DEATH IN THE AFTERNOON

Rating:
Summary: The Perfect Introduction to Bullfight
Review:
If you are looking for informative stuff on bullfighting then there you go: this book will do. Now, if you plan to read this book because you're into Hemingway and have no specific interest in bullfighting, then you may get bored. I personally have no interest in bullfighting and despite all the explanations and understanding I got from this book I still consider the corrida a thing that should not exist, simply because inflicting pain on beings who can feel it is plain wrong no matter how sophisticated you make it, no matter what Nobel prize winner praises it.

The thing to know is that this book is not solely about bullfight. That's where those of you really interested in Hemingway will find their interest. There are a couple of things in this book that you'd not expect, such as some short stories and some dissertations on art and what it is to write. Hemingway compares bullfight to writing in some passages and the area of death in relation to people is dealt with to some extent.

I would not recommend this book unless you want to know about bullfight. I read it because I HAD to, if you ask me.

Rating:
Summary: Ritual Death
Review: "Death in the Afternoon" is Hemingway's guide to bullfighting. No doubt for aficionados it's very dated now (the era he describes is the 1920s and early 1930s), and it's very opinionated, albeit with humour and pathos thrown in.

I thought it was interesting that Hemingway thought the era of bullfighting he witnessed was a "decadent" one, falling far below the standards of the past. He did recognise that nostalgia is dangerous in that every era is condemned as inferior to it predecessor. However, I recall reading somewhere that bullfighting in Spain is now in decline (for example a bullring in Barcelona I think is being converted to some other use). Perhaps not in Hemingway's time, but later, bullfighting might have commenced a terminal decline. I don't know.

Like many non-Hispanics, I was perplexed about what attracts people to what is essentially a ritual slaughter of an animal for public entertainment - it seems more apt for books on Roman history than for the modern world. However, Hemingway does succeed in answering that question, depicting bullfighting as an event which lies closer to art than to sport, putting particular emphasis on the human need (or the need of some humans) to place themselves close to death. Death is thus dealt with in real terms rather than ignored. Also, man can act as a pseudo-God - dealing out death to the bull. Thus man comes to terms with mortality and perhaps immortality at the same time.

Whether or not you buy all of this is up to you. I would still shy from watching a bullfight (even on TV in Spain), not being able to get over the gruesome nature of the event. Nonetheless, after having read "Death in the Afternoon", while not condoning bullfighting, I feel nearer to understanding it. And of course us non-Hispanics should not bee too condemnatory of our Hispanic cousins: after all, I live in a country where wealthy people dress up in scarlet costumes, get on horses and chase foxes around the countryside with a pack of hounds with the intent of tearing the beast limb from limb. Our own house is not in order. Not all British people like foxhunting, not all Hispanic people like the corrida.

G Rodgers

Rating:
Summary: Not Hemingway's greatest work, but worth checking out
Review: As I die hard fan of Hemingway, I found this one rather mediocre compared with such greats as A Farewell To Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls. It is not his finest work. Even still, it contains curiously interesting tidbits of information about the nature of the bullfight, though it seems needlessly lengthy at times. At least worth a look.

Rating:
Summary: Only Hemingway could do so good.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: You cant help but love this book.
Review: Death in the afternoon is a lucid account of the Spanish bullfight which is one of Ernest Hemmingways fine books that he released i would recommened this book for anyone looking for a cultural diverse book and to people who like looking at things that at first they dont have a clue about (like me and bullfighting). When i picked this book up all i knew about bullfighting was the blindingly obvious facts such as the matadors and how bulls are attracted to red alone etc... but you would be suprsised as to how detailed the sport (if you could call it that) is, and how brutal the consequances of bullfighting may be. I've only ever read this book by Ernest Hemmingway but was impressed by what it had to offer, Hemmingways passion for bullfighting is clear in this novel and the detail and focus on Spain involved is always prevelant so this is a book thats definatley worth the read an empathic book that should not really be missed.

Rating:
Summary: More than just bullfighting
Review: Death in the Afternoon marks Hemingway's first major experiment in style and genre. While it is about bullfighting, and a marvelous one at that, this book is equally (and perhaps more importantly) about the art of writing as well as the writer himself, or more specifically Hemingway. When viewed in this context Death in the Afternoon reaches a much more complex structure and one demanding closer attention.

Rating:
Summary: The Art of Bullfighting
Review: Ernest Hemingway brings a unique and interesting perspective to any subject which he writes on, Death in the Afternoon is no exception. Hemingway does not follow any set pattern in the way he examines bullfighting, but the first few chapters describe his early experiences with bullfighting and the mechanics of a bullfight. Later he analyzes different bullfighters' techniques and their own personal styles. Some fighters he likes much more than others, for various reasons. Throughout the book their are anecdotes about the author's own experience with bullfights as well as stories of many famous matadors' triumphs and tragedies in and out of the arena.
Although bullfighting seems like an obscure and insignificant topic on which to write a book, Hemingway describes it vividly and with enthusiasm. He is very obviously in love with the world of the matador. A bullfight is a complicated affair involving many people. It is dangerous and that it what draws many of the spectators to the sport. Hemingway looks past most of the brutality and danger, he writes about the pageantry and culture that has evolved to make the bullfight what it is today. It is difficult to read about a subject that you have little or no interest in, it is far more difficult to write on a subject which most people have little or no interest in. The author avoids droning on about the minutia of bullfighting but still manages to teach the intricacies of it to the reader. He does this by adding first hand accounts of bullfighting and how it affects all aspects of a person's life who is involved with the sport. Hemingway also adds anecdotes about the towns and cities that host the fights. These stories help immensely in holding the reader's interest.
Some people might be so disgusted with the idea of bullfighting that no matter how well it is written about, they will still hate it. But it is not as cruel and archaic as it seems at first glance. Bullfighting is a Spanish tradition and like many things it has become an art form. It is more of a play than a sport and unfortunately, it is a very dangerous and bloody production. But no matter what you think of the sport itself, no one can deny that any book more aptly depicts bullfighting than Death in the Afternoon.

Rating:
Summary: A death will occur this afternoon, will it be man or animal?
Review: Even Hemingway was wary of bullfighting when was first introduced to it by Gertrude Stein in the early part of the 20th century. He tells of his suspicion in the first pages of this book and invites the reader to join him in his exploration of this old Spanish tradition. I have enver been to a bullfight, but after reading Death in the afternoon, I am curious to see at least one now and feel that I will have a better than average understanding of what is happening in the ring. While it may be somewhat outdated, as the book describes many of the matadors that existed at the time of writing... there is enough real description of the ceremony and the outcome of many matches that it makes no difference.

The theme is interesting and as with most hemingway books is found in a title with more than one meaning.

A" death will occur this afternoon, will it be man or animal?"

That is the question to be answered with each and every bullfight. That is the reason millions of people attend every year. That is the reason Hemingway became and aficianado of the sport. Read this book and fund out what bullfighting is really all about. No sugar coating here.

Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected.
Review: First time reader of Hemingway, thought it what have some merit; disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: The fine art of bullfighting
Review: Hemingway is at his best when discussing the fine art of bullfighting. He demonstrates a great appreciation for the bloodsport without romanticizing it. However, the writing is even. He throws in incidental pieces such as his running dialog with an old lady which only serves to detract from the subject. I suppose he was having a little fun with his publishers who probably thought a book on bullfighting wouldn't wash with the general readership, but the old lady becomes a nuissance and I was happy that he dropped her a little over half way through the book.

At the time, bullfighting would have probably seemed foreign to most American readers. But Hemingway notes the handfull of Americans and other expatriates who took part in the corrida. He laments the modernization of the sport in which the art of killing seemed to be lost. He provides an excellent description of the disciplines of bullfighting, the way in which it plays out like a three-act tragedy for the bull.

The time frame is ca. 1930 but it doesn't seem the sport has changed much since then. It is one of the many traditions in Spain that has survived the upheavels of the 20th century. The Socialists tried to eradicate it but failed. Bullfighting takes on a metaphysical aspect in some of the matadors and bulls he describes. It is wonderful reading and a great introduction to the subject.