Ernest Hemingway - The Old Man and the Sea

The Old Man And The Sea
by Ernest Hemingway
dramatised by Simon Armitage
This Pulitzer prize winning novel is Hemingway's masterpiece; set in Cuba on the Gulf Stream, this is the thrilling and tantalising story of an epic battle between an old, experienced fisherman and a large marlin. Santiago, has gone 84 days without catching a fish, and is considered unlucky; his only friend is young Manolin, the boy whom he's taught how to fish. When on the 85th day, Santiago sets sail again, his luck seems to change when he catches the biggest fish of his life. But the biggest battle of his life is about to commence.

Produced and Directed by Pauline Harris

Further Information

Cited by the Nobel Committee as contributing to Hemingway's Nobel Prize in Literature, the novel is a seemingly simple tale, full of emotion and drama.

It's the story of the struggle of life - a meditation on life and death, and old age. It's about the challenge of survival and the pitting of one man's ageing body and ageing mind against nature. It's about an ancient culture about to come to an end, and a practice as old as time itself. It's a final act, and the boy is there to remind us that life moves on, and a new generation steps forward.

The dramatist is SIMON ARMITAGE CBE, poet, playwright and novelist.