Shadow of a Bull

Shadow of a Bull is a 1965 young adult novel by Polish-American author Maia Wojciechowska. Set in Andalusia, Spain, the novel follows twelve-year-old Manolo Olivar as he steels himself to follow in the footsteps of his late father, the renowned bullfighter Juan Olivar. Steeped in the ancient tradition of bullfighting, the novel contains powerful scenes of combat between bull and torero. A prolific writer of adult and children’s fiction, Wojciechowska’s best-known novel, Shadow of a Bull, was awarded the 1965 Newbery Medal.

Since the age of nine, Manolo Olivar has been aware of three troubling facts: “First: the older he became, the more he looked like his father. Second: he, Manolo Olivar, was a coward. Third: everyone in the town of Arcangel expected him to grow up to be a famous bullfighter, like his father.”

Manolo’s father was the famous bullfighter, Juan Olivar, who was killed in the ring at the age of twenty-two when his son was only three. Manolo hardly remembers his father, but he is never allowed to forget his legend: Juan’s death in the ring was prophesied on the day of his birth by an old gypsy fortune-teller, but he fought anyway, because he had in abundance the magical quality of aficiòn, the love for the sport which allows a torero to overcome his fear of death. All Andalusia, but especially Manolo’s hometown of Arcangel, is proud to have given birth to such a great bullfighter. Arcangel has a museum containing the relics of Juan’s life, including the head of the bull that killed him.



Manolo knows he does not have aficiòn. Nevertheless, the townspeople of Arcangel whisper about him in the streets, pointing to his eyes and his nose and thrilling over his resemblance to his late father. Everyone assumes that he is eager to embrace his father’s legacy and enter the ring himself. Juan killed his first bull at the age of twelve; Manolo is past his twelfth birthday.

Six local men, in particular, the bullfighting aficionados, have been keeping a close eye on Manolo, and now they insist on taking him to his first bullfight. Witnessing the first contest, Manolo is inspired by the beauty of the fighter’s maneuvers, and for the first time in his life, he is glad of his father’s legacy—until he sees the bull wounded, and feels deep pity for its pain. The bullfighter dedicates the bull to Manolo in his father’s name, before the whole stadium.

The aficionados begin taking Manolo to the bullfights twice a month, but he still does not feel inspired to fight himself. One day, his mother explains to him that he owes the aficionados gratitude. They helped her financially after Juan’s death, and they are helping Manolo now. Manolo begins to practice his bullfighting maneuvers to show his gratitude to the aficionados.



The Count de la Casa arrives from France. He sizes up Manolo and decrees that the boy will fight in the Count’s tienta this year. The bull has already been picked out. is Terrified, Manolo is angry with the aficionados, whom he feels have backed him into a corner.

He learns that his best friend Jaime’s brother Juan wants to be a bullfighter. Juan sneaks out at night to practice with the bulls, and Manolo asks to join him, wanting to confront a bull before his first fight. In exchange, Manolo offers to ask the Count de la Casa if Juan can attend the tienta, and even have a few passes with a bull. Juan’s family is delighted by this offer.

As the two boys practice with a young bull, Manolo is overcome with fear and vomits. The next day, he learns that a young bullfighter, El Magnifico, has been badly gored. Only one doctor in town has the expertise to treat these severe wounds: watching this doctor work, Manolo admires his skill and tenderness. He begins to dream of apprenticing himself to the doctor after the tienta. The Count agrees to let Juan come to the tienta with Manolo.



As the day approaches, Manolo prays to La Macarena, patroness of bullfighters, and he reads about the history of bullfighting, but his fear does not subside. One day, he visits Juan: seeing Juan’s excitement about the tienta, Manolo wishes he could let Juan fight his bull in his place. However, he cannot disappoint the aficionados and everyone else.

That night, he asks his mother about his father, and she tells him that Juan was a brave and honorable man not because he fought bulls, but because he always did what he believed was right for him.

The day of the tienta arrives. Manolo makes several impressive passes with the bull, but when the time comes for a practice kill, he finds his body will not obey him. He does not want to kill. He announces to everyone present that he is not a bullfighter, and he turns his bull over to Juan. As Juan fights beautifully and the crowd shouts “Olé!” Manolo sits beside the old doctor. The doctor offers to apprentice him and Manolo accepts. He feels sadness at leaving the ring behind, but he is sure he has made the right choice for him.



Shadow of a Bull explores the courage it takes to resist other people’s expectations. The novel was well reviewed: according to the New Yorker, "It is hard to imagine a child...who would not be enthralled by this book."