Ernest Hemingway and Henry ("Mike") Strater with the remaining 500 lbs of an estimated 1000 lb marlin that was half-eaten by sharks before it could be landed in the Bahamas in 1935. See Pilar for details of this episode.

Hemingway wrote THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA, while living in Cuba. He received the Pulitzer Prize for this work in 1953 and the Nobel Prize in 1954, specifically mentioning this novella. First published in an issue of LIFE Magazine in 1952,the story sold 5,318,650 copies within 48 hours. The book edition sold 50,000 copies in advance in the U.S. and 20,000 in Britain.

The saga begins in a small fishing village, near Havana Cuba. An old fisherman, Santiago, has not landed a catch in 87 days. Heading far out to sea, he hooks a huge Marlin, struggling and suffering for three-days trying to land it.

He refuses to accept defeat. Finally, almost passing out from exhaustion, he gathers enough strength to harpoon the fish and reel it in to the side of the boat.

Alone, in a vast ocean without food, Santiago engages in an intense and heroic battle of will. The challenge had only begun. As he attempts to return to land with his catch – which he sorely needed - sharks follow the trail of blood and destroy his hard-fought prize. Determinedly, the old man refuses to concede to the ravenous sharks, Hell-bent on destroying his victory. Narrated by an anonymous narrator, the story is frequently interspersed with details about Santiago's inner thoughts and dreams. This lone man’s saga is fraught with symbolism about life,death, and the challenges people must endure in life. The over-riding theme proposes honor as an existential challenge against defeat and death. Pride is the driving force of greatness and determination.