Last Serious Thing: A Season at the Bullfights - Hardcover

Schoenfeld, Bruce

3.2

5 ratings by Goodreads

9780671727482: Last Serious Thing: A Season at the Bullfights

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0671727486 ISBN 13: 9780671727482

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 1992

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Illuminates the ongoing conflict between Spain's past and future in a study of the spectacle of bullfighting, discussing the matadors who are its heroes and its place as a symbol of Spain's unique character

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From Kirkus Reviews:

Blending the passion of an enraptured fan with the measured eye of a seasoned journalist, free-lance sportswriter Schoenfeld (The New York Times, Sport, etc.) delivers a lyrical, unapologetic paean to bullfighting and its devoted followers. Set primarily in toreo-mad Sevilla, a contemporary city with its heart firmly in the past, the narrative, while impressive in sketching the history and current status of the sport, is overwhelmingly (and delightfully) a tribute to the unique relationship between fans and this oddly ``metaphysical'' sport. Unlike Hemingway's The Dangerous Summer (mentioned frequently, along with his Death in the Afternoon and James Michener's Iberia), Schoenfeld's study lacks a specific focus in terms of the bullfighting world, with the author meandering from bullfight to bullfight as he attempts to invoke the essence of that contest as experienced by those in its spell. Foremost are the dedicated fans, Schoenfeld included, enduring the tedium of uninspiring matches (``in contemporary bullfighting...quality is scarce'') in pursuit of one transcendent performance (``something unavailable within the bounds of daily life...the glimpse of immortality''). Among them is a strange coterie of Hemingwayesque foreign aficionados, deftly depicted, who follow the bulls throughout Spain each season. Center stage, of course, belongs to the matadors--skillful figuras, uneven young aspirants, and stubborn old-timers--alternately adored and reviled by the masses of ``taurine junkies.'' Rounding out the text is a skillful explanation of the distinct rituals and intricate maneuvers of the sport, pictured here as the ultimate high-stakes performance art. Although Schoenfeld will not convert any bullfight detractors- -true, crowds applaud particularly noble bulls, but even the best get no reprieve--he succeeds admirably on his own terms in offering an entrancing portrait of an unusual, ``passionately illogical'' world. -- Copyright �1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Publishers Weekly:

Freelance sportswriter Schoenfeld claims that bullfighting is an art that makes viewers keenly aware of their own mortality. "It's serious stuff," he muses. Based on a recent stay in Seville and a sidetrip to Madrid, this smoothly written travelogue profiles famous matadors, alive and dead, including the American John Fulton. Schoenfeld probes the psychology of the crowd and conveys details about the history of the so-called sport, bull breeding, fighting techniques, Hemingway lore and Spaniards' vicious prejudice against Gypsies (many matadors have Gypsy blood). Those who believe that bullfighting is a sadistic spectacle will find this book repellent, notwithstanding Schoenfeld's impassioned defense of bullfighting, an argument with more holes than a sieve. His descriptions of "brave" matadors' maneuvers, their "artistry" and "graceful" kills make one root for the bull.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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