Ernest Hemingway, Unlocked: The Sun Is Still Rising

Ernest Hemingway, born on July 21, 1899, celebrated the centennial of his novel The Sun Also Rises on October 22, 2019. In a 1958 interview with George Plimpton published in issue no. 18 of The Paris Review, Hemingway discussed the challenges of writing and the importance of financial security for the creative process. Hemingway revealed that he finished the first draft of The Sun Also Rises in just six weeks.

During the interview, he shared a story about showing the draft to his friend and fellow novelist Nathan Asch. When Asch, who had a strong accent, questioned Hemingway's claim that he had written a novel, Hemingway replied, "Hem, vaht do you mean saying you wrote a novel? A novel huh." Hemingway went on to discuss how financial security could help writers resist temptations and worry, both of which could hinder their ability to write.