Montegrappa’s limited editions are conceived to provide their discerning owners with a taste of Italy, to feel the presence of the great masters who passionately breathed life into their works and made them immortal.
Among the limited edition series produced by Montegrappa is the new series, named Mightier Than the Sword, joining the Cult and Icon collections in honouring individuals of great cultural impact and influence. As the name implies, by glorifying the pen and the written word, the candidate is a special person who has enriched and enhanced life by contributing to mankind through philosophy, politics, the arts and other fields.
It is therefore appropriate that The Hemingway Pens form the first family in this new series. Ernest Hemingway was one of the most innovative and influential writers, reporter and novelists of the 20th century, one who wrote, coincidentally, with Montegrappa pens.
The Hemingway Pens
The collection is divided into four “chapters”: “The Soldier”, “The Writer”, “The Fisherman” and “The Traveler”. Each of these chapters of his life is embodied in a pen, offered in the three types, including fountain pen, roller and ballpoint. In keeping with the accoutrements of the era, the packaging itself has been inspired by the notebooks used by reporters during the First World War.
Each model in the four topics is a limited edition of 100 examples, totaling 300 pens for each subject. All pens in the series will be produced in celluloid with sterling silver trim. In addition to the silver editions, 10 examples of each of the three pen types, in each of the four chapters, are trimmed with 18k gold. All invoke the spirit of the writer who single-handedly transformed modern writing.
The Writer Edition
Hemingway’s writing style was unique and original, producing masterpieces for readers irrespective of their social position. He was straightforward, using deceptively simple sentences. The deception, represented in the motifs of the pen, is one of a genius, the works being both easy to read and yet pregnant with ideas to be found between the lines. His technique involved the reader in a manner not previously experienced, his universality ensuring that everyone can feel what occurs in his books, allowing the reader to imagine himself or herself in the main role.
Turtle Brown is the colour for The Writer, its woodiness suggesting the material from which paper is made. On the barrel ring, an Underwood typewriter features prominently below the dates 1951, when the author received his Pulitzer prize and 1954 when he was honoured with the Nobel prize.
For the cap top, two ornaments create an art deco pattern to symbolize the classic’s clean and straight writing style. The clip is engraved with a fountain pen to show Hemingway’s early connection to Montegrappa, to Bassano and to remind us that, of course, it is the tool of writing.