Customer Reviews

The Death of Manolete

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The book does not have many pages but it does include a good share of photographs. Manolete personifies the essence of a bullfighter, insecurities and all. Why didn't he quit while he was way ahead? That is the toughest question and it might appear he was ordained by destiny to end up the way he did. There are not enough pages in the book to qualify the work as a serious book on the art of bullfighting, but there is a brief story of someone who many experts considered to have been the best of the best. Some chilling photos of his last hours and accurate rendition of his words while waiting for death. In one photograph he raises from the gurney in which he is laying and moments after he is no more. The photos are old but is sad for you know what follows. This book is for the serious enthusiast and I for one count myself as one. His elegance, his classical style when facing the fighting bulls in his career singles him out. Very few other deserve the glory he achieved once he was gone. Some of these bullfighters are incredible people in every sense of the word.
For anyone who believes the bullfighter has all the advantage I would urge they do a little research as to how beautiful and deadly the fighting bull really is. This is a supreme fighting machine and when one with all the traits of courage and breeding appears in the ring the Fiesta Brava is on! Islero, the Miura bull, that took Manolete's life comes from a very respectable line of fierce and dangerous bulls. Manolete was warned not too take chances with Islero, that he had a tendency to snap to the right or left with those deadly horns. His right hand man said not to attempt to kill him in the direct manner that Manolete was accustomed, a no fancy straight to the heart of the bull that had gained him proclaim through much of his career. But he wanted that way, he had just ended a brilliant faena and the public, if only for a moment now it seemed, had embraced him again as the greatest Matador, something he appeared to crave more than life itself, apparently. Thin book about a subject matter that still awes and mystifies me to this day. Classy guy who in death became more appreciated by the demanding public that kept at him to return to the ring till that faithful and final day.
5 Stars for the subject matter! Tragically sad...

This book is a simple to read book that deals with a controversial subject( bullfighting), but more importantly the day of the death of one of the greatest bullfighters ever, known simply as, Manolete. The dramatic presentation by Barnaby Conrad is moving and includes his relationships and the reasons for his contemplation of retirement. The buildup to the day Islero(the bull) took Manolete's life as they performed the dance of death together, each succumbing to the passions of the crowd and each paying the ultimate price with their death. The story is well told, allbeit rather short. The photographs are intense, capturing the swirling cape and momentum of the approaching beast in frozen moments of black and white reality. Although the author covers some aspects of Manolete's rise to become Spain's hero, in truth , this is not a biography but rather as the title implies, the fateful day the resulted in "The Death of Manolete." Barnaby Conrad is a knowledgeable aficionado who has written several superb books on the subject of bullfighting, Matador,MY LIFE As A MATADOR. The Autobiography of Carlos Arruza. With Barnaby Conrad., and the essential Barnaby Conrad's Encyclopedia of Bull Fighting.That said, it goes without saying that he is well versed in the subject of tauromaqia. This day in the life of portrait is amazing in it's simple eloquence. The final part of the book , from the point of the mortal goring is not for the faint of heart. The photographs reveals the most intimate moments of death. Included is a photograph of the cartel(poster) announcing the corrida(bullfight) where he shared billing for the last time with the aging and soon to retire Gitanillo de Triana and the upcoming hotshot Luis Miguel Dominguin on that fateful August 28th day of 1947 when Islero and Manolete would become immortal in the annals of tauromaqia. There is also a complete list of the corridas Manolete participated in from 1939 to 1947, that includes the names of the other matadors on the cartel and the awards given to Manolete; his list of triumphs is very impressive. A great classic book for the aficionado of the corrida de toros(bullfight) that is not to be missed and included in your collection.

On Thursday, August 28, 1947, in the bull ring at the Spanish town of Linares, a thiry-year-old millionaire called Manolete (Manuel Laureano Rodriguez) and a Miura bull named Islero killed each other.
Conrad recounts Manolete's extraoridinary life here for the first time in English. In combining pictures and text, the reader sees the breeding that made the Spanish boy, the tempering that made the young torero, the sacrifice that made the man, the girl who brought him love, the acclaim that brought him incredible success and finally its price...the undoing that began slowly and ended in one last great afternoon and in a death that if not untimely put out the brightest flame in Spain. Manolete had fired the Latin imagination as no one had done since the Cid. He had become a symbol of Latin pride, valor, and chivalry. But the crowds owned him and he did their bidding...and they had bid him to die.

146 pages. Also includes pages of his performances from the year he became a matador until his death. (From 1939-1946). Oh, Lord, it even includes what the trophies were (1 ear, 2 ears and a tail, etc).

This is for the 1958 edition, 3rd printing. Houghton Mifflin Co. Endpapers are red and white with matadors and bulls on them. Lots of pictures and even some of funeral.

I wanted to read about Manolete when I heard about the sad way he died, despite not being a bullfighting "fan". The book is rather shallow, as it tells about the death of Manolete - and not much else. However, the events leading up to Manolete's death are interesting: he was a very tired 30yr old man who wanted to retire, but he was pushed on by an audience who wanted more than he had left to give, and challenged by a cocky young rival. Then, one false move, and he's on the operating table.
At the time, there was no inquiry as to WHY he died - it was assumed that the goring killed him. Perhaps the final twist in the story is that it is now believed that an incompatible plasma transfusion may have really killed him, but unfortunately this wasn't discovered till the 1990s, well after Barnaby Conrad wrote his book.

This is a difficult book to review, you have to have a passion for bullfighting, and after living in Spain for 14 years I definatly have a passion for bullfighting, this book is about one of the most talented matadors in the history of the bullfight, his artistry, and dedication were a true insperation to all who tried to follow in his shadow. I would recomend it to all who would like to know the person better, and have an open mind about bullfighting.

I was satisfied with the order of the book, The Death of Manolete. The book was new as described, and the delivery of the book was prompt.
PBR

As Conrad said in his note, this book is an attempt to recreate faithfully with words and photographs the day Manolete was killed. However, just as the pictures used to illustrate how Islero developed from a calf to a bull could not actually be of that very Miura, so not all the photographs of Manolete and Dominguin needed to tell the story were taken that fatal day. Enough photographs of the actual corrida in Linares simply do not exist; therefore some supplementary photographs taken on other days had to be used.

Despite this, Conrad did an excellent job matching photos with text in this gripping testament to one of Spain's greatest heroes. The dust jacket on the hardcover book is vibrantly beautiful.

On Thursday, August 28, 1947, in the bull ring at the Spanish town of Linares, a thiry-year-old millionaire called Manolete (Manuel Laureano Rodriguez) and a Miura bull named Islero killed each other.
Conrad recounts Manolete's extraoridinary life here for the first time in English. In combining pictures and text, the reader sees the breeding that made the Spanish boy, the tempering that made the young torero, the sacrifice that made the man, the girl who brought him love, the acclaim that brought him incredible success and finally its price...the undoing that began slowly and ended in one last great afternoon and in a death that if not untimely put out the brightest flame in Spain. Manolete had fired the Latin imagination as no one had done since the Cid. He had become a symbol of Latin pride, valor, and chivalry. But the crowds owned him and he did their bidding...and they had bid him to die.

146 pages. Also includes pages of his performances from the year he became a matador until his death. (From 1939-1946). Oh, Lord, it even includes what the trophies were (1 ear, 2 ears and a tail, etc).

This is for the 1958 edition, 3rd printing. Houghton Mifflin Co. Endpapers are red and white with matadors and bulls on them. Lots of pictures and even some of funeral.

Though I haven't read this particular book yet, I know a lot about Manolete and his death (and to many, Spain's greatest bullfighter). I bought this book just to have it because Barnaby Conrad thought him a great bullfighter and I wanted to add this book to my collection of books on bullfighting like "Or I'll Dress You In Mourning," "The Dangerous Summer," "Death in the Afternoon." I think Hemmingway one of the best documentors of the "Fiesta Brava" but he did not particularly like Manolete hence, the "why" I bought this book.

I'm not really sure who this book is for: it's too short and superficial to appeal to devotees and others knowledgeable about bullfighter Manuel Laureano Rodriguez (aka Manolete) and it's also too short and superficial to capture the imagination of non-fans like me who just happened to come across the book and gave it a whirl.

To be fair, I listened to the audiobook version of "The Death of Manolete" (two CD's, unabridged), so I'm not getting the benefit of the reference information (list of bullfights, lists of awards and honors bestowed, etc.) and many photographs that apparently grace the print version. These things are certainly not included with the audiobook. Also, author Barnaby Conrad's verbal narration of his book leaves a little to be desired. It's understandable, but little else, certainly not dramatic, enthusiastic, nor in any other way imparting a "hey, this is a great story, so listen up" quality.

Again, I think the print version of this book is probably more passable, though I do hope that this apparently quite notable figure in Spanish history has- somewhere out there- a more comprehensive, passionate book or two written about him in addition to this one.