, Hemingway was in search of a home, a foundation from which he could be himself — both as a writer and as a person. Cuba afforded him the distance he required from America — far away from the norms of his childhood in Oak Park, Illinois. Hemingway had always been captivated by foreign lands: those places where everything, from the language to the history to the art to the culture to the food to the drink, was different. He was immediately fascinated with Cuba and the people of Cuba were straightaway taken by him. Hemingway submerged himself in the landscape of Cuba. He was able to completely relax or take to the sea for marlin or entertain guests or write peacefully. All of his spirit was nurtured while living in Cuba, and it is this spirit that I hope to have touched upon in my prose and in my images.
Q: Since Hemingway lived in the Finca Vigia prior to the Cuban Revolution, things must have changed over the ensuing years, yet you state, “this book will be a valuable asset to anyone planning to travel to this extraordinary country.” Why do you think this is so, and is the overall feel of life in and around San Francisco de Paula substantially the same as it was more than 50 years ago?
A: Yes, positively. Within the Finca, the setting is the same, just as the slight breeze coming in from the sea is the same. Many have said that the home looks and feels like Hemingway stepped out for a moment and will return at any time. This is true, and this is a significant part of the charm of this house and of this town. Because of the embargo, time seems to have stood still. Things are obviously older, but the character remains the same. To be able to see and feel the past in the present has been remarkable, and this is why I know my book will be of value to travelers. Like that breeze that comes in from the far off sea, I hope my paragraph and photographs hint beautifully and significantly at the past … those many years when Hemingway called Cuba his home.
Q: Hemingway created some of his best known and acclaimed works while living in Cuba, including For Whom The Bell Tolls, The Old Man and the Sea, and A Moveable Feast. As a student of Hemingway, what is there about these works that marks them as part of his Cuban period and how did you express this in words and images?
A: This is all true. Hemingway did create many lovely works of literature while living in Cuba. Unfortunately, most Americans do not know this as fact. It is sad to me that most teachers introducing The Old Man And The Sea to students do not talk about this as being a Cuban novella. Santiago guides his boat by using landmarks seen from Havana; superstition, which permeates the book, is very much a part of Cuban culture; baseball is an enormous aspect of Cuba’s identity; and even the color yellow, which appears often throughout the novella, has significance and meaning in Cuban religion. I think it is very difficult for Americans to understand and appreciate that a celebrated American-born author, in fact, belongs to the world, and most specifically, if anywhere, to Cuba. Part of the beauty and meaning of this book will be to highlight this truth in a non-confrontational and temperate manner.

Q: Here’s a simple straightforward image of water (the sea?) and a small swath of beach seen out a porthole, but it manages to convey a sense of island serenity and well being that goes beyond its individual elements. What does this picture mean to you, and why did you include it in this portfolio?
A: This is the sea as seen through a circular hole in a wall. I love finding natural frames from which to view the image and the emotion or message I wish to convey. What I like about this photograph is the limited perspective combined with beauty; this is what I have written and photographed in the pages of Hemingway’s Havana, a rather limited perspective of the beauty that existed between Hemingway and Cuba, and the Cuban people and Hemingway. The challenge for me was to maintain the past, the 1930s through 1960. This challenge was relatively easy in that Cuba has, for the most part, remained in the past, physically, due to the embargo. But this challenge was difficult due to all that has occurred emotionally to the people. I had a very difficult time keeping my focus, keeping the perspective and the integrity of the book. Truthfully, this experience was much more testing than was Paris.

Q: This shot includes a partially smoked cigar in an ashtray, a bottle of rum, and some kind of spirits in a tumbler that suggest it was taken from the point of view of Hemingway himself, who is not visible but is presumably sitting in a chair in the foreground out of view. Given this perception, the Hemingway’s Cuba book in the background to the right seems either out of place or an ironic juxtaposition. Do you agree, and what does this image represent in terms of the story you’re telling?
A: Your interpretation is fine, but my intent was simply to show me, the writer, at work. This image was taken after I interviewed Patricio de la Guardia, a revolutionary and painter. Patricio is a larger-than-life figure within Cuba and, like Hemingway, seems to have lived three hundred years, thus far, in his lifetime. He is indeed a Hemingway-esque character and I hope the writing that accompanies this image shows this to be true. This, by the way, could not truly represent Hemingway in that he did not mix drinking with his writing. He was, instead, very disciplined and would only partake in beverages after the work was complete for the day.

Q: This image of a lion sculpture mounted on a stone pedestal with an array of trees illuminated by reddish incandescent light in the background is reminiscent of Hemingway himself who was kind of a lion among men. Was that what you were thinking when you captured this compelling image, and if so how do you think the fiery red background fits into the concept?
A: For me, the fiery red of this photograph is symbolic of the spirit of revolution, and the lion represents the power of Antonio Maceo, Cuba’s iconic leader who was fundamental in gaining independence from Spain. The setting is the Prado, a walkway that Hemingway would often take when in Havana. I could not help but believe that Hemingway himself would see the same early morning glow and feel the power, the grace, and the spirit of the Cuban people and their unyielding quest for liberation. In that early morning, and with that fiery red and the brave lion looking toward it, I believe I touched the past and connected more profoundly with both Hemingway and with the Cuban people.

Q: Here is a large mural or poster of a white-bearded Papa Hemingway facing what may be an idealized portrait of young Fidel Castro himself, or at any rate a Cuban revolutionary standing assertively under a Cuban flag. Do you see this as a political statement, and do you believe that the Cuban government has used the Hemingway legend to promote itself? Have the reactions of Cubans and Americans differed in responding to this amusing and provocative image?
A: That is, indeed, Fidel Castro. And yes, I do see this as both a political statement and as a statement of mutual respect and friendship. The Cuban government does, I believe, respect Hemingway and his work and his legacy, not in an exploitative manner, but as a symbol of honest and symbiotic esteem. I am not sure what the average American’s reaction is when viewing this painted image. Most Americans do not know that Hemingway lived most of his life in Cuba, nor do they know that Hemingway was a Socialist and that he supported Castro’s revolution. On the other hand, Cubans know all of this (and more) and they know that this is not in any way an amusing or a provocative image, just that it represents the pure truth. Ultimately, I would like to see this image as being one that unites and not divides, as I have always believed that both politics and religion should do just that.

Q: This image shows a formally informal dining room setting in what looks like a neat, well-appointed home. It looks very inviting, but only three places have been set at a table that could easily accommodate six. What do you think this image suggests about Hemingway and his Cuban experience, and what was going through your mind when you composed this image?
A: This is Hemingway’s dining room table and, although it was only Ernest and Mary living in the home, the table was, and remained, set for three. It could have easily been set for four or five or six, but the message was that anyone wishing to stop in was always welcome as a sense of conviviality permeated the Finca Vigia. This fact — that Hemingway welcomed anyone during meals — speaks volumes as to Hemingway’s true nature. This was a man who shared unconditionally and believed in the well-known words of the folk song that sings, “This land is your land, this land is my land.” I simply wanted to share this understated yet monumental image as a way to bring people closer to the Ernest Hemingway that I have come to recognize and appreciate.

Q: This shot shows a group of young boys playing baseball on a city street, and it really conveys the feeling of being there. It’s a charming, well-composed picture, but how does it fit into your Hemingway narrative?
A: Thank you for the kind compliment! From what I have gathered, baseball is synonymous with Cuban culture and identity, and baseball plays a lovely role in Hemingway’s Cuban novella, The Old Man And The Sea. Santiago is consumed with the sport and admires the players and the game. In many ways, baseball is like fishing and is like life. Baseball requires patience and discipline, as does fishing and so does life. And one must be physically and mentally prepared for anything to come their way, as in fishing and in life. Baseball, fishing, life: all honest pursuits require soul, and I believe that this photograph captures this undeniable truth, a truth that Hemingway himself recognized and respected.
Q: Do you plan to create any additional Hemingway books or stories going forward, and can you tell us something about the projects you have on tap for 2016?
A: As of now, Spain is on my radar screen and will most likely be my next Hemingway project. What fun it will be to travel from San Sebastián to Pamplona to Madrid and over to Barcelona! That said, I do have a young adult novel that is in the works. This is a book about a student making certain profound realizations while on an exchange year abroad in Paris. This book, as with my others, will be told through paragraphs and images, as this is a format that appeals to me and fits me rather perfectly. As well, I have my eye on Boston’s Freedom Trail, as told, yet again, through lyrical paragraphs and poignant images. Thank you, by the way, for asking.
Thank you for your time, Robert!
– Jason Schneider, Leica Internet Team
To see more of Robert’s work, check out his Instagram or connect with him on Twitter.