MANOLETE

born July 4, 1917, Crdoba, Spain died August 29, 1947, Linares byname of Manuel Laureano Rodrguez Snchez Spanish matador, generally considered the successor to Joselito (Jos Gmez) and Juan Belmonte as paramount in the profession. Manolete was born in the heart of bullfighting country. His great-uncle, a minor-league bullfighter, was killed by a bull of the dreaded Miura breed. His mother was already the widow of a matador when she married his father, also a bullfighter, who went blind and died in poverty when Manolete was five years old. Manolete became a professional bullfighter at the age of 17. In his debut he was clumsy but brave and obviously trying so hard that the audience applauded him. He and two other boys scraped their money together and formed a team called the Cordovan Caliphs and set out to make their fortune. He was discovered by former matador Jos Camar, who taught him to refine his style and concentrate on the austere classical passes. Manolete became noted for his extreme economy of movement and his dispassionate demeanour, which contrasted sharply with the more flamboyant cape work then prevalent. For 10 years Manolete was a Spanish cultural hero, earning $4 million in eight years in the 1940s. His cult was fostered by dolls bearing his image, songs, a liqueur called Ans Manolete, testimonials, and a movie, The Man Closest to Death. When he announced his intention to retire, his reputation began to suffer, and he set out for a final season, fighting the largest bulls. In a corrida in Linares he was teamed with his rival, Luis Miguel Domingun, who performed well with the first bull. Manolete's second bull was Islero, of the Miura strain. At the moment of the kill, as Manolete plunged the sword into the bull, he was fatally gored. His death occasioned national mourning. The newspaper headlines announced: He died killing and he killed dying! His life was felt to be the embodiment of the bullfighting ethos, la fiesta brava. Additional reading Barnaby Conrad, The Death of Manolete (1958), was written by an American amateur matador and author.