The snows of kilimanjaro

A dying writer confronts his regrets and lost potential in Hemingway’s haunting tale set in the African wilderness.

The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1936) is a stark and haunting story about a writer facing death in the African wilderness. Stricken with an infection and unable to get medical help, Harry reflects on a life filled with missed opportunities and creative compromises. As he lies dying beneath the looming presence of Mount Kilimanjaro, he recalls moments of artistic promise and personal failure, lamenting how he traded his talent for comfort and security. The mountain itself becomes a powerful symbol of purity, truth, and the greatness he might have achieved.

Told through a blend of narrative and stream-of-consciousness flashbacks, the story unfolds in Hemingway’s characteristically concise prose. The unforgiving African landscape mirrors Harry’s emotional state—bleak, raw, and stripped of illusion. Through this deeply personal reckoning, The Snows of Kilimanjaro explores universal themes of regret, mortality, and the struggle for artistic integrity. It remains one of Hemingway’s most poignant and psychologically rich works.