The Death of Manolete

On Thursday, August 28, 1947, a 30-year-old millionaire named Manuel Laureano Rodriguez— Manolete— and a Miura bull named Islero killed each other. In The Death of Manolete, Barnaby Conrad recounts the extraordinary life and demise of this young bullfighter, from the childhood that made the Spanish boy and the sacrifice that made the man to the girl who brought him love and the acclaim that brought him incredible success. A symbol of Spanish pride, valor, and chivalry, Manolete fired the imagination as no one had done since El Cid. But the crowds owned him, and on one fateful afternoon in the town of Linares, he did their bidding— and an untimely death snuffed out the brightest flame in Spain. Featuring more than 250 images, this photo-narrative provides a stirring farewell to a beloved bullfighter.