The Sun Also Rises

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.