Ernest Hemingway was born in Chicago in 1899, the second of six children. In 1917, he joined the Kansas City Star as a cub reporter. The following year, he volunteered as an ambulance driver on the Italian front, where he was badly wounded but decorated for his services. He returned to America in 1919, and married in 1921. In 1922, he reported on the Greco-Turkish war before resigning from journalism to devote himself to fiction. He settled in Paris, associating with other expatriates like Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein. He was passionately involved with bullfighting, big-game hunting and deep-sea fishing. Recognition of his position in contemporary literature came in 1954 when he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, following the publication of The Old Man and the Sea. He died in 1961.
Hemingway's passion for Spain, which I share as I now live there, is famous. He also had a passion for bullfighting, a very emotive subject. His knowledge on the subject is encapsulated by this book as it delves with clarity and passion into the classic beauty that is the bullfight. The tussle between man and beast, the amazing skills and the individuals described in this book take away any prejudices you may have about the sport. This also contains some of the finest short stories you will ever read. Review by Keith Floyd, chef, and the author of a string of books including 'Floyd on Fish', 'The Best of Floyd' and 'Floyd Uncorked'. (Kirkus UK)