The Ambulance Drivers

James McGrath Morris's "The Ambulance Drivers: Hemingway, Dos Passos, and a Friendship Made and Lost in War" examines the complex relationship between two towering figures of twentieth-century American literature. Both Ernest Hemingway and John Dos Passos served as ambulance drivers during the First World War, a shared experience that shaped their early lives and eventually drew them together as friends and literary contemporaries. Morris traces the arc of their relationship from its promising beginnings through the political and personal tensions that ultimately tore it apart, offering readers a nuanced portrait of two writers whose paths intertwined in fascinating and often contentious ways.

The book's central premise rests on the wartime experiences that both men shared, though they did not actually meet on the battlefield. Hemingway served in Italy, while Dos Passos experienced the war on multiple fronts, including France and Italy. Morris uses this common ground of wartime service as a lens through which to explore how such experiences influenced their later literary output and worldview. The author demonstrates a solid grasp of the historical context surrounding World War I and its aftermath, situating both writers within the broader Lost Generation movement that included figures like Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Morris's narrative strength lies in his ability to weave together biographical detail with literary analysis. He traces how Hemingway and Dos Passos moved in overlapping social circles in Paris during the 1920s, a period when both were developing their distinctive literary voices. Dos Passos, already an established writer with "Three Soldiers" to his credit, took an early interest in Hemingway's talent and helped introduce him to important literary connections. This early mentorship and friendship forms one of the more compelling aspects of the book, showing how professional jealousy and personal loyalty often exist in uneasy tension among creative individuals.

The Spanish Civil War emerges as a pivotal turning point in the book's narrative, and Morris handles this section with particular care. Both writers traveled to Spain during the conflict, but their political sympathies and personal experiences there diverged dramatically. Dos Passos's disillusionment with the Republican cause, partly stemming from the disappearance and presumed execution of his friend José Robles, stood in stark contrast to Hemingway's continued commitment to the Republican side. This ideological rift, combined with Hemingway's harsh public criticism of Dos Passos, effectively ended their friendship. Morris presents this falling out with appropriate nuance, avoiding the temptation to simply cast one writer as villain and the other as victim.

Throughout the book, Morris draws on letters, memoirs, and other primary source materials to construct his narrative, lending credibility to his portrayal of both men. His prose style remains accessible without sacrificing depth, making the book suitable for readers with varying levels of familiarity with either author's work or the historical period in question. The author avoids excessive academic jargon while still providing substantive analysis of how each writer's experiences influenced their literary development.

One notable achievement of "The Ambulance Drivers" is its even-handed treatment of both subjects. Rather than positioning Hemingway as the dominant figure and Dos Passos as merely a supporting character in his story, Morris gives equal weight to both men's contributions and perspectives. This balanced approach helps readers understand why their friendship mattered in the first place and why its dissolution carried such significance for both writers personally and professionally.

The book also succeeds in illuminating the broader cultural and political currents of the interwar period, particularly how the Spanish Civil War became a defining issue for many American and European intellectuals and writers. Morris situates the Hemingway-Dos Passos friendship within this larger context, showing how personal relationships often became casualties of ideological commitments during this turbulent era.

"The Ambulance Drivers" offers valuable insight into the personal dynamics behind two significant literary careers, while also illuminating the historical circumstances that shaped both men's work. Morris has produced a well-researched and engagingly written account that will appeal to readers interested in American literary history, the Lost Generation, or the broader cultural impact of the Spanish Civil War on Western intellectuals.