The real-life inspirations behind Hemingway's 'The Old Man and the Sea'

Ernest Hemingway is believed to have drawn inspiration for The Old Man and the Sea from a Cuban fisherman he encountered, as well as from his own deep passion for and struggles with fishing. The novel, which earned Hemingway the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954, is widely considered one of his masterworks. The piece explores how the author's real-life experiences shaped the celebrated novella.