Here's how the story lines eventually unravel:
Three men (at least or rather three and half) and one Le Femme Fatal
From Paris to Pamplona in escape from boredom for the leisure travel,
Where they all drink Pernod Absinthe until she meets the boy, who boldly fights the bull.
Jake acts as liaison arranging Brett-bullfighter sex affair,
Cohn beats the shit off Spanish boy, Mike keeps on drinking and pretends that he's cool and doesn't care...
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This book is Hemingway at his best.
Actually it is Hemingway's best !
(Only "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" parallels that best ....)
As already stated in my review of "A Farewell to Arms":
"Jake is the character, which Hemingway all his life was afraid to become.
Indeed when Hemingway reached the condition of being sexually incapable - he committed suicide ...
Cohn's Jewish jealousy and possessiveness is depicted extremely well (I know what I am saying ... :-))
Yet he is the character to whom I have a lot of sympathy in spite of all Hemingway attempts to do the opposite ;-)
Brett is the essence of Hemingway's *understanding* of the female character ...
He simultaneously loves and hates her; he admires her behavior and despises it at the same time.
Her character is following the character traits of the Queen Cleopatra, Carmen ( see the novella of the same title by Prosper Merime) and both Zemfira and Mariula (from "The Gypsies", a poem by Aleksandr Pushkin).
According to several sources (including the notes of Hemingway's first wife - Hadley) Hemingway had a difficult relationship with his mother, who he thought was the very power of women and completely suppressed Hemingway's father personality, whom Ernest very much loved.
So it is obvious from these facts that they reveal Freudian framework in respect of the Hemingway relationship to women.
In my opinion, "Fiesta", though being published earlier (in 1926) than "A Farewell to Arms" (in 1929), is more unique, talented, dramatic and psychologically interesting and a far more mature work - comparing to "A Farewell to Arms", which love story is a bit trivial while its anti war idea is quite similar to Erich Maria Remarque's " Three comrades " and, in general, I think that Erich Maria Remarque addressed in his works the theme of the "Lost Generation" much better ....
Though the publishing dates are as they are, "A Farewell to Arms" is describing (historically and autobiographically with regards to Hemingway's own life) earlier period (WW1) comparing to post WW1 period, where action of "Fiesta" takes place.
I wonder whether Hemingway had actually drafted (or rather I better should say preconceived the idea - as much as he was capable to preconceive ideas at all - I believe he did not do a lot of planning and more relied in his writing on the impulsive "Stream of Conscious" approach - just as his "Fiesta" characters did ...) "A Farewell to Arms" much earlier than 1929 or even earlier than 1926 ? - though I would not imagine that he kept a diary during his service in Italy or ever at all .
It is very ironical that "Fiesta" at the times when it was published did not gain considerable popularity in USA or elsewhere.
The *immorality* of the characters in the "Fiesta" novel was *too much* for the *puritan* American readers at those times.
In some way US society is still more conservative than Europe in this regard.
Actually even in our *modern* times *we, Americans* are still remaining to be too much *serious* about the issues of faithfulness and marriage and *we Americans*, don't like to find out that our Presidents and Governors were/are involved into extra-marital affairs ;-).
On the other hand, Europeans did not consider Hemingway a European writer either ... .
In spite of Hemingway's love of Europe and Paris especially, this love was a one way street - for Europeans Hemingway always was one of those " obnoxious " Americans, whom Europeans so love to hate.
"Americans are always in America - no matter whether they call it Paris or Paname"
(Written by Ernest Hemingway in his letter to Sherwood Anderson in 1929)
NB - Paname is a slang name referring to Paris when this city is thought as an exotic place. Apparently this nickname was first given to those Parisians who wore Panama hats at the beginning of the 20th century.
In contrast, "A Farewell to Arms" was a financial success in USA, which made Hemingway to become rich and famous and to be able to write whatever he really wanted to write about ;-) ...
Maybe Hemingway knowingly and cynically wrote "A Farewell to Arms" to be a "half strength" pathetic mix of the tragic love and anti war sentiment - just to cater to the taste of American public and to make money?
PS It is important to know (i didn't mention it higher in my review) that in the real trip to Pamplona HEMINGWAY WAS ACCOMPANIED BY HIS THEN WIFE (HIS FIRST WIFE - OUT OF TOTAL OF FOUR) Headley (she was 6 years older than he) - but she is not a character in his novel. Headley was very upset to find out that he excluded her from the plot... To compensate for that Hemingway attributed this book to her and gave her all royalty rights for publishing and selling this novel.
http://www.stihi.ru/2013/10/25/11321
http://www.stihi.ru/2013/11/19/9169