Martha Gellhorn was one of the most influential war correspondents of the 20th century. Over the course of a 60-year career, she reported from nearly every major global conflict – the Spanish Civil War, World War II, Vietnam, and more. In her work, she focused a compassionate eye on the lives of ordinary people caught up in turmoil beyond their control, and this made her coverage uniquely powerful. Her personal bravery, determination, and skill as a writer made her a legend.
TIME TRAVEL WITH THE HISTORY CHICKS
Books!
Obviously, you should start with Martha’s own work, there are many collections and editions out there, it’s very easy to find them. We do recommend this one for an easy start:
Then we diverge on your second read: Beckett recommends The Face of War, and Susan liked Troubles I’ve seen– but we agree that you can’t go wrong if you pick up anything she wrote.
Biographies:
Middle Grade to YA:
There are collections of her letters, there are more, but we liked this one:
Web!
Martha and her dear friend Eleanor Roosevelt from Hazlit.net
How she became to only female journalist on the beach at Normandy, from Military.com.
Her final war coverage from Panama in 1989 from Granta magazine.
Martha on Palestine in the Atlantic, 1961
Her Blue Plaque at 72 Cadogan Square in London, where we can pay our respects when we go in April.
Moving Pictures!
Interview with Leonard Bernstein: Reaching for the Note series
Feature-length movie from 2012:
* Martha Gellhorn’s first husband, Ernest Hemingway
End music: War by Pastis, via Epidemic Sound
