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Spain in Mind
This spellbinding literary travel guide gathers poetry, nonfiction, and fiction about Spain by forty English and American writers.Here are letters and memoirs from Lord Byron, Edith Wharton, and Henry James; a poem about Picasso by E. E. Cummings; and a comic tale by Anthony Trollope in which two Englishmen mistake a Spanish duke for a bullfighter. W. H. Auden, George Orwell, and Langston Hughes record their experiences in the Spanish Civil War, Ernest Hemingway takes on bullfighting, Richard Wright is beguiled by gypsy flamenco dancers, and Calvin Trillin pursues an obsession with Spanish peppers. From Chris Stewart’s memoir of his rural retreat in Driving Over Lemons to Barbara Kingsolver’s idyllic portrait of the Canary Islands in “Where the Map Stopped,” the glimpses of another world in Spain in Mind will enchant you.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Paperback
First published April 10, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 25, 2022
I bought this book during the height of the COVID lockdown in Spain. As happened all over the world, many businesses were struggling to stay afloat amid the restrictions, and a distress call was issued by the bookstore Desperate Literature, who were on the verge of going out of business. Though a small place, this is probably the best English language bookstore in Madrid; and so I answered their call my ordering this book. (I am happy to report that the bookstore survived.)
This book is a compilation of travel writings about Spain by Anglo-Saxon (mainly British and American) authors. All of the usual suspects are here: George Orwell, Ernest Hemingway, Gerald Brenan, Richard Ford, and so on. But there were quite a few authors with whom I was unfamiliar, such as Calvin Trillin, Kate Field, and Mary Lee Settle. The vast majority of the selections are, in my opinion, quite good; and the ones that aren’t are so short that you hardly mind.
The danger of a compilation such as this is that it risks being less than the sum of its parts—a sloppy smorgasbord of discordant dishes. However, Alice Leccese Powers, the editor, has succeeded in accomplishing just the opposite: presenting a mutually complementary tasting menu. One neat trick was to choose selections about different cities and regions of Spain—Catalonia, Madrid, Toledo, Galicia, Sevilla—which helps to prevent the material from becoming overly repetitive.
Yet another principle Powers employed was to mix moods and styles. Travel writing, like all writings, can be many things: deadpan, poetic, humorous, tragic, informational, romantic. Some writers savor ancient architecture and forgotten civilizations, while others dwell on bad restaurant service and train delays. Some become absorbed in the facts and history of a place, and others take the opportunity travel provides to turn inward. Even so, I found that the many writers in this volume blended together, united by their common object, creating a satisfying whole.
Recommended for any Spain travelers, former or to-be, with a literary bent.
This book is a compilation of travel writings about Spain by Anglo-Saxon (mainly British and American) authors. All of the usual suspects are here: George Orwell, Ernest Hemingway, Gerald Brenan, Richard Ford, and so on. But there were quite a few authors with whom I was unfamiliar, such as Calvin Trillin, Kate Field, and Mary Lee Settle. The vast majority of the selections are, in my opinion, quite good; and the ones that aren’t are so short that you hardly mind.
The danger of a compilation such as this is that it risks being less than the sum of its parts—a sloppy smorgasbord of discordant dishes. However, Alice Leccese Powers, the editor, has succeeded in accomplishing just the opposite: presenting a mutually complementary tasting menu. One neat trick was to choose selections about different cities and regions of Spain—Catalonia, Madrid, Toledo, Galicia, Sevilla—which helps to prevent the material from becoming overly repetitive.
Yet another principle Powers employed was to mix moods and styles. Travel writing, like all writings, can be many things: deadpan, poetic, humorous, tragic, informational, romantic. Some writers savor ancient architecture and forgotten civilizations, while others dwell on bad restaurant service and train delays. Some become absorbed in the facts and history of a place, and others take the opportunity travel provides to turn inward. Even so, I found that the many writers in this volume blended together, united by their common object, creating a satisfying whole.
Recommended for any Spain travelers, former or to-be, with a literary bent.
August 7, 2021
How can this be a credible anthology of the best of writing on Spain without a single mention of Laurie Lee.
April 16, 2010
This is one of several inter-related reviews for the books listed below:
1. The New Spaniards by John Hooper, 2nd edition, 2006.
2. Ghosts of Spain : Travels through Spain and its Silent Past by Giles Tremlett, 2006.
3. The Ornament of the World : How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain by Maria Rosa Menocal, 2002.
4. Spain in Mind (an Anthology) edited and with an introduction by Alice Leccese Powers, 2007.
5. Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell, 1938.
6. South from Granada by Gerald Brenan, 1957.
7. Driving Over Lemons by Chris Stewart, 1999.
Some background information motivating my interest in Spain is given in my review of The New Spaniards; I won't repeat it here.
The books by John Hooper and Giles Tremlett are essentially factual; each presents a picture of contemporary Spain, both are reasonably complete, Tremlett's is a little more impressionistic.
This book, edited by Alice Leccese Powers, is a terrific collection of pieces by "great writers entranced by Spain". Powers has assembled a wonderful collection, which includes pieces by all of the usual suspects (Hemingway, Auden, Orwell, Washington Irving, James Michener, Gerald Brenan, Langston Hughes), augmented by contributions from other illustrious literary pilgrims (Lord Byron, Henry James, John Dos Passos, Edith Wharton, Robert Graves, Anthony Trollope, W. Somerset Maugham), a smattering of poetry (Billy Collins, E.E. cummings, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Andrew Marvell, William Wordsworth), and a variety of travel pieces from such 20th century visitors as Rose Macaulay, Jan Morris, Eric Newby, Calvin Trillin, Joanna Trollope, Tim Moore, Barbara Kingsolver, and Mary Lee Settle.
The result is an absolute delight -- a book that's small enough to be an unobtrusive travel companion, that one can dip into with confidence, knowing that one's faith in the editor's judgment will not be misplaced. The inclusion of pieces spanning three centuries provides a deeper understanding of context and historical background; the choice of authors helps the reader gain an appreciation of Spain's position in the literary and artistic imagination over the years.
There isn't a dull piece in the book (Wordsworth's contribution is confined to one solitary sonnet, in case you were wondering; even I can tolerate a sonnet). It may be just a happy coincidence that the more recent contributions are by travel writers and authors who I've always enjoyed (Rose Macaulay, Eric Newby, Jan Morris, Calvin Trillin, Barbara Kingsolver, Mary Lee Settle).
For centuries, travelers from around the world came to Spain -- drawn by its art, food, culture, all of which reflect a fascinating and chequered history. Dramatic landscapes, a Mediterranean climate, the peculiar Spanish blend of warmth, pride and machismo, and the cultural and artistic resurgence in recent decades are further attractions. As a travel destination, Spain is tough to beat. If you can't manage to make a trip in person any time soon, you could do much worse than pick up a copy of this book. Alice Leccese Powers has put together a collection of pieces which capture the country's essential spirit, with charm and panache.
I'll close with one of my favorite selections from the book (though Billy Collins's Candle Hat is a close second):
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
from A FAR ROCKAWAY OF THE HEART
#76
In the gardens of the Alhambra
I stole a small orange and ate it
The pulp dry and bitter
and the juice
(acrid as an arab driven from his land)
made a desert out of my mouth
and shriveled up my tongue
in the Sultan's last revenge
And I fell on the ground
in a deep swoon
Deep as the duende
in a gypsy's keening.
1. The New Spaniards by John Hooper, 2nd edition, 2006.
2. Ghosts of Spain : Travels through Spain and its Silent Past by Giles Tremlett, 2006.
3. The Ornament of the World : How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain by Maria Rosa Menocal, 2002.
4. Spain in Mind (an Anthology) edited and with an introduction by Alice Leccese Powers, 2007.
5. Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell, 1938.
6. South from Granada by Gerald Brenan, 1957.
7. Driving Over Lemons by Chris Stewart, 1999.
Some background information motivating my interest in Spain is given in my review of The New Spaniards; I won't repeat it here.
The books by John Hooper and Giles Tremlett are essentially factual; each presents a picture of contemporary Spain, both are reasonably complete, Tremlett's is a little more impressionistic.
This book, edited by Alice Leccese Powers, is a terrific collection of pieces by "great writers entranced by Spain". Powers has assembled a wonderful collection, which includes pieces by all of the usual suspects (Hemingway, Auden, Orwell, Washington Irving, James Michener, Gerald Brenan, Langston Hughes), augmented by contributions from other illustrious literary pilgrims (Lord Byron, Henry James, John Dos Passos, Edith Wharton, Robert Graves, Anthony Trollope, W. Somerset Maugham), a smattering of poetry (Billy Collins, E.E. cummings, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Andrew Marvell, William Wordsworth), and a variety of travel pieces from such 20th century visitors as Rose Macaulay, Jan Morris, Eric Newby, Calvin Trillin, Joanna Trollope, Tim Moore, Barbara Kingsolver, and Mary Lee Settle.
The result is an absolute delight -- a book that's small enough to be an unobtrusive travel companion, that one can dip into with confidence, knowing that one's faith in the editor's judgment will not be misplaced. The inclusion of pieces spanning three centuries provides a deeper understanding of context and historical background; the choice of authors helps the reader gain an appreciation of Spain's position in the literary and artistic imagination over the years.
There isn't a dull piece in the book (Wordsworth's contribution is confined to one solitary sonnet, in case you were wondering; even I can tolerate a sonnet). It may be just a happy coincidence that the more recent contributions are by travel writers and authors who I've always enjoyed (Rose Macaulay, Eric Newby, Jan Morris, Calvin Trillin, Barbara Kingsolver, Mary Lee Settle).
For centuries, travelers from around the world came to Spain -- drawn by its art, food, culture, all of which reflect a fascinating and chequered history. Dramatic landscapes, a Mediterranean climate, the peculiar Spanish blend of warmth, pride and machismo, and the cultural and artistic resurgence in recent decades are further attractions. As a travel destination, Spain is tough to beat. If you can't manage to make a trip in person any time soon, you could do much worse than pick up a copy of this book. Alice Leccese Powers has put together a collection of pieces which capture the country's essential spirit, with charm and panache.
I'll close with one of my favorite selections from the book (though Billy Collins's Candle Hat is a close second):
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
from A FAR ROCKAWAY OF THE HEART
#76
In the gardens of the Alhambra
I stole a small orange and ate it
The pulp dry and bitter
and the juice
(acrid as an arab driven from his land)
made a desert out of my mouth
and shriveled up my tongue
in the Sultan's last revenge
And I fell on the ground
in a deep swoon
Deep as the duende
in a gypsy's keening.
April 8, 2011
The two stars are for the collection as a whole, not the individual pieces. It's ordered alphabetically, which is dumb, because the pieces jump around in time, location, genre, and everything else. Some of them are kind of terrible, others are brilliant. The book just wasn't put together very well, and should have been ordered by time period or geographic location.
Want to read
January 24, 2008Brought along on my Spain trip but didn't open a page.
January 22, 2016
Great fun to read as we planned and returned from our trip to Spain.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews