Shadow of a Bull
by Maia Wojciechowska
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Book Summary Information
Author: Maia WojciechowskaIllustrator: Alvin Smith
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-06-05
ISBN: 1416948309
Number of pages: 160
Publisher: Aladdin
Book Reviews of Shadow of a Bull
Book Review: An enduring portrait of Spain's past and present obsession with bullfighting
Summary: 4 Stars
Spain's ancient fascination with bulls can be seen in the Celtiberian bull sculptures in Guisando, Avila, which are thought to be made in the second century BCE. Practiced by many ancient cultures, bullfighting became an integral part of Iberian culture, and was immortalized to Western audiences by Ernest Hemingway (Death in the Afternoon and The DANGEROUS SUMMER).
Polish author Maia Wojciechowska held numerous fascinating jobs including an undercover detective, a motorcycle racer, a translator for Radio Free Europe, and finally, as a female bullfighter, and Hemingway said that Maia knew more about bullfighting than any other woman, so she is amply qualified to take on the immense task of making Spain's bullfighting culture and history accessible to a younger audience.
In Shadow of a Bull, originally written in 1964, Manolo Olivar is the young son of the famous torero Juan Olivar, who was fatally gored by a bull. Juan was the most famous matador in Spain, bringing glory to the small town of Arcangel, and now everyone expects Manolo to fill his shoes by becoming an equally talented bullfighter. The book has aged well, and minus any references to computers or cell phones, could take place today.
Except Manolo has a major problem: he's a coward and hates the very idea of bullfights. This would actually be funny, if it wasn't such a serious matter in 1960s Spain. A man's honor was of utmost importance, and to be labeled a coward when you're the son of Spain's most famous matador...
Manolo secretly wishes to study medicine, but is forced into digesting hours of bullfighting history and technique and practicing bullfighting moves with young bulls in secret (it's illegal to practice on bulls before they enter the ring for the first time). He's so traumatized by this that he wakes up screaming at night, but he knows that he can't disappoint the entire town by bowing out of his first corrida.
Shadow of a Bull is about bullfighting; not the gore, perhaps, but the skill, the delicate moves of a talented matador, the history behind its traditions and the large role it plays in traditional Spanish culture. Wojciechowska makes these numerous small details fly by without becoming bogged down in technicalities or minutia, even for someone like myself who has no experience with bullfighting (as a vegetarian, I refused to attend bullfights, either in person or televised, the two times I lived in Spain). A glossary of bullfighting terms is also included as a handy reference, and the text has a sprinkling of Spanish expressions.
Manolo's story is a common enough one of an adolescent struggling to find his place, to live up to his father's reputation, and to discover his path. He is a likeable enough protagonist, although more aggressive boys who read this will likely label him a sissy (or worse).
More importantly, Shadow of a Bull is a priceless travelogue on 1960s Andalucia, of the quirks of small-town life in rural Southern Spain (the endless gossiping of old men who do everything together), of flamenco and fiestas and dry, hot summers punctuated by bullfights. This was still the period when Franco ruled Spain with an iron fist, and the town's poverty is a testament to those lean years (for maximum historical value, read Shadow of a Bull at the same time as James Michener's Iberia, also written in the 1960s, for a comprehensive overview of life in Spain under Franco).
Fans of bullfighting and Spain will enjoy this book, although it is more about the moves and pomp and circumstance rather than action inside the bullring. Wojciechowska draws a riveting portrait of a typical Andalucian town captured in time, and of one boy's struggle with who he is expected to be and who he is that still speaks to modern readers.
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