Madrid: A Cultural History

By Elizabeth Nash

Book Overview

Planted by royal whim in a harsh, sun-drenched tableland, Madrid flaunts its distinctive Spanish identity as the most vibrant of Europe's capitals. An imperial court, remote from external influences, produced durable curiosities like the siesta, the paseo and a joyously hectic nightlife. A city where decorative display and lunching are often rated above industry and money-making, Madrid's exuberant style nonetheless flourishes in the modern world. Elizabeth Nash explores the chaotic jumble of a city built by in-comers eager to serve - or use - a court by turns austere and ostentatious. In squares, parks, streets and monuments old and new, she tracks down aristocrats and artisans, servants and chancers who bred a unique urban culture combining deference and insolence, conformity and flair. - The city of artists and writers: Velazquez and Goya, realism, the erotic and the macabre; Cervantes, Cela and Hemingway, the traditions of satire, the picaresque hero and the novel of war - The city of power politics: The heart of the Spanish Empire; the scars of civil war and dictatorship; democracy and the movida of hedonistic excess and liberation, celebrated by Oscar-winning film-maker Pedro Almodovar - The city of passions: The intellectual debates of cafi society; fiestas sacred and profane; the cult of bullfighting and the capital's love affair with soccer.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1566563682
• ISBN13: 9781566563680
• Release Date: February 2001
• Publisher: Interlink Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.2" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Far more than a tourist guidebook!

I read this book prior to going on a recent trip to Madrid. While not a tourist's guide specifically, I loved the mix of history, art, literature, and local color of Madrid. An excellent read before your trip and equally fascinating to re-read after your trip to Madrid.

Travel writing at its best

This little book is a delightful read: informative, well-written, and entertaining. I can't imagine a better book for anyone planning a trip to Spain.

The Streets Come Alive

Part way into a year in Madrid, I found this book in a bookshop near the Puerto del Sol. Having read -- mostly with disappointment -- guidebooks of the "eat here, sleep there" variety, as well as of the "observe famous site on the left" variety, I have been absolutely entranced with this book.What it does is bring alive the stories of Madrid. It's not a guidebook, per se, although I think it would be an invaluable book to have on any visit to Spain. It's more a collection of stories, of anecdotes, that pull you into the actual life of the city as it is and as it was.A typical example: almost all guidebooks mention the Cafe Gijon, and cite it as a good place to eat where generations of Madrid literati have dined. You are left wondering, which Madrid literati, what was the appeal, and what did they do there? Rather than leave you hanging so, Elizabeth Nash guides through the society of "tertullias" (informal but somewhat stable idle discussion groups) that once flourished in these cafes, quoting from some of the novels written about this literary life, pulling up diverse quotes and recollections. By the time you are done you even know the name and the politics of the man who sells cigarettes at the stand just inside the Cafe Gijon's door.That's the sort of thing the book does throughout. Rather than just identify sites and give you a summary description, it takes you into tales of selected important areas of Madrid. Some are on everyone's tour itinerary, such as the Plaza Mayor and the Puerta del Sol, while others, such as the college residence hall where Dali, Bunuel and Garcia Lorca discovered each other, art and life, do not figure in the packaged tours.While drawing on marvellously deep and diverse sources, it's also a very good read. It moves quickly.I recommend it highly.

Wonderful

The author's knowledge and understanding of Madrileno culture, history, literature, art and psyche are impressive. She brings all these elements together to form the big picture, and the result is a potrayal of Madrid that goes deep beyond the surface. A fascinating account.

Like visiting Madrid with a friend

Using this guide is like visiting Madrid with an old, trusted friend who knows and loves the city and eagerly takes you by the hand to show you her favorite haunts and tell your her favorite stories.It's also a great read for armchair travellers.