Hemingway's 'The Sun Also Rises' still fuels Pamplona runs

Key Points:

• The San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain, celebrates the 100th anniversary of Ernest Hemingway’s novel "The Sun Also Rises," which popularized the event worldwide and established Hemingway as a literary icon.
• Bill Hillmann, a Chicago native inspired by Hemingway’s vivid descriptions, has run with the bulls hundreds of times despite being gored three times, exemplifying the enduring appeal of the festival to international participants, especially Americans.
• Americans constitute the largest group of foreign bull runners at San Fermin, with tour operators attributing the festival’s popularity largely to Hemingway’s influential portrayal of the event in his novel.
• Hemingway’s legacy in Pamplona is visible throughout the city, from statues to hotels, but it is also controversial due to critiques of his masculine persona and support of bullfighting, alongside concerns about overtourism and animal rights.
• Despite criticisms, Hemingway’s literary themes of identity, love, and loss remain timeless, with his granddaughter Mariel Hemingway affirming the lasting impact of his work on readers and cultural traditions like the San Fermin festival.