The Sun Also Rises

Ernest Hemingway's first novel is considered by some scholars to be his greatest work, following American and British expats in the 1920s as they travel from Paris to Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls. The characters are based on personalities who were part of Hemingway's circle and pulled from his own exploits in trips to Paris and Spain in the 1920s. “The ideal companion for troubled times: equal parts Continental escape and serious grappling with the question of what it means to be, and feel, lost.” —The Wall Street Journal.

Many consider Ernest Hemingway’s first novel, The Sun Also Rises, to be his greatest work. The story follows a group of fast-living, hard-drinking, disillusioned expatriates wandering through Europe in the mid-1920s. The main characters are lost, lacking meaningful foundations in their lives. Hemingway based the characters on his inner circle during his exploits in Paris and Spain. He thrived in a community of writers and artists, including James Joyce, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, Ezra Pound, and Gertrude Stein.

The Sun Also Rises showcases Hemingway’s widely imitated, concise writing style. His short, simple sentences and spare, natural-sounding dialogue are resonant.