Chasing Shadows by  J Carmen Smith Review by Kirsty Hooper,  http://booksonspain.wordpress.com/ How can we recover the stories of people whose lives were lived between countries, cultures, cities and oceans? How do we remember them when archives, memories and the historical record can only tell us a fraction of the story? Chasing Shadows, J Carmen Smith’s...

Feb 5, 2013

‘I am Spain’ by David Boyd Haycock Review by Rob Innis, a long term ex-pat in Spain (http://robinnis.wordpress.com) Many of the world’s writers, poets and artists travelled to Spain in support of the democratically elected Republican government fighting against Franco’s rebel forces during the Spanish Civil War, 1936-39. They were drawn to Spain either...

Salud by Linda Palfreeman Review by Rob Innis, a long term ex-pat in Spain (http://robinnis.wordpress.com/) Much has been published about the Spanish Civil War detailing the causes, politics and battles during this tragic period of Spanish history. Linda Palfreeman’s book – Salud (Sussex Academic Press) provides a completely different aspect relating to...

Jan 22, 2013

For Us It Was Heaven: the Passion, Grief and Fortitude of Patience Darton. From the Spanish Civil War to Mao’s China. By Angela Jackson Review by Fiona Flores Watson www.scribblerinseville.com    Having recently reviewed Paul Preston’s excellent Doves of War, about four women whose lives were changed forever by their work during the Spanish Civil War,...

Jan 2, 2013

Granada, The Seizure of the Sultanate, Donald McGilvray Review by Maureen Dolan The loss of the Sultanate at Granada in 1492 is one of the most poignant episodes in Spanish history. The lament of the ejected Sultan of Al Andalus, Boabdil, as he casts a final, tearful look back at Granada on his way to exile in Fez, Morocco, is the stuff of legends. Yet the story...

Jan 1, 2013

Marching Spain by V. S. Pritchett Review by Paddy Waller I first read Marching Spain, a classic of Spanish travel writing, when I was young and  keen for adventure and along with Gerald Brenan’s “South from Granada” and Laurie Lee’s as “As I Walked Out One Summer Morning” it is one of the books that most inspired me to visit and above all walk in...

Dec 9, 2012

Pep Guardiola, Another Way of Winning A review by Steve Hall Guillem Balague has chosen a tricky subject for his latest book, “Pep Guardiola, Another Way of Winning.” He is writing about a living legend whose apparently super-human achievements are now being matched/beaten by his successors. Guardiola is also very much still in the public spotlight...

“El Clásico: Barcelona v Real Madrid: Football’s Greatest Rivalry” by Richard Fitzpatrick Interest in Spanish football is at an all-time high. No wonder, following the national team’s successes in the 2008 and 2012 European Championships and the World Cup of 2010! Long before la selección finally began to achieve their potential though (prior to this...