Last British Bullfighter

By Frank Evans
December 2009
Pan Macmillan Books
ISBN: 9780230743304

295 pages, Illustrated
$26.50 Paper Original

The Last British Bullfighter tells the astonishing story of Frank Evans, the only recognised British matador. The son of a Salford butcher, Frank Evans' dream began after he'd saved enough money to attend a wedding in Spain. He was so entranced by life there that he remained, earning a living as a waiter before finally getting his first chance to enter the arena in 1966 as a rookie matador in the closed world of Franco's Spain. Frank went on to gain the widespread admiration of his fellow matadors, critics and audiences, who nicknamed him 'El Ingles'.

After four decades of blood, guts, passion and artistry (not to mention foot-long welts and a perforated buttock), he was forced to retire in 2005 with a shot knee and a failing heart. But retirement didn't suit Evans, despite being a successful businessman away from the ring, and so after a quadruple bypass and reconstructive knee surgery, he again donned his cape at the age of 65 and, incredibly, stepped back into the ring. He has vowed to stay there until he can no longer lift the sword.

Evans has lived a colourful life in and out of the arena. The Last British Bullfighter is a fascinating insight into the sport, with its ritual, drama, protocol and politics, but it is also the story of a likely lad from Salford who ran away to fulfil a dream - a dream he is still living four decades later.