The Old Man and the Sea is a 1952 novella by American author Ernest Hemingway, telling the story of Santiago, an old fisherman, and his struggle to catch a giant marlin. Written in Cuba, it was Hemingway's last major work during his lifetime. Published in Life magazine and by Scribner's, it achieved record sales and critical praise. The novella won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 and contributed to Hemingway’s Nobel Prize in 1954. Critics now debate its place among Hemingway's works, examining themes of resilience and Christian symbolism.