Death and Money in the Afternoon: A History of the Spanish Bullfight - Hardcover

Shubert, Adrian

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195095243 ISBN 13: 9780195095241

Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc, 1999

Synopsis

Bullfighting has long been perceived as an antiquated, barbarous legacy from Spain's medieval past. This book argues that many of that country's best poets, philosophers, and intellectuals have accepted the corrida as the embodiment of Spain's rejection of the modern world. While references to a form of bullfighting date back to the Poem of the Cid (1040), the modern bullfight did not emerge until the early 18th century. He argues that it was a precursor of the 20th-century mass leisure industry, focusing on the famous matadors, Francisco Romero and Manuel Rodriguez Manolete.

About this title

Review:

... it would be difficult to imagine a more detailed account of the economics of bullfighting and the political manipulation of the corrida. The author's scholarship and knowledge of Spanish history is mightily impressive. His attention to detail is exemplary. (Cultural and Social History)

... it is hard to imagine a better way to begin to find out about the historical development of bullfighting than to read Shubert's study. (Cultural and Social History)

... eminently readable ... provides new and interesting perspectives on a well-worn topic for quite a wide readership. (Bulletin of Spanish Studies)

The first scholarly study to interpret bullfighting in terms of the modern leisure industry ... Written in a lively and extremely readable style, the book is packed with vivid detail, colourful quotes and revealing contemporary observations. It also benefits from an attractive format and a fine series of illustrations ... Adrian Shubert has not only produced by far the best study of the Spanish bullfight, but also made yet another outstanding contribution to the social history of Spain. (South European Society & Politics)

The great strength of Shubert's book is his demonstration of the bullfight's response to the changing economic, social and political circumstances ... Shubert has written a fascinating book. (English Historical Review)

Shubert's innovative approach studies not only the changing social, political, and cultural aspects of the Spanish bullfight but above all the economic and entrepreneurial side of it ... undoubtedly a well written and innovative book that will have a broad audience. (Business History)

Shubert's study is a delight. This is clearly the best one-volume social history of the classic bullfight available in any language. (Stanley Payne, Professor of History, University of Wisconsin, Madison)

About the Author:

Adrian Shubert is Professor and Chair of the Department of History at York University, Toronto, Canada. Named a Comendador de la Orden de Merito Civil by King Juan Carlos, Shubert is author of The Land and People of Spain, A Social History of Modern Spain, and Spain at War. He lives in Toronto.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0195095243
• ISBN 13: 9780195095241
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 280