Valerie Hemingway

A chance encounter in Spain in 1959 brought young Irish reporter Valerie Danby-Smith face to face with Ernest Hemingway. The interview was awkward and brief, but before it ended something had clicked into place. For the next two years, she devoted her life to Hemingway and his wife, Mary, traveling with them through beloved old haunts in Spain and France and living with them during the tumultuous final months in Cuba.

Valerie Hemingway has captured the essence of those years in her book "Running with the Bulls," published by Ballantine Books in 2006. The memoir details her experiences, both the joys and challenges of living closely with one of the most iconic literary figures. As Hemingway's secretary in Spain, France, and Cuba, she was entrusted with significant responsibilities, and posthumously, she organized his papers for presentation to the Kennedy Library. Her deep association with the Hemingway family continued when she married - and later divorced - Gregory, Ernest's youngest son.

After Ernest Hemingway's death, she remained active in the literary field, working for two decades in publishing and public relations in New York City, and serving as a fiction reviewer for Publishers Weekly. Her articles have been featured in Saturday Review, Ski Magazine, and Smithsonian Magazine. Hemingway has also been a visiting scholar in the Honors Department of Montana State University, Billings, during the Spring 2012 semester. In addition, her memoir was optioned by an Irish film company in May 2012, underscoring its cultural and historical significance. A respected contributor to Distinctly Montana, she continues to deliver lectures internationally and conducts memoir writing workshops. Hemingway's unique insights into the life and times of Ernest Hemingway continue to enchant and educate audiences worldwide.