July 7th marks the beginning of the "running of the bulls" in Pamplona, Northern Spain, at the Festival of San Fermin. Young men have been participating in this ceremony since the 1600's, but Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises" published in 1926, made it the event that it is today.
Gertrude Stein recommended to Hemingway that he take a vacation there to help him "clear his head" and concentrate on the business of writing a novel.
These photos are from 1925, one year before he finished his novel.
Top photo: Hemingway on the left, Harold Loeb, Lady Duff Twysden, Hadley, Don Stewart and Pat Guthrie.
(If you click on the bottom photo, you will see Ernest (wearing white pants) just in front of the bull as he participates in "the amateurs.")
The enciero is at 7.30 in the morning. Most people still sleep or are drunk at that time, lol. Hence the many accidents..friends of mine had to sleep in the bushes to the side of the road, so crowded was the town..
ReplyDeleteI 'll be fishing the Navarra streams up in the mountains this summer and wait untill San Fermin has ended and the mob has moved out to pay a visit to Pamplona. Nontheless I wish everyone a good fiesta if you go.
Hi Marc! Thanks for the visit & you're so lucky to be there!
ReplyDeleteVery cool, Marc. Thanks for the Pamplona commemoration, Paul. Papa'd be proud!
ReplyDeleteHi Joe, thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteGood call! I came over to see if you had posted something about the Festival de San Fermin.
ReplyDeleteI ran with the bulls in 1987. I made it into the arena with the last bulls for "the amateurs." The arena was packed and yelling and you got a small sense of what a bullfighter experiences though you are never in any danger since the bulls are small and have their horns taped. In the afternoon, I went to the fights to see the bulls I had run with in the morning. It was all really quite something, though I think you are not supposed to admit that any longer. That summer, I followed much of Jake Barnes' route through Spain and France. It was quite a summer.
Thanks for the photos. I think I'll re-read "The Sun Also Rises" this week.
Hello Bill, thanks for the visit & the nice words on the post.
ReplyDeleteOne more guy to envy on following in Hem's footsteps :-)
Check out these pictures for an impression of this year's San Fermin..enjoy..
ReplyDeletehttp://gigapica.geenstijl.nl/2009/07/running_with_the_bulls.html
sorry for the broken url, here the complete one. Very nice pictures..
ReplyDeletehttp://gigapica.geenstijl.nl/2009/07/running_with_
the_bulls.html
that's him, yes , that's him in white pants....i wouldn't have noticed, had u not mentioned!
ReplyDelete@Marc, thanks for the link and thanks for being a loyal visitor!
ReplyDelete@Moi, hi! How have you been?
LOL, yes that's him in the white pants - that pic is from the JFK library.
Those are fabulous photos, Marc!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to have seen it back in the day. Not so sure if this was the best place for Papa to "clear his head" LOL! Summer is the best time of year to read his work, I, too, think I'll put this one on the nightstand for this weekend.
ReplyDeleteM
That is one of the best photos I've seen. Gave a great time and watch your back! PS I saw this today and thought of you.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-0712-hadley-hemingwayjul12,0,2964374.story
Thanks so much Michelle for the visit! Try "A Moveable Feast" for a nice summer read :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for that link, Claudia, it's great!
ReplyDelete"A Moveable Feast" is as much about Hadley as it is about Ernest or Paris :-)
That's a GREAT article from the Chicago Trib, Paris Apartment! Thank you for sharing that!
ReplyDeleteHi Paul, it's me again! I can't help but send you things that make me think of you :)
ReplyDeleteThis just in my mailbox this morning:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106539590
oops! this is the rest of the link
ReplyDelete106539590
Thank you so much Claudia!
ReplyDeleteIt does look like it's going to be a "Hemingway Summer" - what a great present!
Thanks for keeping me in mind!
What a fabulous photo of Hemmy and those shoes!!!
ReplyDeleteWOWZA!
Thank you, Carol!
ReplyDeleteHi Paul!
ReplyDeleteSorry for the long absence! But don’t you think it was a great vacation; some very busy weeks and just a few days off... ;)
And no chance to get to the San Fermin Fest... This year it seems there were more accidents than usual; at least that's what I heard...
It's amazing how you find these pictures!!
Meanwhile Blogtrotter is still turning around Iceland, now in Waterland... Enjoy and have a fabulous week!
Hi Paul!
ReplyDeleteSomething new at Blogtrotter: back to the «urban jungle», which Reykjavik is far from being... ;)). Enjoy and have a fabulous week!
Hi Paul!
ReplyDeleteBlogtrotter has some more Rural Iceland before the Blue Lagoon. Enjoy and have a fabulous week!
Hi Paul! Hope everything is fine! It seems everybody is on vacation but me. Except those who are seeing the performances of Usain Bolt in Berlin... ;))
ReplyDeleteBlogtrotter is leaving Iceland. Enjoy and have a great weekend!
Not only young men but old farts (dare I say this?!) go to Pamplona to partake in this event. Two of my male friends flew there several years ago, had the time of their lives, and brought back a red scarf for me. Oh, to be young (or old) and foolish!
ReplyDeleteChecking in to say hi and see how you are doing:)
ReplyDeleteI was not aware how long the running with bulls had been around..really amazing 1600's?! wow!
Have a good day!
kayellen
Hello Kate and KayEllen, thanks so much for the visit!
ReplyDeleteI hope that all is well with you!
Hi Paul! Long absence! After one year work, I got my official week off and, as always, the week before was terrible and the return awful... ;). Furthermore, there was 09.09.09, which for me was a bit depressing, as I entered a Club 60 I would prefer to postpone the joining... ;))
ReplyDeleteBlogtrotter is now in Turkey. Enjoy and have a fabulous weekend!
Hi Paul! Is there a new post coming soon? Look forward to seeing...
ReplyDeleteBlogtrotter is trying to have fun in the Turkish Riviera. Enjoy and have a marvellous week!
Hi Paul! Profiting from today’s holiday – the 99th anniversary of the Republic in Portugal - to surf the net! Blogtrotter is showing you Old & New Antalya. Enjoy and have a great week!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward for a new one...
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
Hey you,
ReplyDeleteIt's time for a new "Hem" fix~~get to work, you!
Hope all is well
xM
Hi Paul! Just a short visit to drop by and see if there was something new...
ReplyDeleteBlogtrotter is now at Santa’s Homeland, an anticipated gift before Christmas ;) Enjoy and have a great week!
Hi Paul! I’m back home and happy to come here!! But there are no news around... :-(
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile Blogtrotter is showing you an incredible sea symphony of colours. Enjoy and have a great weekend!
Beautiful collection of shots...
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving Paul =)
ReplyDeleteKay Ellen
Hi Paul! Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteBilbao is at Blogtrotter for your joy. Have a great time!!
Hi Paul! Everything OK?
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!
Hi Paul! Just dropped by to wish you a great holiday season! Enjjoy!!
ReplyDeleteGil
Thanks for all of the visits and comments!
ReplyDeleteIT always surprises me how american seem to love "encierros" and bullfighting. I was also surprised to see how much they also love the "toro" (bull) culture in southern France in Nîmes, for example... IF you love the "secret" and enigmatic world that surrounds bullfighting from Spain, I recommend you the films by Almodovar´s "Marador" and "Hable con ella." Nikon asked me if I disapproved "bullfightings": its a very controversial issue...isnt it?
ReplyDeleteIt is a controversial subject, Isbelle - especialy for someone who is a fan of Hemingway.
ReplyDeleteIf you are fond of Hemingway and his world, then, not liking bullfighting is almost hersesy!
Hi, Nikon. That´s true, somehow. By the way, I just love a novel by Hemingway taht is almost ignored for its "romantic" tone, but Its great. It is, "Across the river and among the flowers"/"Más allá del Río y entre las flores?" Do you know about it? I am not very sure about the title. The story is settled in Venice and its about the relationship between a young woman and an old man.
ReplyDelete"Across The River And Into The Trees", Isbelle?
ReplyDeleteI like almost everything that Hemingway wrote :)
That´s right! IN Spanish it was translated as "Más Allá del río y entre los Árboles", I just remembered later. Thanks for the reply. Did you like it? Death is also present, somehow, in the contrast between old age and youth. Ah by the way have you ever been in an encierro??
ReplyDeleteHello Isbelle. No I have never been in an encierro. What is it?
ReplyDeleteAn "encierro" means "enclosed", so it´s when the "corredores" run in Pamplona the bulls in San Fermin. That´s what Hemingway liked so much, I guess... that play with Death, etc. What´s your favorite work by this author?
ReplyDeleteHi Isbelle, thanks for the definiton of the word! Hemingway was definitely attracted to things that were dangerous. He needed the thrills :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite work by Hemingway is the book that this blog is based on: "A Moveable Feast."
I love it!
Hi Paul,
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, I'm going to read the moveable feast
Hello Betty, thanks for taking a look - I'm sure that you'll love "A Moveable Feast."
ReplyDeletehemingway seemed like he was moments from becoming down and out. lol
ReplyDeleteHey how are you?? It is April 2011
ReplyDeletewhere are you?
yvonne