Blood and Sand

Blood and Sand (1908) is a novel by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez. Published at the height of his career as a popular Spanish author, Blood and Sand was adapted into a 1916 silent film by the author himself and was remade three times, in 1922, 1941, and 1989. Predating Ernest Hemingway’s celebrated depictions of bullfighting by over a decade, Blasco Ibáñez’s novel remains an essential work of literature portraying one of Spain’s oldest and most controversial traditions. “Scarcely had the second bull appeared when Gallardo, by his activity and his desire to shine, seemed to fill the whole plaza. His cape was ever near the bull's nose. A picador of his cuadrilla, the one called Potaje, was thrown from his horse and lay unprotected near the horns, but the maestro, grabbing the beast's tail, pulled with herculean strength and made him turn till the horseman was safe. The public applauded, wild with enthusiasm.” Born into poverty, Juan Gallardo knows what it means to struggle and survive. From the streets of Spain, he rises to become one of the nation’s greatest bullfighters, a man for whom danger is merely an opportunity to showcase his talent. As lovers and fans flock to his side, Juan learns a new kind of danger, one with far more uncertain consequences than those he faces as a torero. With stunning depictions of the bullfighting ring and stirring evocations of urban life in Madrid and Seville, Blood and Sand is a masterpiece of twentieth century literature. This edition of Vicente Blasco Ibáñez’s Blood and Sand is a classic of Spanish literature reimagined for modern readers.

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