Death in the Afternoon (Paperback)

by Ernest Hemingway (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Hemingway's Classic Portrait Of The Pageantry Of Bullfighting.

Still considered one of the best books ever written about bullfighting, Death in the Afternoon reflects Hemingway's belief that bullfighting was more than mere sport. Here he describes and explains the technical aspects of this dangerous ritual, and "the emotional and spiritual intensity and pure classic beauty that can be produced by a man, an animal, and a piece of scarlet serge draped on a stick." 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.

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.

From the Publisher
8 1.5-hour cassettes --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (April 16, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684801450
• ISBN-13: 978-0684801452
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #163,930 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The fine art of bullfighting, July 10, 2003

By	James Ferguson (Vilnius, Lithuania) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST BOOK ABOUT BULL FIGHTING WITHOUT DISCUSSION!!!, March 4, 2002

By	RAFAEL (MALAGA Spain) - See all my reviews

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!!.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More than just bullfighting, March 7, 1999

By A Customer

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.