Death in the Afternoon

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Death in the Afternoon

Front Cover
Author Ernest Hemingway
Language English
Publisher Vintage
Publication date April 16, 1996
October 5, 2000 (Reprint)
Media type Paperback
Pages 343
ISBN ISBN 978-0-09-928502-1
OCLC 704339

Death in the Afternoon is a non-fiction book by Ernest Hemingway about the ceremony and traditions of Spanish bullfighting. It was originally published in 1932. The book provides a look at the history and magnificence of bullfighting, while also being a deeper contemplation on the nature of fear and courage.

Any discussion concerning bullfighting would be incomplete without some mention of the controversy surrounding it. Toward that end Hemingway commented, "anything capable of arousing passion in its favor will surely raise as much passion against it."[citation needed]

Beyond the controversy surrounding bullfighting it is also important to realize that as with any performance or form of art, the quality of it may vary considerably. "The chances are that the first bullfight any spectator attends may not be a good one artistically; for that to happen there must be good bullfighters and good bulls; artistic bullfighters and poor bulls do not make interesting fights, for the bullfighter who has ability to do extraordinary things with the bull which are capable of producing the intensest degree of emotion in the spectator but will not attempt them with a bull which he cannot depend on to charge..." (quoted from the book itself)


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