Overview

An immoral spectacle or a metaphor of life? Bullfighting never fails to provoke a reaction. In this unusual travel memoir, Edward Lewine embarks on an eye-opening journey around Spain to track a typical season for the country's biggest bullfighter, Francisco Rivera Ordonez. Fighting bulls while fleeing celebrity, Spain's most infamous matador lives both his public and his private life on the edge. The last in a distinguished bloodline, he is plagued by the legacies of his great-grandfather, the greatest matador of his day and revered by Hemingway, and by his late father, who was gored to death in the arena. With sixty-two fights and a hundred and twenty bulls to confront in the coming season, Francisco must also endure the aggressive attention of the paparazzi who pursue him for news of his colourful private life and breakdown of his marriage to a Spanish duchess. LEWINE witnesses at first hand the thrilling routine of a top bullfighter - the rituals, the risks, the stage fright - and assesses the significance of bulffighting in the context of Spanish identity. This national obsession encapsulates the uniqueness of Spanish culture.

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9780552777940

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'Accesssible and uncomplicated ... an account that caused, in this reviewer at least, as many wry smiles as sharp intakes of breath. Lewine's nerdiness leads to fine humorous moments' * Sunday Telegraph * 'A wonderful travel book' * Glasgow Herald * A fascinating, beautifully written book that deserves to stand alongside Hemingway * Mail on Sunday * A better book about los toros is unlikely to come along for a long time * Daily Telegraph *

'Accesssible and uncomplicated ... an account that caused, in this reviewer at least, as many wry smiles as sharp intakes of breath. Lewine's nerdiness leads to fine humorous moments' * Sunday Telegraph * 'A wonderful travel book' * Glasgow Herald * A fascinating, beautifully written book that deserves to stand alongside Hemingway * Mail on Sunday * A better book about los toros is unlikely to come along for a long time * Daily Telegraph *

A better book about los toros is unlikely to come along for a long time * Daily Telegraph * A fascinating, beautifully written book that deserves to stand alongside Hemingway * Mail on Sunday * 'A wonderful travel book' * Glasgow Herald * 'Accesssible and uncomplicated ... an account that caused, in this reviewer at least, as many wry smiles as sharp intakes of breath. Lewine's nerdiness leads to fine humorous moments' * Sunday Telegraph *

'Accesssible and uncomplicated ... an account that caused, in this reviewer at least, as many wry smiles as sharp intakes of breath. Lewine's nerdiness leads to fine humorous moments' Sunday Telegraph 'A wonderful travel book' Glasgow Herald A fascinating, beautifully written book that deserves to stand alongside Hemingway Mail on Sunday A better book about los toros is unlikely to come along for a long time Daily Telegraph

Author Information

Edward Lewine is a freelance journalist for the New York Times. It was during a holiday to the continent that he began his love affair with Spain. He lives in NY with his young family.

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