> In Ernest Hemingway's 1952 novel The Old Man and the Sea, the main characterstruggles with which animal?And the answer is: marlin. Ernest Hemingway (right) with Joe Russell (raising a glass), an unidentifiedyoung man, and a marlin, Havana Harbor, 1932. Photo courtesy: Ernest HemingwayPhotograph Collection/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.The Old Man and theSea tells the story of Santiago, an aging Cuban fisherman who has gone monthswithout a catch, and then begins an epic struggle with a giant marlin. The bookreceived the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953. At the time of its release, The Old Man and the Sea brought internationalacclaim to Hemingway. Within the first two days, some 5 million copies of thebook had been sold. Its popularity spurred a reinvigoration of Hemingway'sliterary reputation as well as a reexamination of his entire body of work. It issaid to have restored many readers' and critics' confidence in Hemingway'scapability as an author – some going so far as to call the novel a "newclassic," while favorably comparing it with such works as William Faulkner's1942 short story The Bear and Herman Melville's 1851 novel Moby-Dick. Hemingway began his career as a journalist, famously coining his declarative,stripped-down prose style. After serving overseas in World War I as an ambulancedriver for the Italian army (and a brief stint involving a marriage rejection),Hemingway turned his attention to fiction, producing his first great work: AFarewell to Arms. Hemingway then moved to Paris and became part of what GertrudeStein would famously call "The Lost Generation." With Stein as his mentor,Hemingway made the acquaintance of many of the great writers and artists of hisgeneration, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, Pablo Picasso and JamesJoyce. It was in this era of the author's life that he produced the popular work The Sun Also Rises. As an adventure lover and author always in search of a good story, Hemingway wascontinuously uprooting and moving his life around the world. At the time of hispassing in 1961, the author had published seven novels, six short-storycollections, and two nonfiction works. Today, many of his works are consideredclassics of American literature.To learn more about the life and legacy of this great American author, check outthe video below.