New illustrations by Tim Foley and a new foreword by author Robert
Wheeler catapult this timeless classic by Ernest Hemingway into the
twenty-first century with vigor.
For nearly a century, The Sun Also Rises has endured as one of
Hemingway's masterworks, and is widely regarded as a prime example of
the great American writer's pioneering style and form. His first major
novel explores powerful themes like masculinity and male insecurity, sex
and love, and the effects of a brutal war on an aimless generation. This
roman à clef is based on the real experiences and relationships
Hemingway had in the early 1920s.
Set predominantly in France and Spain, the novel follows a group of
disillusioned aimless expats tooling around post-war Europe, living
hard, drinking heavily, and having complicated sordid love affairs. The
novel is told from the perspective of Jake Barnes, a World War I vet
turned journalist living in Paris, who is still in love with his former
flame, the eccentric and charismatic Lady Brett Ashley. Meanwhile,
Jake's friend, author Robert Cohn, becomes tired of his oppressive
marriage and sets off to seek out adventure, becoming enamored with
Brett himself.
They all eventually drift from the glitz and glamour of 1920s Paris to
Pamplona, Spain, where they revel in the rawness of bullfights and
alcohol-fueled parties, eventually devolving into jealousy and violent
drama. This leads to Jake coming to a stark realization--that he can
never be with the woman he truly loves.
