We have a number of very interesting interviews about books on Spain. Journalist and broadcaster Jason Webster chooses his best books on the country, choosing a diverse range of books, including a 12th-century adventure story from Moorish Spain, the film-maker Luis Bunuel’s autobiography, works by Fredrico Garcia Lorca and the Spanish Second World War double-agent, Juan Pujol. Across all of these he detects a unifying, very Spanish, irrational or surrealist imagination.
Meanwhile Paul Preston, historian and biographer of Franco, chooses his best books on the Spanish Civil War, including books dedicated to Guernica and the mysterious death of Fredrico Lorca, as well as more general surveys of the conflict. The cook, Samantha Clark, talks about her love of Spanish and Moorish cooking and how the fusion of the two inspired her London restaurant, Moro. And Benny Lewis, a polyglot who runs the website Fluent in 3 Months, chooses his best books on learning Spanish.
There are plenty of other interviews and books that touch on Spain and Spanish themes elsewhere on the site, for instance, George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia and Hemmingway's works or that relate to well known Spaniards, such as the artists Pablo Picasso and Goya.
The Spanish literature canon includes "the greatest novel of the European tradition" Don Quixote and poetry by Federico García Lorca. For more contemporary literature we have the best Catalan fiction.
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1
Death in Spring
by Mercè Rodoreda, Martha Tennent (translator) -
2
Learning to Talk to Plants
by Marta Orriols, Mara Faye Lethem (translator) -
3
The Art of Wearing a Trench Coat
by Sergi Pàmies, Adrian Nathan West (translator) -
4
Permafrost
by Eva Baltasar & Julia Sanches (translator) -
5
When I Sing, Mountains Dance
by Irene Solà & Mara Faye Lethem (translator)
The Best Catalan Fiction, recommended by Gala Sicart
The Best Catalan Fiction, recommended by Gala Sicart
For a long time, Catalan fiction was eclipsed by books in Spanish but these days it’s flourishing, says translator and editor Gala Sicart. Here, she recommends four of the best contemporary Catalan novels and one book of short stories, from the classic Mercè Rodoreda to her 21st-century equivalent.
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1
Complete Spanish: A Teach Yourself Program
by Juan Kattan-Ibarra -
2
Short Stories in Spanish: New Penguin Parallel Text
ed. John L King -
3
Short Stories in Spanish for Beginners
by Olly Richards -
4
Mastering Spanish Vocabulary
by Axel J Navarro Ramil & Jose Maria Navarro -
5
Lonely Planet Spanish Phrasebook & Dictionary
by Cristina Hernandez Montero & Marta Lopez
The Best Books for Learning Spanish, recommended by Benny Lewis
The Best Books for Learning Spanish, recommended by Benny Lewis
Which are the best books for learning Spanish? Benny Lewis, polyglot and author of the popular language-learning blog Fluent in Three Months, recommends his top five. He explains why beginners should be wary of grammar, and why forcing yourself to make mistakes is the key to success in any language.
The best books on The Spanish Civil War, recommended by Paul Preston
It was a bloody conflict that divided Spain and drew in Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini. Later, it inspired great works of art and literature. An eminent historian of the period tells us why it continues to fascinate him
The best books on Spanish and Moorish Cooking, recommended by Samantha Clark
Samantha Clark, co-founder of the award-winning restaurant Moro, tells us about the camper van trip to Morocco that inspired her, and why we should all get acquainted with chicharrones and calzots!
The best books on Spain, recommended by Jason Webster
From the book Robinson Crusoe was based on to surrealist filmmakers, Jason Webster chooses five books that illustrate the power of the Spanish imagination.
