On Bullfighting by A.L. Kennedy


As though I really need to point this out, it's a cold, cruel in which we live ladies and gentlemen!

I myself am always pleased to find a book that helps to alleviate the burden a bit. In other words, gives me something I can relate to, something that I can mentally grab and see and hold and touch.

My own personal criteria tends to fluctuate, I gobble up whatever material I happen to be in the mood for at the moment.

During one of my more shabby attempts at sifting through the crap, I was fortunate enough to stumble upon this little gem. Yes, 'On Bullfighting' came through for me, big time.

For a book to capture my attention is one thing, to hold and then to pull me in, is quite another altogether.

This book caught hold of my imagination and I found that it appealed to some dark and delicious part of my soul.

A.L.Kennedy draws a definite correlation between the brutal act of the Bullfight, and the often brutal act of living.

Though the title of my category is 'Contemporary Cult Fiction,' I am making an exception this time around. On Bullfighting doubles essentially as both a memoir and as a detailed history of the Bullfight.

The writer is herself at a crossroads and is in search of deeper meaning in her own life. Something, some sign in a way, to justify the mundane aspects of the everyday and make sense of the often senseless acts that take place around us.

The Bullfight and the sheer, raw force brutality associated with the act, in itself draws a complete circle of life.

The brush with death angle is of course agiven. The fight does include all of the elements that in some perverse way, have a tendency to make one feel more alive. Danger and taking risks with your own life, the spilling of blood, the potential of death, the magic of the deadly dance both matador and bull engage in. It is fascinating, no question.

As she searches her own soul for insight, she is drawn towards a rather violent arena where tradition has a tendency to triumph over all else.

She documents her travels to Spain, witnessing fight after fight. Discussing great Matadors of both past and present and bringing bits and pieces of their stories to life.

The Matador who is planned and practiced, exacting each blow with the skill and grace of a dancer locked in a deadly tango

The copyright of the article On Bullfighting by A.L. Kennedy in American Cult Fiction is owned by Marla M. Mitchell. Permission to republish On Bullfighting by A.L. Kennedy in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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