Martha Gellhorn Biography

Martha Gellhorn was a fearless and quick-witted lady of her era. She was a celebrated American novelist and journalist who chronicled the lives of common people affected by war and conflict. Apart from being one of the first female war correspondents, she is also known as one of the best war reporters of the 20th century. Her career spanned over 60 years and she reported almost every major war that happened all over the world in that period. She largely distrusted politicians and always advocated the cause of common troubled people. As a novelist, her fictional work was characterized by lucid prose. Some of her famous novels include 'A Stricken Field' (1939), 'The Lowest Trees Have Tops' (1967) and a collection of stories, 'The Weather in Africa' (1978). For a brief period, she was married to American author Ernest Hemingway as his third wife. Independent and self-sustained, she famously refused to being reduced to a "footnote" in the bestselling author's life. The last days of her life were painful. She was unwell and almost completely lost her eye sight by the age of 89. She apparently committed suicide in 1998. In 1999, the Martha Gellhorn Prize for Journalism was posthumously established in her memory