Synopsis:
Manolo Olivar is the son of the greatest matador in Spain, Juan Olivar, who was killed by a bull. Because he is the son of such a famous torero, everyone expects Manolo to be a bullfighter. But, Manolo does not have the "aficion",ie. the love for corridas. He is even afraid of bulls. At twelve, he must fight his first bull. But no matter how much he practices, he lacks what it takes to be a matador. On the contrary, his friend, Juan Garcia, has the vocation to be a bullfighter. But nobody clearly seems to be giving him a chance. Manolo once meets a doctor at a bullfight who heals a large wound made by the bull's horns. He asks Manolo to help him. The young boy enjoys this very much and would rather become a doctor than a bullfighter. He thinks that what the doctor is doing is "the most noble thing a man could do". The day for the bullfight comes. Manolo shows great courage in overcoming his fear and successfully fights the bull in the first part of the corrida, where the torero uses a cape. But in the second part, where the torero is using the muleta and must kill the bull with a sword, he realizes that bullfighting is not his vocation. He offers the bull to his friend, Juan, who gets the chance of his life. The story ends with the old doctor who had guessed the desires of Manolo's heart, asking him to become his apprentice. Manolo is happy and at peace since "his father's life, bullfighting, would stay a part of him, as it always had been, but in a different way than anyone had planned". (A doctor is always present at a corrida.)
About the Author:
Maia Wojciechowska's family fled Poland during World War II and emigrated to the United States after the war. She worked as an undercover detective, a motorcycle racer, a translator for Radio Free Europe, and a bullfighter before turning to writing. She was a friend of Ernest Hemingway, who said she knew more about bullfighting than any other woman.
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