Hemingway’s Century-Old Novel Powers Pamplona’s San Fermin Festival

The San Fermin festival opened with fireworks on Monday, marking centennial of Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel *The Sun Also Rises*. Run began Tuesday, drawing crowds to see it. Hemingway’s novel coined “lost generation” and framed the bull run as a rite of passage. Its fame put Pamplona on the world map, inspiring travel to Spain to see the event.

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Bill Hillmann, a Chicago English professor at East-West University, has run the Pamplona runs often and survived goring injuries. Tour operator Bruce Anderson’s agency brings 1,400 visitors this year, US. Fernando Hualde says Hemingway made Pamplona known worldwide. Gabriel Insausti says author’s name is now a franchise eclipsing the novel. Mariel Hemingway, Ernest’s granddaughter, recalls being treated “like royalty.” In 2022, 16 % of bull-runners were Americans, largest foreign share, four times the French proportion. Pamplona’s 200,000 residents host over one million visitors. Injuries are frequent; the last death in 2009, and Hillmann was gored in 2014 and 2017, calling the wound “blood gushing.” Surge strains infrastructure and fuels overtourism.

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Anderson said anniversary generates enthusiasm for Hemingway’s novel. Hualde noted Hemingway “made it known around the world.” Insausti warned the Hemingway brand has become a franchise tied to San Fermin that obscures the novel. Mariel Hemingway stressed themes of “identity, love, purpose, and how to rebuild after profound loss” stay timeless. Animal-rights activist Brook Spurling protested, saying Hemingway’s celebration of hunting and war “would not be accepted into society today.” Feminist critics challenge his image, and safety advocates warn inexperienced foreign runners pose a hazard.

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• “And by the time I was done with that book, I was going to be a writer and I was going to be a bull runner.” — Bill Hillmann, Professor, East-West University

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• “There’s a lot of energy, a lot of excitement around just remembering that book and the impact that it’s had,” — Bruce Anderson, Tour Operator

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• “Hemingway wrote about many, many themes that today would not be accepted into society. He writes about hunting, about war, and we don’t want to be appreciating these themes today.” — Brook Spurling, Animal-rights activist

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• “Identity, love, purpose, and how to rebuild after profound loss ... those themes haven’t ever changed. That’s what’s great about my grandfather,” — Mariel Hemingway, Actress

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The festival will run through July 14, featuring bull runs and cultural events while officials, tourism promoters, and critics continue to debate the balance between heritage, safety, and sustainable tourism.

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