Book & Film Club - The Old Man & the Sea

Each month we take a book that has an interesting film adaptation and spend the evening comparing the two. The ticket price includes a copy of the book (which can be collected from our Abergavenny bookshop once you’ve booked your place) and the film screening at The Kings Arms. The bookThe Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway is a spare, powerful novella about an ageing Cuban fisherman, Santiago, and his solitary struggle to catch a giant marlin far in Hemingway’s famously restrained prose, the book explores endurance, pride, dignity, and humanity’s relationship with nature, finding profound meaning in simplicity and perseverance. The filmThe film adaptation brings Santiago’s ordeal to life through striking visuals and a meditative pace that mirrors the novel’s tone. Focusing on the physical and psychological intensity of the journey, the film emphasises isolation, resilience, and quiet heroism. It translates Hemingway’s minimalist style into a reflective cinematic experience that invites the viewer to sit with struggle, beauty, and grace in defeat as well as victory.