Spain Books

I enjoyed that these recipes don't take all day to prepare, yet they are very authentic. The history of the region, wines and cultural influences are all addressed in this book as well, it's more than just a bunch of recipes! A nice addition to my cookbook collection.

The Pyrenees region blends both French and Spanish cuisine and culture, offering dishes which are a product of different cultural traditions. Both traditional and modern dishes from the region are included in Tastes Of The Pyrenees, Classic And Modern Range from Catalan Beef Stew and Oxtail Stew to Lobster and Rabbit with Lemon Butter. An excellent survey of changing Catalan food styles emerges. No photos, but the dishes are relatively easy to reproduce and don't need them.

Un texto básico para acercarse a la vida y obra de teresa de Avila.

Teresa of Avila is one of the masters of spiritual discipline and spiritual writing in the broad tradition of Christendom, and together with her friend John (St. John of the Cross) is one of the pillars of the spiritual world of the Reformation/Counter-Reformation period.

Rowan Williams, current Archbishop of Canterbury, has put together a beautiful little text that looks at Teresa's spiritual classics and ideas. Williams gives a brief biographical sketch, in which he traces the life of this daughter of a house of minor nobility, constantly plagued with illness, and who entered a Carmelite convent without her father's knowledge or consent (a quite bold move at that time). She lived through the beginnings of the Reformation with all the theological, social and political upheaval that entailed, and often raised suspicion with her own activities, in a world already suspicious of residule Judaism (post-inquisition) on the one hand, and protestant reformist ideas on the other.

Williams' first chapter deals with the ideas of purity and honour in the social world of the time. Purity included an idea of purity of the blood (distinguishing more 'pure' Christians from those who were or were descended from conversos, those who converted from Judaism under the Inquisition - one can sense a foreshadow of later European events here). Honour was of supreme importance in the Latinate countries of the Middle Ages, but Teresa's ideas were more toward the honour of God and how this honour extended to all of humanity and creation. Williams does deal at some length with the impact of Teresa's knowing her own Jewish lineage on her identity.

In Teresa's autobiography, Williams finds trouble 'both in its composition and its consequences'. The inquisitorial censors took a very long time in editing and approving; Teresa's own issues of suspicion regarding her confessors and others who discounted her visions at best, or thought they were demonic possessions at worst, made her loyalty to the church seem somewhat problematic. Still, according to Williams, the autobiography served its purpose to show a crucial stage in Teresa's spiritual development, one that sets the stage for her later, greater works, 'Interior Castle' and 'The Way of Perfection'.

Williams calls 'The Way of Perfection' Teresa's most 'mischievous book'. She looks with irony and satire in many ways at the world around her, particularly at the ecclesiastical establishment. However, this is couched in terms of love and concern for her fellow humanity in ways that were completely consistent with the orthodox faith (if not always with standard practice). Her absolute devotion to the Eucharist is apparent, and it is somewhat ironic, as Williams points out, that while she writes in disparaging tones about Lutheran theology and views of the sacraments, in fact her theology is very close to Luther's personal sense. 'Anything Teresa writes about the Eucharist is that it is for her the one concrete and contemporary sign of the reality on which everything depends - the desire of God to be with creation, at all costs - and is thus the centre and touchstone of all that is said about Christian life and prayer.'

Teresa's most well known work, 'Interior Castle', develops both ideas of what we do and what God does. Williams entitles one of the sections of his text 'Homecoming', sensing that what Teresa was really longing for in this text, particularly the innermost mansions, is to be united, be at home, and be at rest in God.

Williams explores Teresa's legacy, declaring that, despite modern attempts to recast her image, she was not a feminist, was not a social reformer, and not particularly interested in individual rights of freedom of religion or belief. She was a product of her time, without undue regard for many of the more 'worldly' aspects of concern today. However, in some of her concerns, she does reach into modern situations. While she did not challenge the church's right to have authority, she nonetheless called those in authority in the church 'be clearly answerable to the reality, the incarnational movement of God, that directs her own prayer and action.'

Williams himself is a man of authority of a kind, overseeing a troubled communion whose concept of authority is in the process of change. He clearly resonates with some of the ideas of Teresa, particularly whenever the intersection of God's love and the world's need occurs. Williams writes with grace and clarity, and the combination of Teresa's message and Williams' analysis and presentation produces a wonderful spirit indeed.

Octavio Paz is clearly the Hispanic Tocqueville of our times! Except he mixes poetry with prose and his writing has a lucidity which marks him as one of the foremost critics and commentators of our age. His analysis of the ailments of our hedonistic society and times is on target as are his dissections of the Soviet world before its collapse. Although his forays into the Far East could benefit from more exposure to the history and culture of the area, his examples of Jesuit influence in the reign of the Manchu Emperor Kangxi are a demonstration of his erudition. Highly recommended for those who enjoy a good essay on society but at the same time appreciate fine prose and sharp edged analysis! A masterpiece by this Nobel laureate!

Octavio Paz is clearly the Hispanic Tocqueville of our times! Except he mixes poetry with prose and his writing has a lucidity which marks him as one of the foremost critics and commentators of our age. His analysis of the ailments of our hedonistic society and times is on target as are his dissections of the Soviet world before its collapse. Although his forays into the Far East could benefit from more exposure to the history and culture of the area, his examples of Jesuit influence in the reign of the Manchu Emperor Kangxi are a demonstration of his erudition. Highly recommended for those who enjoy a good essay on society but at the same time appreciate fine prose and sharp edged analysis! A masterpiece by this Nobel laureate!

Richards is a British academic of the highest order and this is an amazing work. This is a work biased against the Franco regime; however, it is pivital in helping understand the extraordinatry lengths that Nationalist Spain went to wrangle control of Spanish popular culture in the Civil War through the end of the Second World War.

My only question is why on earth is this paperback edition so over-priced? It's a shame because it lessens the ability of the casual reader (although this is certainly more of an academic work) to take an interest in this subject.

A reader may be a bit disconcerted on first reading this book. There is much talk about "discourses" and "symbolism" and "ideology" and one might conclude that we are about to read a book of cultural studies on Francoist Spain. It is not so much that cultural studies are bad as that before we talk about perceptions of an event it might be a better idea to have a clear idea of what actually happened. As it happens such fears are groundless. What we have here is a brilliant portrait of the cruelty of Franco's regime. It is amazingly well documnted, with 95 pages of notes to 174 of text.

Richards argues that the ideology of the New State had two basic components. On the one hand the state had to purge Spain of the half of it who were secular, liberal, socialist, or regionalist. In a sense Franco's Spain would have to wage a permanent civil war against half of its own population. The other prong of the ideology was that Spain would follow a firm and ruthless policy of self-sufficiency. It has long been a cliche of much conservative and centrist discourse that notwithstanding the aid Franco got from the Axis, he should not be viewed as a fascist, but more as a classically "authoritarian" ruler, and therefore setting the stage for the properly pro-Western democracy that was to follow. Franco's goal were fundamentally traditional, as opposed to the radical ideology of the world's totalitarian regimes. Indeed, one could say the Nationalists were preferable to the Loyalists, who were now little more than Communist puppets. Such a thesis will soon appear next year when a book on that subject will be published by professional anti-communist Ronald Radosh. After reading this book, such complacent views will be placed firmly on the defensive.

For Richards starts with a chapter on the Francoist eliminiation of dissent. On the Loyalist side much of the violence was spontaneous in the aftermath of the breakdown of establish order in the wake of the coup. Juan Negrin, so often and so falsely dismissed as a Communist puppet, actually went of his way to patrol with militias in order to prevent political assasinations. On the nationalist side, by contrast, there was constant talk of extermination, liquidation, of an utterly uncompromising crusade from politicians who were proud of and not ashamed of the Spanish Inquisition. The Nazi press praised the Nationalists for their vigor: "The Marxist parties are being destroyed and exterminated down the very last cell far more dramatically even than here in Germany." Perhaps 6,000 were summarily executed in Seville alone before February 1937. (Richards adds "This was not violence which was `necessary' in any military sense: there was no organized armed resistance to speak of." ) In Granada perhaps 8,000 were killed, and perhaps 4,000 were killed in the first week at Malaga. A thousand were killed in the conquest of San Sebastian in the Basque Country, and another thousand at Bilbao. There were fourteen concentration camps in the area of Valencia alone, while Mussolini's son in law, Count Ciano, believed that there were 200 executions daily in conquered Madrid in the summer of 1939.

This cruelty was encouraged by an ideology that had a misogynist contempt for independent woman, and had a morbid support for "chastity" and "purity." But should also read Richard's chapters on autarky. Much of Franco's support came from smallholders, and Franco spoke of freeing Spain from the noxious influence of the cities. But in fact the peasants would be rendered powerless by Franco. Wheat production was lower in 1949 than at the end of the war, and what wheat did exist was guaranteed at high prices for rich producers, and subjected to speculation and the Black Market. Consumption of wheat fell by more than a quarter in the first decade of Falangist rule, as officials refused to upset their autarkic dreams by importing wheat to a country that could not feed itself. Indeed scarce food was shipped to Germany and Italy. While overcrowding and poverty increased, profits boomed and industrialists strengthened their privileges. All in all the first two decades to the New State were a total loss. A 1991 article by Giovanni Arrighi in the New Left Review demonstrates this. In the thirties Spain per capita wealth was about 40% of the European core. By 1959, Spain's wealth was less than 20%. Only after the economic boom did it rise again to pre civil war levels. In other words, a total waste.

Having just returned from a trip from Barcelona with this book firmly anchored in my side bag, I can attest to how spot-on its recommendations were all about town. From bars to cafes, museums and parks, architecture to paella, this guide will give you the info you need. The only downside is a few out-of-date entries, and a map that's often confusing. Pair this book guide with a Streetwise and you can't go wrong...

If you're going to bring only one book with you, this is the one! Unlike many of the other guide books, the restaurant suggestions were actually good. I spent a few months in Barcelona and had several books with me, but in the end, this was the only one worth using. I've found many guide books to be aimed at the collegiate set or the elderly. As a twenty-something looking for hip bars, good restaurants, and insider tips, I found this to be the most helpful. It also has all the info you need about museums, sights, transportation, hotels, etc.

With only one weekend to spend in Barcelona, the Time Out Barcelona: Eating & Drinking book guided us to a couple of great resteraunts. Like other Time Out publications the writers tell it like it is, plus it made for enjoyable reading on the plane.

it's a bit out of date now (some of the places have closed or changed hands) but still a great read - often with hilarious observations sneaked into the reviews. Plenty of good advice on bargain set lunches, wines, local specilaities and unusual restaurants. I live in Barcelona and still use it weekly for my restaurant picks as, unlke local restauarnt guides, each review comes with closing times, credit card policies, metro stops and illustrated map refereneces. Very handy - when's the next edition coming out?

This new edition came out just in time for our July 2001 trip to Lisbon, and we found it to be the best guidebook out of the few we purchased. The city maps are great, the recommendations are right on, and the trips out of town section is a great bonus. This book was a great resource to find beyond the tourist track activities, sights and restaurants, with honest opinions.

A great plus is that the book is small enough to easily slip into a travel bag and tote with you around town. Bravo!

We cancelled our Christmas trip to Buenos Aires at the last minute due to the rioting there and we had 2 days to come up with another plan. We went through the Time Out city guides (as they have been terrific for previous trips to Naples, Edinburgh and Venice)and Lisbon seemed like the perfect place for a 4 day trip out of New York City. We immediately got to work using this guide to pick the hotel and create a simple and groovy 4 day itinerary of museums, restaurants and sights. The guide was so easy to use, it has well detailed maps and all the described places are given clear map references. Unlike the case with many other guide's hotel reviews, the hotel we picked was exactly as they described it.
The guide is also great if you enjoy exploring the newer and more modern parts of European cities (the Guggenheim isn't the only modern architecture worth seeing on the Iberian Penninsuala). We visited the former site of the Expo 98 and it was fascinating and exciting with many examples of world class architecture.
The gay and lesbian section was also very accurate and insightful.
I think these city guides suit openminded and adventurous travellers who are willing to visit places in a slightly left of center way and mix with all different types of people.

I enjoyed this book emmensly and cannot wait to own it

This book is translated all the way through, so the non-Spanish speaker can find some special passage in its words that can be dear to their own heart. Then they can recite it repeatedly in Spanish. It's great.

Me lo he leido mas de tres veces y sigo creyendo que es el mejor libro que me he leido en el mundo. Describe una epoca, una situacion politica y la vida de diferentes clases sociales en Espana en los anos 50. La lectura es entretenida y uno se involucra mucho con los personajes. Lo recomiendo.

Una de las mejores obras de la literatura española contemporánea.
Últimas Tardes con Teresa narra las correrías de "El Pijoaparte", un ladronzuelo de motocicletas en la Barcelona de los años cincuenta, quien ingresa subrepticiamente a una fiesta del jet-set de la ciudad y conoce a Teresa, una atractiva chica de clase acomodada que cultiva las ideas marxistas y revolucionarias desde la cafetería del campus junto con sus compañeros de facultad. A partir de ese momento, nuestro amigo el Pijoaparte intentará introducirse al mundo de Teresa para eludir la miseria, mientras que Teresa buscará recíprocamente procurarse de la compañía de El Pijoaparte para huir por sí misma de la burguesía que pretende hipócritamente detestar, pero que al final, es su única forma de vida.
Un relato fascinante que resulta en una ácida crítica de la contrapuesta lucha de clases y las ilusiones que cada bando en dicha lucha adopta, tema que por lo demás, sigue vigente en nuestro mundo moderno.

As a veteran on the Camino for many years, This is the book we read from, between our prayers.

The book helped focus our spiritual mission and also to uplift us. There are few books on this subject that I could recommend but this is certainly one that comes on top of my list

'At the heart of each of us, whatever our imperfections, there exists a silent pulse of perfect rhythm, a complex of wave forms and resonances, which is absolutely individual and unique.

This book helped us to resonance with the holy places we visited on the road to Santiago

Reading this book, whose subject is about recovering a sense of simplicity about what is really necessary for our journeys and what is excess, is itself a pilgrimage. Reading it as a tourist will not do. There is so much to learn from the well-chosen and well-spaced reflections by pilgrims offered in these pages. Much wisdom emerges from the deep and simple observations of the wanderers contained herein. A book such as this leads us to deep places as does every pilgrimage. Spirit emerges on every page...