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(More customer reviews)A fascinating history of Sidney Franklin, a man who spent a lifetime trying to keep his personal life a secret, all while courting public attention. This biography is written with great attention to detail and a sense of humor about all the participants. The reader always feels a part of the era and the action being described, whether it be meals consumed, nights on the town, wild rides, or blood spilled.
For Hemingway fans, this book provides new insight into his personality and character. Even if you have a strong aversion to bullfighting, there is much to be learned here about the training and devotion required to achieve the title of novillero, professional bullfighter.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Double-Edged Sword: The Many Lives of Hemingway's Friend, the American Matador Sidney Franklin
Sidney Franklin (1903–76) was the last person you'd expect to become a bullfighter. The streetwise son of a Russian Jewish cop, Sidney had an all-American boyhood in early twentieth-century Brooklyn—while hiding the fact that he was gay. A violent confrontation with his father sent him packing to Mexico City, where first he opened a business, then he opened his mouth—bragging that Americans had the courage to become bullfighters. Training with iconic matador Rodolfo Gaona, Sidney's dare spawned a legend. Following years in small-town Mexican bullrings, he put his moxie where his mouth was, taking Spain by storm as the first American matador. Sidney's 1929 rise coincided with that of his friend Ernest Hemingway's, until a bull's horn in a most inappropriate place almost ended his career—and his life.
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