The Sun Also Rises の感想

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Once in a certain interview, William Faulkner said that Hemingway’s literature lacked courage. Hearing this, Hemingway got angry. Hearing of Hemingway’s anger, Faulkner got worried. His worry is quite understandable because Hemingway was notorious for quickly losing his temper and getting violent, and also unfortunately for Faulkner he was a man gigantic enough to crush a small man like Faulkner easily. But I don’t know why Faulkner said such a thing. As far as his literary field is concerned, I think, Hemingway is very courageous, even though there may be something less courageous in other fields. ‘The Sun Also Rises’ is a very courageous novel, and such a courageous novel is written only by a man who has the courage to challenge the conventional ideas of the society.
We live in a troubled world, and it is doubtless the novelist’s business to deal with it. In the days when this book was published, the future was uncertain like in any other days. People were in the grip

　第１次大戦後、欧州大陸に居ついた米英のエクスパトリエイト。その一人であるヘミングウエイが、自らの実体験を巧みに上質の物語に昇華させています。
　戦傷で性機能を失い、昼間はハードボイルドであっても夜は一人思い悩む主人公ジェイクと、美しいフラッパー（モダンガール）ブレットとのやりきれない愛情を軸に、エクスパトリエイト達が織りなす人間模様。また作者の豊富な旅行経験も盛り込まれ、生き生きとした紀行文という面も併せ持っています。
　実体験と小説化の線引きのあいまいさからなのか、話の流れに不要と思える人物や挿話も散見されますが、総体として研ぎ澄まされた筆致による描写と会話に、しっかり引き込まれてしまいました。
　パリやバスク地方の地名など、そして今では廃れた表現など細部でとまどいもあるでしょうが、私には原書で読む楽しさを充分すぎるほど味あわせてくれた本です。0