Ritual and Sacrifice in the Corrida: The Saga of Cesar Rincon
No subject generates more controversy in all of Spanish culture, or is more misunderstood in the non-Hispanic world, than bullfighting, or thecorrida. Taurine expert Josephs presents the graceful and bloody ritual as an important part of Spanish culture and art illustrated through the career of one of the sport's recent superstar matadors, Cesar Rincon. Exploding onto the scene in 1991, Rincon created a buzz on the circuit by executing moves in a classical style. No new ground had been broken, but the purity of his style became his trademark--something Josephs believes was missing from the sport for many years. After his first triumph in Madrid, Rincon unconsciously became an ambassador for his homeland. Josephs followed Rincon's career for four years, documenting his rise to fame in a country where no foreigners ever participated in the corrida, to a near fatal goring in the ring. Always engaging, Josephs' romanticized accounts of the matador's life may not convert the opposed, but it will reveal some of the beauty behind the brutality.Carlos OrellanaCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved