Martha Gellhorn was arguably the greatest war correspondent of the 20th century, bringing fierce intelligence, integrity and humanity to her coverage of the Spanish civil war, the Second World War and Vietnam. Caroline Moorehead, Gellhorn's biographer, wisely gives plenty of space over to Gellhorn's correspondence from these events. Gellhorn's letters never glamorise the horrors of war, yet manage to convey a sense of honour on both sides. Like her reportage, they are scrupulously even-handed.
Gellhorn was also Ernest Hemingway's wife from 1940-44; the tempestuousness of their marriage was caused, in part, by their professional rivalry. None the less, it is amusing to see Gellhorn neuter the fiery Hemingway by addressing him as "dearest Bug", while conveying her deep affection for him by saying in a matter-of-fact way: "You tell me what you want me to do and I will do it."
As her life wore on, she greeted her fame with a mixture of resignation and amusement, commenting in a 1983 letter that "I am pre-TV Age, and was lucky to be a writer when writers were not supposed to sell their books by selling their personalities." Studded with such insights, this is a fascinating companion to Moorehead's excellent biography.
Alexander Larman
