Death in the Afternoon

By Ernest Hemingway

Book Overview

A fascinating look at the history and grandeur of bullfighting, Death in the Afternoon is also a deeper contemplation on the nature of cowardice and bravery, sport and tragedy, and is enlivened throughout by Hemingway's pungent commentary on life and literature.

Seen through his eyes, bullfighting becomes an art, a richly choreographed ballet, with performers who range from awkward amateurs to masters of great grace and cunning.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0099909103
• ISBN13: 9780099909101
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Arrow Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.0" x 0.9" x 4.3"

Customer Reviews

The Art of Bullfighting & a Triumph of Writing.

Though at the end of the book Hemingway states that his book is in no way intended to be an all inclusive book on bullfighting, it is considered by many to be "the" best book ever written on the subject. A literary triumph for those interested and those opposed to bullfighting, filled with details of what goes on before, during, and after the fights both from the matadors' and spectators' point of views. If you've never been to a bullfight, this book will put you ring-side to the artistry that is bullfighting. (It is easy to see why this book is so well esteemed, Hemmingway's writing is an art all its own and this book is his fiercest ever.) Al fin del libro Hemingway dice que no lo debemos considerar el libro todo inclusivo de tauromaquia o corrida de toros, muchos lo consideran el libro definito en el tema. Un triunfo literario paro los interesados y los opuestos a las corridas, lleno de detalles de lo que susede antes, durante, y despues de las corridas en los ojos del matador y los espectadores. Si nunca ha ido a una corrida, este libro lo pondria pormedio del matador y el toro en el arte de la tauromaquia. (Es facil ver porque este libro es tan bien estimado, el estilo de Hemmingway es un arte enteramente suyo y este libro es su mas feroz.)

BEST BOOK ABOUT BULL FIGHTING WITHOUT DISCUSSION!!!

I am a bullfighter fan ( I am Spanish ) and in my life I have taken to bullfighting to many foreign friends, I know well their point of views about the fiesta in the beginning but when you explain what's all about and the so many rules and regulation a corrida has, and the so many things that are happening but you don't see, they absolutely enjoyed.I wanted to read this book in English because I would like to know the english vocabulary of the fiesta and how the fiesta was in 1931 that my father used to tell me, after finishing it I have to say that this is absolutely the best book about bullfighting I have ever read so far!.It is awesome how this american could achieve so vaste knowledge about this matter.I love the enthusiastic way he describes all the aspects of the fiesta,the bullfighters and their different technics,everything is here, even the two roads which existed in the age to get from Madrid to Seville.I like very much the comparision he does at the beggining of the book between wine and bullfighting.I thought I knew a lot about our national party but after reading this book I realised I was partially wrong.And what to say about the way Hemingway writes... It is absolutely phantastic, pure magic and amazing...My advice is if after reading this book you want to assist to a corrida do the possible to go with an aficionado you will enjoy the triple!!.

Introducing the Bull Fight to Potential Fans

I don't approve of killing animals for entertainment, and this book did not change that disapproval. I endorse this book because of its qualities as a model for introducing a subject to a new learner, rather than for its subject matter. If you like bullfights, you will like this book because Death in the Afternoon will expand your understanding of what you see. If you want to go to bullfights, this is a good book also because it will tell you how to do so in the most enjoyable way for you.Most people will never attend a bullfight, because of ethical concerns, some personal dismay about their potential reaction to the violence and horror of the event, or due to lack of opportunity (bullfighting is mainly done in Spain and Mexico). Many of these people will have some interest in understanding more about bullfighting or the appeal and spectacle of the event. Death in the Afternoon provides you with a thoughtful way to satisfy any curiosity you may have.Hemingway set out to write "an introduction to the modern Spanish bullfight and attempt[ed] to explain that spectacle both emotionally and practically." I think he more than succeeded.As a child, my parents sometimes took me to Tiajuana in Baja California where bullfights were regularly held on the weekends. We all agreed that we did not approve of killing bulls for sport, and never attended one. But my curiosity was aroused by the sight of the enormous crowds that regularly attended. Until reading this book, I could not understand the appeal. Now I do. I know that bullfights are not for me, but I now know why some like them very much. Hemingway leads you gently into the subject as though you were chatting while seated at a comfortable table in an outdoor cafe on a pleasant afternoon sipping your favorite beverages. In fact, for part of the book, he invents an "old lady" whom he converses with for comic effect.He tells you about his own experiences throughout beginning with, "At the first bullfight I ever went to I expected to be horrified and perhaps sickened by what I had been led to believe would happen to the horses." It turned out that this was not his reaction at all. He liked the bullfight, and saw 1,500 bulls killed before writing this book. He also reports that many people he took to fights often experienced different emotions than they expected. Women who disliked violence did not automatically dislike bullfights, and macho men did not necessarily like them. The central emotion that "good" bullfights create is of grace in the face of death which is inspired by "the closeness with which the matador brings the bull past his body and the slowness with which he can execute the pass." In the period about which he writes, the 1920s into 1931, bullfighting was in a "decadent" age brought about by a fascination with coming ever closer to the bull's horn and doing more and more elaborate cape work. In addition to the death of many bulls, this also brought about horrible injuries an

Only Hemingway could do so good.

Being a bullfight aficionado for many years has thought me something: one never ends learning about the "fiesta". So eaven if you are a great aficionado or if you are just courios, this work will teach you how to see the bullfights from another point of view. Hemingway first introduces you to understand what happens in the mind of those who take part in the world of bullfights, then takes you there, with found and tender descriptions of everything a newcomer to the bullfights should know and many things the old aficionados should remember allways. I belive it's the best literature available in english about the subject. It's eaven better than most serious books about bullfighting written by spaniards, mexican or latinamerican experts through out this century, and the Hemingway style is good as ever.

Simply put, a classic on the subject.

Probably the best English language book on the subject. Although the book deals with bullfighting as it existed during the 20's and 30's in Spain, it's observations about the art are still valid today. A must read for anyone who wants to understand bullfighting or Hemingway's facination with the subject and Spain