FIESTA by Ernest Hemingway - 1926

The plot takes place in France and Spain in period after 1st World War.

The main characters are:

Jack Barnes – an editor, who is also a narrator of the whole novel

Brett Ashley –  34 years old pretty women with short hair cut, emotionaly disbalanced, scandalous,      promiscuous, femme fatale

Mike Cambel, Robert Cohn ( Jew),  Bill Gorton.

They are all of them more or less good friends,  come from middle or lower classes and they are also bohemians, heavy drinkers and some of them layabouts. 

Hemingway called them – „lost generation“.

Before I tell the story I would like to explain the word Fiesta. Fiesta in this novel means seven days long celebration of bull fights in a town called Pamlone in Spain. People celebrate Fiesta in streets, bars, restaurants.

I am going to tell the story since Jack and Bill moved to Spain countryside for fishing eels at river Irati. Hemingway describes in all details nature, relaxed mood, summer weather, passion for fishing, drinking etc. Later their friends came to Pamplone for Fiesta and bull fights and all of them met there. They stayed in a local hotel where aslo stayed on of the toreadors – Pedro Romero – handsome, 19 years old promising toreador.

Then Hemingway descibed Fiesta celebration in streets and most of all he narrated in details the arena and bull fights. I did not like this part very much as I do not like killing animals just for pleasure, entertainment even if is it a national tradition. Anyway during bull fights Brett crazy and seriously fell in love with Pedro Romero – the toreador. Her lover Robert Cohn was extremely jalous and the novel escalated into serious  and physical fight between Cohn and Pedro Romero. The result was that Cohn had to leave Pamplone by morning train.

The Fiesta came to its end and the rest of the group was leaving the town Pamplone. Brett left with Pedro Romero into Madrid. Jack – the narrator decided to „restart himself“ after seven days long celebration and spent a couple of days at sea cost in Spain in town San Sebastiano. Last chapter I really liked because Hemingway described in particular deatils landscape of San Sebastiano. He also narrated how was Jack enjoyed swimming in the sea, sunbathing, watching people and relaxed atmosphere of the sea cost. He also described in particular details for example how Jack took off his clothes and put on the swimming suits and vise versa after swimming. Sudenly Jack got an urgent telegram form Brett who was in that time in Madrid with Pedro Romero. Jack packed all of his stuff and went by night train to Madrid. In a hotel Montana he met with Brett who is dissapointed and confused by Pedro Romero. Jack calmed her down and went with her for a walk…That is the end of the novel.

I would like to add that in the whole novel goes as a red line alcohol – lots of bottles of wine,  beer and local spirits.