That's precisely what I mean. It's strange, because looking back at what I have read in the last couple of years, the majority of the literature I read is written by men. Hemingway is just so very masculine in style, I think it grates. I've honestly never had that problem with any writer before, and even the misogyny of Zorba the Greek didn't bother me.

I think you're right on the universal thing. To me, it's problematic because how can he be so blithely claimed to be the greatest writer of the twentieth friggin' century if his writing feels so polarised?

That said, Ben has offered to lend me a couple of his books, so I'll give him another go - though a teacher reading like that must definitely bring the story to life.

Ben argued that he draws characters well. I can at least agree with that - the characters are very well-written, even if the narrative style leaves me cold.