On Bullfighting

Sex and death - our two greatest preoccupations and bullfighting brings them together. We have always been fascinated by the bull, its violent beauty and innate appeal as a symbol to confront power. And the elaborate choreography of the bullfight also provides us with an opportunity to confront our great obsession - death. To watch a bullfight is an extraordinary act of voyeurism. Beyond the theatre, the costumes and the well-worn plot is the fact that a man faces death while the crowd looks on. And so people are drawn to the arena to witness the ultimate spectator sport. They go to admire gracefulness and agility, to be horrified by the proximity of death; to witness a spectacle - all part of the business of watching an animal die. And that's why we argue abut bullfighting - whether it is a sport, an art form, or simply a type of stylised torture. Definitions abound, but none of them are definitive. A.L. Kennedy explores them all, guiding us through the maelstrom of ideas with all the skill and elegance of matador.