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The Making of Toro: Bullfights, Broken Hearts, and One Author's Quest for the Acclaim He Deserves
Mark Sundeen receives a call from a big city publisher with an offer to write a book about bullfighting in Spain. Sundeen agrees, assuming that this is his best and last chance to follow the trajectory of his literary heroes, despite the fact that he has never been to a bullfight, doesn't speak Spanish, and is not even a particularly good reporter.
After squandering most of the book advance, Sundeen can't afford a trip to Spain, so he settles for nearby Mexico. But the bullfighting he finds there is tawdry and comical, and there's little of the passion and bravery that he'd hoped to employ in exhibiting his literary genius to the masses.
To compensate for his own shortcomings as an author, Sundeen invents an alter ego, Travis LaFrance, a swashbuckling adventure writer in the tradition of Sundeen's idol, Ernest Hemingway. When LaFrance steps in, our narrator goes blundering through the landscape of his own dreams and delusions, propelled solely by the preposterous insistence that his own life story, no matter how crummy, is worth being told in the pages of Great Literature.
The Making of Toro is a unique comic classic and a sly, poignant tale of the hazards of trying too hard to turn real life into high art.
After squandering most of the book advance, Sundeen can't afford a trip to Spain, so he settles for nearby Mexico. But the bullfighting he finds there is tawdry and comical, and there's little of the passion and bravery that he'd hoped to employ in exhibiting his literary genius to the masses.
To compensate for his own shortcomings as an author, Sundeen invents an alter ego, Travis LaFrance, a swashbuckling adventure writer in the tradition of Sundeen's idol, Ernest Hemingway. When LaFrance steps in, our narrator goes blundering through the landscape of his own dreams and delusions, propelled solely by the preposterous insistence that his own life story, no matter how crummy, is worth being told in the pages of Great Literature.
The Making of Toro is a unique comic classic and a sly, poignant tale of the hazards of trying too hard to turn real life into high art.
- GenresNonfiction
192 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 16, 2011
I really like Mark Sundeen. I feel like he's a kindred spirit, even some of his reminisced memories are similar to mine. He is a writer who wants to have preconceived notions and delusions of grandeur, yet he also realizes where he truly fits in his oft-referenced "canon." Basically--I like his style. He's pretty rad.
The Making of Toro
is about his ill-fated quest to cover bullfighting, in both Spain and Mexico, and to turn it into a book for a book deal he has already received an advance for. Car Camping
-style, his quest is filled with mishaps and missteps. But Sundeen takes it all in stride, all the strange characters, all the failed attempts at relationships or even just hopes of relationships. Sundeen calls himself, his literary heroic alterego, Travis LaFrance. All things are possible through Travis LaFrance.
Sundeen often mentions that his life is not interesting enough for literature. That's where Travis LaFrance comes in. He *is* literature. He *is* that interesting spark in life. "My life is my art and versa vice." But what I really like is that Sundeen (intentionally, for obvious reasons), undersells himself. His life actually is interesting as literature. He has enough cynicism and self-doubt to turn his bizarre vignettes into a narrative that ends with a small, understated emotional punch that leaves you a little empty, a little wanting more, and a little inspired.
--- ---
"that which we do is never as pretty as that which we think about" (83)
"There's still freedom left in the country, ... but you gotta walk two days from the end of the road to find it." (141)
"You must write for yourself. It must be personal, not commercial. The writer must have no ego. His work is a service to mankind." (95)
The Making of Toro
is about his ill-fated quest to cover bullfighting, in both Spain and Mexico, and to turn it into a book for a book deal he has already received an advance for. Car Camping-style, his quest is filled with mishaps and missteps. But Sundeen takes it all in stride, all the strange characters, all the failed attempts at relationships or even just hopes of relationships. Sundeen calls himself, his literary heroic alterego, Travis LaFrance. All things are possible through Travis LaFrance.Sundeen often mentions that his life is not interesting enough for literature. That's where Travis LaFrance comes in. He *is* literature. He *is* that interesting spark in life. "My life is my art and versa vice." But what I really like is that Sundeen (intentionally, for obvious reasons), undersells himself. His life actually is interesting as literature. He has enough cynicism and self-doubt to turn his bizarre vignettes into a narrative that ends with a small, understated emotional punch that leaves you a little empty, a little wanting more, and a little inspired.
--- ---
"that which we do is never as pretty as that which we think about" (83)
"There's still freedom left in the country, ... but you gotta walk two days from the end of the road to find it." (141)
"You must write for yourself. It must be personal, not commercial. The writer must have no ego. His work is a service to mankind." (95)
June 12, 2008
Mark Sundeen is a writer is destined to make great contributions to LITERATURE. Unfortunately, he finds little in his life that might provide a wellspring of inspiration and great writing, so he invents a fantasy self, Travis LaFrance. He imagines his LaFrance-self as a man's man, attractive to women, a man who lives a life of adventure, but he really comes off as a second-rate Hemingway writing third-rate prose.
Having written a failed novel, Sundeen manages to convince a publisher to give him an advance to write a book about bullfighting in Spain. After spending most of the money on rent, he decides that a book about Mexican bullfighting would be just as good (no matter what his publisher's lawyers say), especially as it will serve as a vehicle for Travis LaFrance's adventures in romantic Mexico. Fantasies about sultry senoritas and the bloody artistry of the bullring are met with women who all seem to have boyfriends and the bullfighting is more like an episode of Sabado Gigante, with kitschy souvenirs.
There is a lot of humor in this book. I especially liked the effort Sundeen put forth trying to maintain his fantasy, all the while failing to recognize how ridiculous it makes him seem. There's a bit of Don Quixote in this. Unlike Quixote's delusions, which contained a certain amount of idealism, Sundeen's fantasies are mainly tawdry, sad, and pointless (like the bullfighting).
Having written a failed novel, Sundeen manages to convince a publisher to give him an advance to write a book about bullfighting in Spain. After spending most of the money on rent, he decides that a book about Mexican bullfighting would be just as good (no matter what his publisher's lawyers say), especially as it will serve as a vehicle for Travis LaFrance's adventures in romantic Mexico. Fantasies about sultry senoritas and the bloody artistry of the bullring are met with women who all seem to have boyfriends and the bullfighting is more like an episode of Sabado Gigante, with kitschy souvenirs.
There is a lot of humor in this book. I especially liked the effort Sundeen put forth trying to maintain his fantasy, all the while failing to recognize how ridiculous it makes him seem. There's a bit of Don Quixote in this. Unlike Quixote's delusions, which contained a certain amount of idealism, Sundeen's fantasies are mainly tawdry, sad, and pointless (like the bullfighting).
October 2, 2008
I found this book on a remaindered table in a bookstore and bought because I liked the cover. I have no idea why it was remaindered, it is hilarious. Its a excellent book to read aloud to anyone who needs a laugh. If you know a little Spanish or have traveled in Latin America, its even funnier.
October 10, 2008
Mark Sundeen is one of my favorite authors. I guess this book is sort of a coming of age story mixed with travel and plenty of fun pretentiousness. Well, mock pretentiousness, it's pretty clear the author isn't afraid to laugh at himself.
March 1, 2017
The Making of Toro is my second romp through one of Mark Sundeen's books. My first was The Man Who Gave Up Money, and I really enjoyed it. I bought the Unsettlers and read the introduction, but I decided to start with some of his earlier work as the subject matter was somewhat similar. In deciding where to go next, seeing the Hunter S. Thompson quote on the dust jacket immediately lent itself to making sure I picked up this one next.
The Making of Toro was a blast. It was a dramatic, funny, disjointedly wandering narrative about Sundeen approaching the writing of a book about bullfighting through his Hemingwayean/Thompsonesque narrator Travis LaFrance. The author goes on a variety of ill-planned and ultimately poorly executed excursions to find the scoop for the book as agreed to with his publisher, but that eventually leads to him running down his advance (almost from the beginning). With what is left, Sundeen cobbles together a narrative for LaFrance that ends up presenting an alternate, adventurous reality much different than the gritty, broken-dreamed narrative that ended up emerging from within these pages.
Sundeen's book is enjoyable, reflecting the aimless wanderings of a young artist as he bounces between his craft and compromises his expectations with reality. The book was a fast read, and where Sundeen really takes off in these pages is his masterful ability to balance the hilarious, the mundane, the horrific, the banal, and the sexy in this perfect stranger-in-a-strange-land road novel.
Making of Toro is an enjoyable, fast story of the search for romantic authenticity in the written word – something this author was enthralled by in the familiar mirror of his text as much as I was envious of the journey. A great read.
The Making of Toro was a blast. It was a dramatic, funny, disjointedly wandering narrative about Sundeen approaching the writing of a book about bullfighting through his Hemingwayean/Thompsonesque narrator Travis LaFrance. The author goes on a variety of ill-planned and ultimately poorly executed excursions to find the scoop for the book as agreed to with his publisher, but that eventually leads to him running down his advance (almost from the beginning). With what is left, Sundeen cobbles together a narrative for LaFrance that ends up presenting an alternate, adventurous reality much different than the gritty, broken-dreamed narrative that ended up emerging from within these pages.
Sundeen's book is enjoyable, reflecting the aimless wanderings of a young artist as he bounces between his craft and compromises his expectations with reality. The book was a fast read, and where Sundeen really takes off in these pages is his masterful ability to balance the hilarious, the mundane, the horrific, the banal, and the sexy in this perfect stranger-in-a-strange-land road novel.
Making of Toro is an enjoyable, fast story of the search for romantic authenticity in the written word – something this author was enthralled by in the familiar mirror of his text as much as I was envious of the journey. A great read.
December 13, 2017
This book was recommended to me by a writer friend who said we had similar writing styles in non-fiction. I think she was right; Sundeen shows an uncomfortable amount of embarrassing detail to the point where I wanted to help to poor guy out. I enjoyed Sundeen's dry sense of humor and the conflict he incites by trying to obey the whims of his alter ego, Travis LaFrance, which never ends well but makes for interesting stories. Sundeen captures perfectly the inner conflict of balancing the feelings of wanderlust and risk-averse professionalism many people in their late 20s have. The main character tries to live up to the lofty ideals of his make-believe Hemingway-esque alter ego, while subconsciously hating it at the same time.
This short book was the funniest and most awkward thing I've read all year.
This short book was the funniest and most awkward thing I've read all year.
May 30, 2010
This made me want to write a book, yo, about all the fucked up situations I've been in!
This is one of the funniest books I've ever read. Not to mention cutting, wistful, heartfelt.
This is one of the funniest books I've ever read. Not to mention cutting, wistful, heartfelt.
November 29, 2010
This is an under appreciated work of genius.
March 3, 2012
Bravo. The wittiest novel I've read in years. A celebration of imagination and nobility reminiscent of Cervantes.
January 16, 2014
Gonzo literature at its finest. There's a reason Hunter S. Thompson gave this novel a blurb. Read it or miss out on one of the funniest books out there.
March 9, 2015
Absolutely hystarical.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews