May 2, 2005
Francisco Rivera Ordóñez is a fourth-generation bullfighter. His grandfather and great-grandfather, both star matadors, influenced Hemingway; his father was fatally wounded in the ring. He was an obvious choice for Lewine, a New York Times
contributor and longtime bullfighting fan, to follow for a year on the annual circuit around Spain with his attendant picadors
(mounted bullfighters armed with lances), banderillos
(fighters on foot with barbed sticks), drivers, manager and the rest of the entourage. That particular year, 2002–2003, turned out to be a difficult one for Ordóñez: his marriage was deteriorating, his reputation was faltering and he was badly injured at a bullfight in Algeciras after a "lapse in concentration." (He recovered.) Lewine knows his subject doesn't sit well with all readers, and he labors hard to convey its appeal: "It is the only spectacle left in the world that offers such a mixture of beauty and violence, art and blood, national pride and primordial urge, the fascination of wild animals and of death." History and influences, and the details of the corrida
and the ring, of breeding and of Spain's disparate cities round things out. For fans and interested parties, this is a thorough book. Agent, David Black.