Description
Bestselling author Giles Tremlett traverses the rich and varied history of Spain from prehistoric times to today in a brief accessible primer for visitors curious listeners and hispanophiles
Spains position on Europes southwestern corner has exposed it to cultural political and actual winds blowing from all quadrants Africa lies a mere nine miles to the south The Mediterranean connects it to the civilizational currents of Phoenicians Romans Carthaginians and Byzantines as well as the Arabic lands of the near east Hordes from the Russian steppes were amongst the first to arrive They would be followed by Visigoths Arabs Napoleonic armies and many more invaders and immigrants Circular winds and currents linked it to the American continent allowing Spain to conquer and colonize much of it
As a result Spain has developed a sort of hybrid vigour Whenever it has tried to deny this inevitable heterogeneity it has required superhuman effort to fashion a pure national identity which has proved impossible to maintain In Espaa Giles Tremlett argues that in fact that lack of a homogenous identity is Spains defining trait
PRAISE FOR GILES TREMLETT
Lively and wellinformed At once a history a journalistic inquiry and a travel book Sunday Telegraph
A feast of a book Irish Times
A transfixing elegantly written account of Spain today Metro
Tremlett writes with humour modesty and a great affection for his subject Daily Telegraph
An invaluable book Ghosts of Spain has become something of a bible for those of us extranjeros who have chosen to live in Spain A country finally facing its past could scarcely hope for a better or more enamored chronicler of its present New York Times Book Review
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