Ernest Hemingway loved adventure and his passion for deep-sea fishing (pesca d’alto mare) provided the setting (fornì lo sfondo) for The Old Man and the Sea (1952) a short novel written in Cuba in 1951 and published in 1952. It is about a quite old Cuban fisherman (pescatore), Santiago, who has not caught (non prende)a fish for 84 days. His only friend is a boy, Manolin, who helps him despite his ill fortune (a dispetto della sua sfortuna). On the eighty-fifth day, Santiago decides to leave alone and, by noon of the first day, a big fish, a marlin, takes his bait (esca). After three days’ struggle (una lotta di tre giorni) Santiago harpoons it (lo arpiona). The mariner, tired, can’t take it on board (a bordo) and lets it in the water. Unfortunately the sharks (pescicani) come to bite (mordere) the marlin. At home he collapses on his bed, exhausted. The next day a group of fishermen gathers (si raduna) around the boat where the fish’s skeleton (scheletro) is still attached. Some tourists think it is a shark. Manolin looks for Santiago and finds him safe asleep (salvo e addormentato). When the old man wakes (si sveglia), they promise to fish together once again. Then Santiago falls asleep again and dreams of lions on the African beach. in 1958 a film adapattion was shot (girata) by John Sturges, starring Spencer Tracy.