“Interjecting his opinions clearly while letting readers judge Franklin’s motives for themselves, Paul presents an absorbing biography of a twentieth century original, a confidante, lover, narcissist, and bravura performer whose capacity for suffering captured one of America’s greatest literary minds.”—Publishers Weekly
“Lovingly and engagingly written.”—Kate McLoughlin, Times Literary Supplement
“Finally! A fascinating, in-depth, warts-and-all biography of the legendary Hemingway hero, surely one of the great picaresque and colorful enigmas of modern times. Ears and tail to Bart Paul!”—Barnaby Conrad, author of Matador and The Death of Manolete
“A must-read for all those interested in Ernest Hemingway’s life and loves, even if bullfighting leaves them cold.”—Martin Rubin, Washington Times
“Since people began writing about the adventurous life of Sidney Franklin, be it Lillian Ross, Ernest Hemingway or others, [his story] seems to be shrouded in hyperbole, mystery, or just plain b.s. It’s taken Bart Paul to come along and tell the whole truth. I am very happy that after all these years, a real biography has finally been written. Congratulations, Bart Paul. Por fin, la verdad.”—Tony Brand, Aficionado práctico and scholar of bullfighting
“In this well-researched biography, Bart Paul deftly depicts the extraordinary life of the Jewish boy from Brooklyn who became the most famous American bullfighter. Franklin not only was Ernest Hemingway’s inside informant while he was writing Death in the Afternoon, the writer arranged for the bullfighter to accompany him to Spain while he covered the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s. Mr. Paul captures Franklin’s wavering fortunes, alongside all the glitter, the gossip and the turmoil of the taurine scene in the early to mid twentieth century.”—Valerie Hemingway, author of Running with the Bulls: My Years with the Hemingways
