Olé!: Capturing the Passion of Bullfighters and Aficionados in the 21st Century

by Hal Marcovitz (Editor), John Hemingway (Contributor), Alexander Fiske-Harrison (Contributor)

Some say the golden age of the bullfight has passed. A half-century ago, bullfighting was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated while Hemingway’s words about the corrida de toros were serialized in the pages of Life magazine.

Bullfighting has managed to remain a part of 21st century culture, not only in Spain and Mexico but in other countries as well. There are dedicated followers of the corrida de toros in many European countries as well as the United States. Aficionados can even be found in China.

No matter where they may live, aficionados share the trait known as el gusano. It is a Spanish term applied to those who have been “bitten by the worm.” Many people may regard it as an unusual term but as every aficionado soon learns, once the worm bites the wound never heals.

432 pages, Paperback

First published October 5, 2013

About the author

Hal Marcovitz has been making his living as a writer for more than a quarter-century. He has worked as a reporter and columnist for several daily newspapers, and can now be found reporting for The Morning Call of Allentown, PA, where he covers government and politics in the Bucks County Courthouse in suburban Philadelphia.

Hal is also the author of more than 50 nonfiction books for young readers. He has written biographies of Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa, civil rights leader Al Sharpton, farm labor leader Cesar Chavez, and film director Ron Howard. He has also written about the lives of several presidents, including Bill Clinton, John Adams, James Monroe, Theodore Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy.

Hal lives in Chalfont, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Gail, and daughters Ashley and Michelle.