“If a writer knows enough about what he is writing about, he may omit things that he knows. The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one ninth of it being above water.”
- July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961
- American
- Novelist, poet, journalist
- Wrote masterpieces such as “The Old Man and the Sea,” “A Farewell to Arms,” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954
Quote
“If a writer knows enough about what he is writing about, he may omit things that he knows. The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one ninth of it being above water.”
Explanation
In this quote, Hemingway describes the art of omission—a technique where the writer, knowing more than what is explicitly written, leaves out certain details to create depth and resonance in the story. The metaphor of the iceberg, where only one-ninth of it is visible above the surface, suggests that the true essence of a story lies beneath the surface of what is directly told. The writer, knowing the full scope of the narrative, can afford to omit certain aspects because they are still present in the subtext and the unspoken elements of the work. This technique encourages readers to engage actively with the text, piecing together meaning from what is left unsaid, and allows the writer to create a sense of mystery and depth.
Hemingway’s own writing style is renowned for its use of this technique, famously referred to as the Iceberg Theory. In his works, such as The Old Man and the Sea and A Farewell to Arms, Hemingway often leaves much unsaid, trusting that the reader’s imagination will fill in the gaps. This is not a matter of neglecting important details, but rather of allowing the reader to experience the story and its emotions without over-explaining. The “dignity of movement” in the iceberg metaphor represents the power and grace of the story, which is felt through its subtlety, not through overt declarations. It also highlights that true meaning is often hidden beneath the surface, in the complexities of the characters’ internal worlds or the silence between words.
In contemporary writing, this approach is still widely applied, especially in literary fiction and cinematic storytelling. The technique encourages writers to trust their readers, allowing them to draw connections and interpretations on their own. For example, in modern films or novels that focus on psychological depth or emotional complexity, much is often left unspoken, requiring the audience to read between the lines. Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory continues to inspire writers and filmmakers to engage their audiences in a more subtle, nuanced way, emphasizing the importance of what is left out rather than what is explicitly stated.
