The Making of The Sun Also Rises
Exploring the Little-Known Stories Behind Ernest Hemingway’s Breakthrough Novel, The Sun Also RIses, As We Celebrate Its 100th Anniversary
A Novel That Defined a Generation
Published in October 1926, The Sun Also Rises marked the breakthrough moment for Ernest Hemingway and quickly became one of the defining novels of the twentieth century. Drawing heavily from his own experiences in Europe following World War I, the novel captured the drifting, disillusioned spirit of a generation trying to rebuild their lives. The phrase “Lost Generation,” used in the book’s epigraph and popularized by Gertrude Stein, would come to define that era.
The Real Journey That Inspired the Story
The inspiration for the novel came from a real journey in July 1925 when Hemingway traveled from Paris to Pamplona, Spain, for the San Fermín Festival. He was joined by a group of expatriate friends that included Harold Loeb, Lady Duff Twysden, Donald Ogden Stewart, and Bill Smith. The trip was filled with heavy drinking, romantic entanglements, and rising tensions—particularly over Duff Twysden—which eventually fractured the group. Those personalities and conflicts later became the foundation for the novel’s characters, including Jake Barnes, Brett Ashley, Robert Cohn, and Bill Gorton.
Writing the Novel in the Cafés of Paris
Returning to Paris, Hemingway transformed the experience into fiction with remarkable speed. Living with his first wife, Hadley Richardson, he wrote the core manuscript in roughly six weeks during late 1925. Much of the work was done in cafés around Montparnasse as Hemingway refined the concise, stripped-down prose that would become his hallmark. Editor Maxwell Perkins at Charles Scribner's Sons helped shape the manuscript, encouraging Hemingway to remove nearly a third of the material to tighten the narrative. Fellow expatriate novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald also reviewed early drafts and offered suggestions that helped refine the opening chapters.
Early Drafts and the Original Title
Manuscript discoveries over the years have revealed fascinating details about the novel’s evolution. Early drafts originally opened with a far longer introduction to Robert Cohn and included additional satirical observations about the Paris literary scene. The manuscript itself was originally titled “Fiesta: A Novel,” a reference to the Pamplona festival that sits at the heart of the story. Hemingway favored the title Fiesta, which was ultimately used for the British edition, while the American publisher chose The Sun Also Rises, taken from a line in the Book of Ecclesiastes reflecting the novel’s theme that life continues despite disappointment.
The Famous Ending That Hemingway Cut Down
Perhaps the most famous change involved the ending. In early drafts, Jake and Brett shared a much longer and more sentimental conversation in the final scene. Hemingway cut most of the dialogue, leaving only the understated exchange that ends with the line, “Isn’t it pretty to think so?” The revision perfectly illustrates Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory, where the deeper emotional meaning lies beneath the surface of the words.
The Iconic Cover and Cultural Impact
The novel’s iconic first edition dust jacket was designed by artist Cleonike Damianakes, whose bold artwork quickly became one of the most recognizable covers in American literature. Meanwhile, the book itself had an unexpected cultural impact. Hemingway’s vivid depiction of bullfighting and the San Fermín festival introduced many international readers to Pamplona, helping turn the once local celebration into a global destination.
A Century Later: The Legacy of a Masterpiece
Nearly a century after its publication, The Sun Also Rises remains a landmark of modern literature, a novel born from lived experience, disciplined editing, and Hemingway’s relentless pursuit of simplicity in storytelling.