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Running With the Bulls: Fiestas, Corridas, Toreros, and an American's Adventure in Pamplona
In Running With The Bulls, Gary Gray grabs hold of us and takes us on a grand and intimate tour of one of Spain's most passionate and historic cities. In 1926, Ernest Hemingway brought the frenetic charge of Pamplona's Festival of San Fermin to life in The Sun Also Rises. Today, that same energy still exists for the hundreds of thousands of people who descend upon the city every July.
At the center of the celebration is the famous encierro-the running of the bulls. In this traditional event, thousands of thrill-seeking men and women race through the narrow streets of Pamplona just steps ahead of half a dozen angry bulls, each bred to kill and brandishing razor-sharp horns that can impale a victim in a split second. The goal of the corredores, the runners, is to usher the bulls into the Plaza de Toros where, that afternoon, each will meet his death under the sword of a torero, or bullfighter.
Gray, a professor at Penn State, has participated in the encierro every year for over two decades. He has befriended dozens of Pamplonicas, many of whom are closely tied to the inner circle of the Festival. From this unique perspective, he leads us on several crazed sprints to the Plaza de Toros. He explains the history and pageantry behind the corrida (the Spanish bullfight), takes us to witness the religious pilgrims on their somber procession, and pulls us into a pulsing Spanish street dance. We taste the richness of each meal and fullness of each glass of wine, as the wonders of Pamplona are revealed through his eyes.
Aficionado describes a person who has passion for the bullfight. Gray, an aficionado in his own right, ignites the passion in each of us. At once a rousing adventure of an American man seduced and a beautifully rendered portrait of Spain and her culture, Running With The Bulls is sure to be a classic of travel literature for years to come.
At the center of the celebration is the famous encierro-the running of the bulls. In this traditional event, thousands of thrill-seeking men and women race through the narrow streets of Pamplona just steps ahead of half a dozen angry bulls, each bred to kill and brandishing razor-sharp horns that can impale a victim in a split second. The goal of the corredores, the runners, is to usher the bulls into the Plaza de Toros where, that afternoon, each will meet his death under the sword of a torero, or bullfighter.
Gray, a professor at Penn State, has participated in the encierro every year for over two decades. He has befriended dozens of Pamplonicas, many of whom are closely tied to the inner circle of the Festival. From this unique perspective, he leads us on several crazed sprints to the Plaza de Toros. He explains the history and pageantry behind the corrida (the Spanish bullfight), takes us to witness the religious pilgrims on their somber procession, and pulls us into a pulsing Spanish street dance. We taste the richness of each meal and fullness of each glass of wine, as the wonders of Pamplona are revealed through his eyes.
Aficionado describes a person who has passion for the bullfight. Gray, an aficionado in his own right, ignites the passion in each of us. At once a rousing adventure of an American man seduced and a beautifully rendered portrait of Spain and her culture, Running With The Bulls is sure to be a classic of travel literature for years to come.
194 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 8, 2019
This reads like it was cobbled-together from a series of 'Gosh Mom' letters from a student travelling abroad for the first time. (Which I think it was). The subject is interesting but it was too much information of a boring kind to know which of his his travelling partners was drunk, throwing up, wanted to sleep, or making stupid jokes etc. And that's just the beginning of the 'Adventures' but not about the bulls. So I put the book to one side.
Years later, I picked up the book again and the story did improve. By this time the student had become an investment banker and was travelling to Spain once a year to take part in the running of the bulls (being bright and mentally agile in one field doesn't necessarily mean that the person has any common sense at all.)
The first few descriptions of the bullfight were interesting, although not on the level of Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon, However, the author's penchant for putting one or more words in Spanish, in italics, in almost every paragraph was tedious. While it is true that there are words that lose their flavour when translated, perhaps muleta rather than cape is one, writing cow, sun, cushion, mayor and all the other plebian words in Spanish came across as an affectation more than anything else.
I finished this book only because I wad determined to. It got three stars because the initial descriptions of the running of the bulls and the bullfights were interesting, but lost one for being that cardinal sin of books - boring.
Years later, I picked up the book again and the story did improve. By this time the student had become an investment banker and was travelling to Spain once a year to take part in the running of the bulls (being bright and mentally agile in one field doesn't necessarily mean that the person has any common sense at all.)
The first few descriptions of the bullfight were interesting, although not on the level of Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon, However, the author's penchant for putting one or more words in Spanish, in italics, in almost every paragraph was tedious. While it is true that there are words that lose their flavour when translated, perhaps muleta rather than cape is one, writing cow, sun, cushion, mayor and all the other plebian words in Spanish came across as an affectation more than anything else.
I finished this book only because I wad determined to. It got three stars because the initial descriptions of the running of the bulls and the bullfights were interesting, but lost one for being that cardinal sin of books - boring.
June 3, 2019
Should’ve just wrote a journal of your adventure.
Although I managed to scrape some research by using the index.
Although I managed to scrape some research by using the index.
June 28, 2011
Okay,but less than intellectually challenging. However, I did pick up some tips for my upcoming run next week...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews