Was Hemingway’s Wife the Better Writer? The Case for Martha Gellhorn

When most people hear the name "Hemingway," they think of bullfights in Pamplona, wars in Spain, and short, powerful prose. But behind—or perhaps beside—the legend of Ernest Hemingway stood a woman who was every bit his equal in talent, and in many ways, far ahead of her time: Martha Gellhorn. Though remembered primarily as Hemingway’s third wife, Gellhorn was a formidable writer, an intrepid war correspondent, and an enduring literary voice who deserves recognition far beyond her marital connection.

So, could Martha Gellhorn have been just as good—or even better—than Hemingway? Let’s take a closer look.

A Voice of Her Own

Martha Gellhorn was not content to live in anyone’s shadow. From the moment she began her career as a journalist in the 1930s, she made a name for herself covering the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and nearly every major conflict of the 20th century. Unlike Hemingway’s romanticized and masculine take on war, Gellhorn’s writing dug into the human cost of conflict—especially on civilians and women.

Her prose is unflinching, clear-eyed, and emotionally resonant without falling into sentimentality. If Hemingway’s writing was stripped and stoic, Gellhorn’s was equally taut but infused with a moral gravity and a journalistic conscience.

Gellhorn’s Key Works

If you’ve never read Gellhorn, here are a few essential titles that showcase her immense range and talent:

• The Face of War (1959) – A searing collection of her wartime reporting spanning multiple decades, offering unvarnished insights into the devastation of war and the resilience of those who endure it.

• Travels with Myself and Another (1978) – A darkly funny, brutally honest memoir of her misadventures as a foreign correspondent, including travels with the “another”—Hemingway himself.

• The Trouble I've Seen (1936) – Her first collection of short stories, centered on the American Great Depression and praised for its empathy and understated power.

• Point of No Return (1948) – A novel blending her reporting skills with fiction, delving into the psychological scars of WWII.

Why Gellhorn Might Be the Better Writer

1. She Went Where Few Women (or Men) Dared

Gellhorn reported from the front lines of Normandy on D-Day—by stowing away on a hospital ship because the U.S. military had denied her access. Hemingway may have glorified war in fiction, but Gellhorn risked her life to write about its grim realities for newspapers around the world.

2. She Wrote With Empathy, Not Ego

While Hemingway's writing often centers on stoic male protagonists grappling with internal struggles, Gellhorn focused outward. Her lens was humanitarian. She chronicled war not for glory, but to witness and expose injustice. Her characters—and her subjects—felt human in a way Hemingway’s sometimes did not.

3. She Refused to Be Defined By a Man

Gellhorn once said, “I was a writer before I met him, and I was a writer after I left him.” She famously refused to discuss Hemingway later in life, insisting that her work should stand on its own. And it does.

Legacy: Overshadowed but Not Outshone

Gellhorn’s relative obscurity compared to Hemingway is a symptom of a literary canon that often elevates male voices at the expense of women’s contributions. But in recent years, readers and scholars alike are rediscovering Gellhorn—and realizing that her legacy as a writer, reporter, and pioneer is not just important, but essential.

If Hemingway taught us how to write with economy and emotional restraint, Gellhorn showed us how to write with purpose. She didn’t just describe war—she demanded the world look at it unflinchingly, and care.

Read Gellhorn Today

At Burning Tree Books, we believe in revisiting voices that deserve a second (or first!) look. Whether you're a longtime admirer of Hemingway or new to Gellhorn entirely, her work is a reminder that sometimes, the most powerful stories come from the margins—and from those who refused to stay there. Search our online store on this wonderful author today!