Recommended Books

Economic, Political & Social History

Historically, Spain's golden age lasted from the late 15th to the early 17th century, a period when the country reached the height of its prestige and influence. This era is well surveyed in J. H. Elliot's Imperial Spain 1469-1716 (New American Library).

If you like more contemporary history, read John Hooper's The Spaniards (Penguin). Hooper provides insight into the events of the post-Franco era, when the country came to grips with democracy after years of fascism.

The Arts

The Moors contributed much to Spanish culture, leaving Spain with a distinct legacy that is documented in Titus Burckhardt's Moorish Culture in Spain (McGraw-Hill).

Spain's most famous artist was Málaga-born Pablo Picasso. The most controversial book about the late painter is Picasso, Creator and Destroyer, by Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington (Simon & Schuster).

Andalusia (Evergreen Series), by Eliane Faure and Christian Sappa, is a great picture book on the province, covering major cities such as Seville along with popular customs and old traditions. Andalusia (Art & Architecture; Konemann), by Brigitte Hintzen-Bohlen, is good for an armchair tour, with drawings of architecture, along with brief narrative descriptions of the people and places of the province.

Fiction & Biography

Denounced by some as superficial, James A. Michener's Iberia (Random House) remains the classic travel log on Spain.

The latest biography on one of the 20th century's most durable dictators is Franco: A Concise Biography, which was released in the spring of 2002. Gabrielle Ashford Hodges documents with great flair the Orwellian repression and widespread corruption that marked the notorious regime of this "deeply flawed" politician.

The most famous Spanish novel is Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. Readily available everywhere, it deals with the conflict between the ideal and the real in human nature. Nicholas Wollaston's Tilting at Don Quixote (André Deutsch Publishers) takes us on a panoramic tour of Quixote's Spain, unfolding as a backdrop against Wollaston's own personal life journey. The writer has great sympathy for the half-crazed don and his illusions.

Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia, by Chris Stewart, is a charming book, telling the story of an English sheep shearer, Chris Stewart, who buys an isolated farmhouse in the mountains outside of Granada.