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Granada: A Pomegranate in the Hand of God
Granada is one of the iconic cities of the world. It stands for the culture of Al-Andalus, composed of Moslems, Jews, and Christians, who lived together in the legendary convivencia of the Spanish Middle Ages. Al-Andalus gave rise to an intellectual vanguard whose achievements can be compared only with those of classical Athens, Ming China, or Renaissance Italy.
Granada resident Steven Nightingale excavates the rich past of his adopted city and of Al-Andalus, finding a story of utopian ecstasy, political intrigue, religious exaltation, and scorching anguish. Granada witnessed a flourishing of poetry, and constructed the Alhambra, one of the most celebrated buildings in Europe. Al-Andalus brought to Europe the first modern translations of Greek philosophy, advanced mathematics, science, medicine and music, as well as transcendent mystical texts. Yet Ferdinand and Isabel’s conquest of Granada in 1492 meant the end of the culture whose achievements would empower and enrich the rest of Europe.
In the story of Granada , Nightingale finds our story, all its violence and possibility and beauty, its spiritual longing and artful dreams. It is a story that shows how we can work together, and what we can create together. And how our best work can be destroyed.
Granada resident Steven Nightingale excavates the rich past of his adopted city and of Al-Andalus, finding a story of utopian ecstasy, political intrigue, religious exaltation, and scorching anguish. Granada witnessed a flourishing of poetry, and constructed the Alhambra, one of the most celebrated buildings in Europe. Al-Andalus brought to Europe the first modern translations of Greek philosophy, advanced mathematics, science, medicine and music, as well as transcendent mystical texts. Yet Ferdinand and Isabel’s conquest of Granada in 1492 meant the end of the culture whose achievements would empower and enrich the rest of Europe.
In the story of Granada , Nightingale finds our story, all its violence and possibility and beauty, its spiritual longing and artful dreams. It is a story that shows how we can work together, and what we can create together. And how our best work can be destroyed.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2015
About the author
Steven Nightingale
20 books21 followersSteven Nightingale is an author of books of poetry, novels, and essays. He divides his time between the San Francisco Bay Area; Reno, Nevada; and Granada, Spain.
Personal and Family Life
Nightingale was born in Reno, Nevada, and attended public schools there before being admitted to Stanford University, where he studied literature, religion, and computer science. He has lived near London, in Paris, and in Granada, Spain, and traveled worldwide, often to wild country. He moved to Granada in 2001, after buying, with his wife Lucy Blake, a carmen in the ancient barrio of the Albayzin. He and Lucy have one daughter, Gabriella.
Writing
Nightingale is the author of two novels, six books of sonnets, and a travel and history book about Granada. His work is widely anthologized, and he has taught poetry by invitation in over fifty schools and universities in Nevada and California.
His first poetry was published in 1983, by the magazine Coevolution Quarterly, and his first novel, The Lost Coast, and its sequel, The Thirteenth Daughter of the Moon, were published by St. Martin’s Press in New York, in 1995 and 1996.
Following those books, he began to assemble into manuscripts his sonnets, a poetic form with an eight-hundred year history. Nightingale specialized in the sonnet, believing that its history and durability give the form a straightforward and uncanny power. His six books of poetry begin with the limited edition Cartwheels, followed by the trade edition Planetary Tambourine, and four more collections of ninety-nine sonnets each, all published by the Black Rock Press, in their Rainshadow Editions.
In 2015, Counterpoint Press in Berkeley, California brought out Granada: A Pomegranate in the Hand of God. The book describes the move of the author and his family to Granada, and goes on to address the history of gardens and of the Albayzin, the extraordinary history of Al-Andalus, the sacred geometry in Islamic tile work, the work of the Sufis, the history of flamenco, and the life and poetry of Federico Garcia Lorca.
Personal and Family Life
Nightingale was born in Reno, Nevada, and attended public schools there before being admitted to Stanford University, where he studied literature, religion, and computer science. He has lived near London, in Paris, and in Granada, Spain, and traveled worldwide, often to wild country. He moved to Granada in 2001, after buying, with his wife Lucy Blake, a carmen in the ancient barrio of the Albayzin. He and Lucy have one daughter, Gabriella.
Writing
Nightingale is the author of two novels, six books of sonnets, and a travel and history book about Granada. His work is widely anthologized, and he has taught poetry by invitation in over fifty schools and universities in Nevada and California.
His first poetry was published in 1983, by the magazine Coevolution Quarterly, and his first novel, The Lost Coast, and its sequel, The Thirteenth Daughter of the Moon, were published by St. Martin’s Press in New York, in 1995 and 1996.
Following those books, he began to assemble into manuscripts his sonnets, a poetic form with an eight-hundred year history. Nightingale specialized in the sonnet, believing that its history and durability give the form a straightforward and uncanny power. His six books of poetry begin with the limited edition Cartwheels, followed by the trade edition Planetary Tambourine, and four more collections of ninety-nine sonnets each, all published by the Black Rock Press, in their Rainshadow Editions.
In 2015, Counterpoint Press in Berkeley, California brought out Granada: A Pomegranate in the Hand of God. The book describes the move of the author and his family to Granada, and goes on to address the history of gardens and of the Albayzin, the extraordinary history of Al-Andalus, the sacred geometry in Islamic tile work, the work of the Sufis, the history of flamenco, and the life and poetry of Federico Garcia Lorca.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
October 20, 2015
a brit/usaer moves to and sets up house in barrio albayzin granada. this isnt a book about setting up house in spain a la Driving over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucía but rather a long meditation and history of iberia pre-islam, re-conquest, post-isabel fascism, and some modern day doings too. author is fascinated by moslem rule's idea of tolerating and capitalizing on multiculturalism from about 700 to 1300's and also a unique christian king, sancho the wise, who did the same thing: embraced intellectualism, art, the good things of multiculturalism, for fun and profit.
this seems to only happen once in a while in human history, but im not sure why it is not the norm, rather than perpetual war and strife, for fun and profit.
nightingale aesthetic and interestes and style reminds me much of the great writer and art culture architecture lover jason elliot Mirrors of the Unseen: Journeys in Iran
this seems to only happen once in a while in human history, but im not sure why it is not the norm, rather than perpetual war and strife, for fun and profit.
nightingale aesthetic and interestes and style reminds me much of the great writer and art culture architecture lover jason elliot Mirrors of the Unseen: Journeys in Iran
July 6, 2015
I'm not a huge fan of history; I usually find it quite boring. I am, however, a huge fan of Granada, and I thoroughly enjoyed the author's vivid retelling of the cultural blend of the city's past. I had been taught some of this content in school, but from a very different perspective. The author takes a fresh new viewpoint in retelling the history of the Moslem, Jewish, and Christian cultures living together in Granada. This book is a must-read for anyone who loves Granada, and anyone who is planning to visit or move there and who wants to learn more about the city's history.
July 25, 2015
A wonderful, poetic book by an American who lived to Granada (Spain) in 2002 and fell in love with the ancient neighborhood called the Albayzin. Starting with the story of his family's arrival there, and their trials and tribulations in getting their traditional house fitted for occupancy by a 21st century family, the book then takes off in a sweeping overview of the story of Spain, Andalucia, and more specifically, El-Andalus, a period lasting several hundred years during which Muslims, Christians and Jews lived together in a rare form of harmony. This convivencia was characterized by an explosion of culture in all its form, whether agricultural (irrigation, varied plantations), theological (attempts to reconcile the three faiths), literary, or, of course, architectural. The author takes us on a tour that introduces us not only to the Albayzin and the Alhambra, but also to various philosophers, writers and mystics who flourished during El-Andalus. His indictment of Los Reyes Catholicos, Ferdinand and Isabella, is brief but pointed, and his argument that the Reconquista and the influx of gold from the American colonies spelled the beginning of a long social and economic decline, was interesting to me - it sounded paradoxical, but I was intrigued by it, nevertheless. The author dedicates a chapter to the connections between the Pythagorean belief in the spiritual values of numbers and the tile patterns in the Alhambra, and finishes up with a chapter about flamenco, cante jondo and Federico Garcia Lorca.
The book is a fantastic example of "destination literature" for travelers. Its first strength is the wide-ranging coverage of topics. The second strength is the beautiful writing. I read on the back cover that Steven Nightingale is also a novelist, and it shows in his polished language, which can veer from purely descriptive to deeply poetic, with often some dry humor thrown in. I often found myself chuckling.
I have to say that I found the book a little slow in taking off. I was only moderately interested in the author's experiences when first arriving in Granada, or the cute doings of his daughter, or even his expansion on the metaphor of the walled garden. But once I got into the meat of the book, I was hooked and I finished it in a few days.
Final note : the name of Spain's most famous composer appears in 3 different ways in the book : Manual Falla, Manuel Falla and Manuel de Falla.
The book is a fantastic example of "destination literature" for travelers. Its first strength is the wide-ranging coverage of topics. The second strength is the beautiful writing. I read on the back cover that Steven Nightingale is also a novelist, and it shows in his polished language, which can veer from purely descriptive to deeply poetic, with often some dry humor thrown in. I often found myself chuckling.
I have to say that I found the book a little slow in taking off. I was only moderately interested in the author's experiences when first arriving in Granada, or the cute doings of his daughter, or even his expansion on the metaphor of the walled garden. But once I got into the meat of the book, I was hooked and I finished it in a few days.
Final note : the name of Spain's most famous composer appears in 3 different ways in the book : Manual Falla, Manuel Falla and Manuel de Falla.
September 21, 2015
An excellent book that puts forth the proposition that if Islam, Judaism, and Christianity can co-exist for several centuries (until the bigoted Ferdinand and Isabella put a stop to all that, then perhaps it could be achieved again. I thought it was going to be another "American couple buy a house in Mediterannea" kind of story, but it developed into a great history lesson- the 'Reconquista' and its prologue, told from the perspective of one neighborhood in Granada, and the golden age of Andalusia, all things considered. People ought to read this, if only to inform themselves of the great contributions pre-Wahabbist Islam gave to the West. And the shabby treatment by F & I and the Sevillans that led, by strange roads, to the thirst for vengeance by the Bin Ladens et al five centuries later. Nightingale put together a damn interesting narrative. Hope this book succeeds.
January 24, 2016
Anyone who really wants to understand the magic of Granada should read this book. It combines the history of a city, of al-Andalus, its art, music, philosophy and poetry with the story of an American family moving into a house in the city’s Albayzín.
The author’s description of the delighted reaction of his new neighbours to his small daughter, and their welcoming generosity, mirrors exactly our experiences as newcomers in rural Andalucía. There is a charm about the people here, an old-fashioned courtesy and fascination with strangers, which the author also describes in Granada.
At times I wished for a little more about modern-day Granada and less of the history [this has the feel of an academic book] but it is written with an easy poetic style and is a broad introduction to Moorish Spain. It is a rich and complicated story which, when known, aids understanding of today’s Andalucía.
The author’s description of the delighted reaction of his new neighbours to his small daughter, and their welcoming generosity, mirrors exactly our experiences as newcomers in rural Andalucía. There is a charm about the people here, an old-fashioned courtesy and fascination with strangers, which the author also describes in Granada.
At times I wished for a little more about modern-day Granada and less of the history [this has the feel of an academic book] but it is written with an easy poetic style and is a broad introduction to Moorish Spain. It is a rich and complicated story which, when known, aids understanding of today’s Andalucía.
November 18, 2017
Read this while staying adjacent to the Albaicin neighborhood in which this is set, and it helped give context to my surroundings. Especially interesting if you are not familiar with the Al Andalus period in Spain.
February 25, 2018
Mr. Nightingale's in-depth account on the history of Granada, the Moors, and modern life in this unique city is an engrossing read that compliments any trip to southern Spain. I'll admit I picked up the book thinking the writing would focus more on life in the city today. Indeed, much of the text describes the history and pays tribute to many of the artists and thinkers who hail from this region. Nonetheless, Nightingale offers the history (and his own thoughts) in a digestible fashion and leaves you pondering yourself how Spain, and indeed the world, might be different had Los Reyes Católicos not succeeded in starving Granada. Then, when he does take us to his barrio and modern Granada, you can understand why this city is as special as it is as well as how it can continue to serve as an example of how society can operate at its best.
August 5, 2024
Closer to 3.5 stars, I reckon. It's a mix of personal memoir and history of the region, arranged in a slightly eccentric sequence. I would have preferred more of a full-on history of Andalusia, but when the history gets going, it hits the bullseyes in regards to the tragedy of the destruction of the cultured Islamic/Jewish population of the region...and the rabid Catholic inquisitional insanity that would infect Spain for centuries.
January 31, 2018
Slow start, but a great overview of Islamic/post-Islamic Spain.
December 27, 2016
When I picked this book up it was rather blindly. Through a series of conversations out family became interested in visiting Granada while on an upcoming Spain vacation. A library search brought it to light and into my hands. It wasn't until I got to Granada that I opened it - and proceeded to devour it during siesta times and late into the night after spending time on the streets with my family and the people of Granada. The book is outstanding alone and yet the experience of enjoying it while I could also experience the places described enhanced my experience. My curiosity for the history people and culture of Granada is off the charts now. I cannot get back here soon enough.
Research (extensive) combined with the author's personal experience and stories makes this easy to read. I personally read for enjoyment and knowledge of the area and would want to read again to really retain as there is much depth. I recommend this book to any who may be interested in learning more about the history of this region. I also recommend it to any who may be interested in discovering community at its best. Steven Nightingale says it well on page 308 as he speaks about life in Albayzin. "What is delivered is simple: a life with children and safety, with flowers and common pleasures, good company, poetry, and trust, with time to talk and study, to work and to love. I do not know what any more of us can ask." I believe this is possible! I believe God willing and in the gifts I have been given, I will carry this vision with me long after closing this book and leaving Granada.
Research (extensive) combined with the author's personal experience and stories makes this easy to read. I personally read for enjoyment and knowledge of the area and would want to read again to really retain as there is much depth. I recommend this book to any who may be interested in learning more about the history of this region. I also recommend it to any who may be interested in discovering community at its best. Steven Nightingale says it well on page 308 as he speaks about life in Albayzin. "What is delivered is simple: a life with children and safety, with flowers and common pleasures, good company, poetry, and trust, with time to talk and study, to work and to love. I do not know what any more of us can ask." I believe this is possible! I believe God willing and in the gifts I have been given, I will carry this vision with me long after closing this book and leaving Granada.
May 5, 2016
This book swept me up into the history of Andalucia in a way most history books don't. With beautiful sentences, and infectious enthusiasm, the author takes a steady look at the story of Moorish habitation and its legacy for Granada today. Poetry, geometry, religion, music, irrigation and gardening - these are all aspects of Moorish living that created so much beauty in Andalucia and the Alhambra is its pinnacle.
The author reveals all this while describing his own family's experience of settling into the Albayzin - the Moorish quarter of Granada which has only recently been rediscovered and brought back to life.
I am so glad I found this on the shelf of my local bookshop a few months before we set off for Andalucia ourselves. It enriched our appreciation of everything we saw in that enchanting land.
It was a joy to read.
The author reveals all this while describing his own family's experience of settling into the Albayzin - the Moorish quarter of Granada which has only recently been rediscovered and brought back to life.
I am so glad I found this on the shelf of my local bookshop a few months before we set off for Andalucia ourselves. It enriched our appreciation of everything we saw in that enchanting land.
It was a joy to read.
May 5, 2017
Using his family's home ("carmen," in local parlance) in the Albayzin district of Granada as a starting point, Steven Nightingale launches a wide-ranging, well-researched account of the region's history, politics, religions, culture, architecture, literature, music, commerce, and people. His stories of the mostly peaceful and tolerant 800-year span of Islamic Spain that extended to 1492 demonstrate how cooperation ("convivencia") among Muslims, Christians, and Jews led to unprecedented benefits. The rule of Ferdinand and Isabella began a period of dimmed prospects that lasted through the Franco regime. Abetted by the Catholic church and the especially harsh Spanish version of the Inquisition, the Reyes Catolicos (Catholic Monarchs) persecuted, exploited, and expelled Jews and Muslims.
January 10, 2016
A Pomegranate... is a most readable personal history of Granada and Andalusia. The book presents many wonderful facts and anecdotes; but, more importantly, the author shares (I'm tempted to wax poetic and say 'exhales on every page...') a very personal way of seeing Al Andalus through the various ages. It was a joy to read and makes a nice complement to some of the more scholarly books on Medieval Spain, such as the remarkable Ornament of the World by Maria Rosa Menocal (a must read). For those interested in the "convivencia" I highly recommend Peter Cole's The Dream of the Poem, a marvelous collection of secular Hebrew poetry composed during the height of Spain's "golden age."
November 14, 2017
Having met my wife in Granada five years ago, I picked up this book just before our planned return to the city for our wedding anniversary. I’m glad I did, and it was an enjoyable read (especially the first half, as Nightingale describes moving into the Albaicín), but I must stress that my four stars are based off my love for Granada, and Andalusia in general.
The book moved between flowery prose and exceedingly detailed academic writing that, for me, was a bit much. If this was a book on a city I had no connection to, I can’t see how I would have made my way through it. But as it was about Granada, I’m glad, as I said, that I did.
The book moved between flowery prose and exceedingly detailed academic writing that, for me, was a bit much. If this was a book on a city I had no connection to, I can’t see how I would have made my way through it. But as it was about Granada, I’m glad, as I said, that I did.
January 11, 2016
Having been to Granada, I was really looking forward to reading this book. I did enjoy some of it - true story about an American living in Granada with wife and child. I really loved the parts about him and his family, there are some lovely photos, and I enjoyed the parts about the music and the tiles. But I am afraid the very indepth historical chapters were too deep for me. I like reading about history but this was really heavy stuff. So I would recommend it to anyone who loves Granada but you may find the historical part a bit too much.
September 8, 2016
I learned a great lot not only the present day in Granada, Spain, but also its incredible history. The tragedy of the Inquisition and the Franco era were painful to read about. What fascinates the author and myself is the part of Granada's history when the Christian, Jewish and Muslim community lived and worked together to create a very good society.
This can get technical at times but is well worth the time. Makes you want to go there.
This can get technical at times but is well worth the time. Makes you want to go there.
August 29, 2015
Read this while in Granada, staying in the neighborhood it describes. While Nightingale comes off as the wide-eyed American abroad in parts of the book, it does provide an in depth look into the Albayzin and Granada, along with considerable historical and political context. The chapter on the numerical symbolism of the patterns found at the Alhambra totally lost me, but the rest was fascinating.
October 23, 2016
Lovely lyrical description of an American family living in Granada and diving into its history to understand the place they love so much. I appreciated not only the historical context for the city but the insight into how our understanding of that history has changed dramatically in the past few decades. I can't wait to visit Granada again with a greater understanding of its past.
June 17, 2015
Beautiful color illustrations but too idiosyncratic for me. Lots of material but poorly arranged. (Also, "People of the Book" does not mean literate but rather people whose religion incorporated the Bible. Literate Hindus with the Ramayana, etc, for example, were not spared on that ground).
October 18, 2015
This book made me want to book a trip to Granada. It is a must read if you are interested in history and plan on traveling to Andalusia. This is not another "I bought a house in a foreign country book." Steven Nightingale also does a lot of historical myth-busting, which I always find fascinating.
June 20, 2015
thoughtful look at historical assumptions - highly recommended
February 3, 2017
I loved Nightingale's mix of history, philosophy, general travel information and personal anecdotes. If you plan to visit Granada, this is a wonderful introduction
October 11, 2017
It took me almost a year to finish this book. I felt like I had to read, savor, reflect and digest each chapter if not every page. It is beautifully written.
Read
December 26, 2017Read this on the train to Granada; great little primer on the city and Al-Andalus more generally. Will make you want to start a Moorish garden, stat.
March 20, 2020
Nightingale is an American writer who moves to Granada with wife and newborn daughter, and spends the following couple of years smitten with the city, the region, and the Albaicin, the moorish quarter of Granada where they lived.
Nightingale is retreading the well-worn tradition of romantic memoir-histories-travel diaries, traditionally written by brits, among which more prominent examples include Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence. This writer, although lacking the commonwealth pedigree, shows flashes of prosaic brilliance, describing the Nevada high desert landscape light as "more than light... It's a kind of intelligence and will lead anyone in that desert wilderness over ridges and into hidden canyons, where coyotes will come to your side and propose curious theological speculations." And humor too, he described the speech of a Granadan local: "he spoke a Spanish so clear that a rock would understand." The prose however is inconsistent, in additional to poetic passages that are truly joyful, Nightingale is also in the clumsy habit of telling you what he told you in frustrating redundancy: "this is a short tour of Sufi proverbs and is meant to give the merest savor of the rich materials on offer in the writings of this accomplished group...," talk about an inelegant way to sum up...
The book flashes back and forth between biography and banalities of daily life in the Albaicin, with treatises on the history of Andalusia, with a heavy focus on the Moorish pre-reconquest period, and with a unabashedly cosmopolitan bias towards idealizing Moorish society as a diversity-embracing, tolerance-filled, learned and enlightened multi-cultural utopia.
Some of the history IS riveting and interesting, I for one was surprised to learn that the whole viol family of stringed instruments traces its ancestry to the stringed 'ud, invented in Moorish Andalusia, that Sufi mysticism was born here. He then turns towards spiteful condemnation of Isabel and Ferdinand's reconquest, to Nightingale an atrocity, extinguishing knowledge and enlightenment for dogma and authority, replacing tolerance and diversity with repressive orthodoxy and cruelty in its enforcement.
There is plenty of truth that Nightingale puts into historical context for us, but to me he overreaches when he makes academic claims like asserting that the reconquest is part and parcel with the economic fall of Spain, going from an economically vibrant and productive Moorish Al-Andalus to a dysfunctional American-silver-dependent non-productive extractive Castilian economy of the 16-18th centuries. You can't get away with saying things like that without offering tangible proof and rigorous historical dilligence, which Nightingale doesn't do because, he's not a historian, not even an amateur one, he is a romantic.
The chapter on the Spanish Civil War and Lorca is an interesting entree to this period in history, for those of us who know all too little about it. It leaves one unsatisfied and wanting more, besides declaring Lorca an accomplished poet and writer and naming some seminal works, Nightingale doesn't let us in on why exactly Lorca was literarily significant, what DID he contribute in the grand scheme of 20th century modern art?
Nightingale's chapter on Islamic tile-work is just gobbledygook, a bunch of semi-coherent mystical ramblings on Moorish numerology, with tenuous ties to tile geometry and cultural symbolism. It just feels like bullshit, but with figures of shapes! So it LOOKs like rigor and insight, but its a trap.
Nightingale is retreading the well-worn tradition of romantic memoir-histories-travel diaries, traditionally written by brits, among which more prominent examples include Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence. This writer, although lacking the commonwealth pedigree, shows flashes of prosaic brilliance, describing the Nevada high desert landscape light as "more than light... It's a kind of intelligence and will lead anyone in that desert wilderness over ridges and into hidden canyons, where coyotes will come to your side and propose curious theological speculations." And humor too, he described the speech of a Granadan local: "he spoke a Spanish so clear that a rock would understand." The prose however is inconsistent, in additional to poetic passages that are truly joyful, Nightingale is also in the clumsy habit of telling you what he told you in frustrating redundancy: "this is a short tour of Sufi proverbs and is meant to give the merest savor of the rich materials on offer in the writings of this accomplished group...," talk about an inelegant way to sum up...
The book flashes back and forth between biography and banalities of daily life in the Albaicin, with treatises on the history of Andalusia, with a heavy focus on the Moorish pre-reconquest period, and with a unabashedly cosmopolitan bias towards idealizing Moorish society as a diversity-embracing, tolerance-filled, learned and enlightened multi-cultural utopia.
Some of the history IS riveting and interesting, I for one was surprised to learn that the whole viol family of stringed instruments traces its ancestry to the stringed 'ud, invented in Moorish Andalusia, that Sufi mysticism was born here. He then turns towards spiteful condemnation of Isabel and Ferdinand's reconquest, to Nightingale an atrocity, extinguishing knowledge and enlightenment for dogma and authority, replacing tolerance and diversity with repressive orthodoxy and cruelty in its enforcement.
There is plenty of truth that Nightingale puts into historical context for us, but to me he overreaches when he makes academic claims like asserting that the reconquest is part and parcel with the economic fall of Spain, going from an economically vibrant and productive Moorish Al-Andalus to a dysfunctional American-silver-dependent non-productive extractive Castilian economy of the 16-18th centuries. You can't get away with saying things like that without offering tangible proof and rigorous historical dilligence, which Nightingale doesn't do because, he's not a historian, not even an amateur one, he is a romantic.
The chapter on the Spanish Civil War and Lorca is an interesting entree to this period in history, for those of us who know all too little about it. It leaves one unsatisfied and wanting more, besides declaring Lorca an accomplished poet and writer and naming some seminal works, Nightingale doesn't let us in on why exactly Lorca was literarily significant, what DID he contribute in the grand scheme of 20th century modern art?
Nightingale's chapter on Islamic tile-work is just gobbledygook, a bunch of semi-coherent mystical ramblings on Moorish numerology, with tenuous ties to tile geometry and cultural symbolism. It just feels like bullshit, but with figures of shapes! So it LOOKs like rigor and insight, but its a trap.
September 18, 2023
This book starts well and then slowly descends into something much less enjoyable.
Nightingale is a published poet so the flowery writing style is not surprising but it is at times a bit too much. He does beautifully describe overlooked aspects of Albayzin but his obsession with the artistic definitely distorts reality. Later in the book he even seems to leave reality with mentions of “useful beauty” in tiles and how patterns can suggest a more “fundamental, inclusive order” in the world. Lots of artistic musings as such.
A much bigger issue is his disdain for so much of what constitutes modern Spain and his stretching of history to make declarative statements. He is not an historian so he can partake in fantasy and nostalgia but he so clearly wishes that Al-Andalus still existed that large parts of the narrative come across as bitter.
Then he ventures into pages of pseudo-history, suggesting future Spanish economic problems were due to Ferdinand and Isabella not maintaining a diverse and prosperous Al-Andalus. On top of that he is staunchly anti-Church in a way that initially is not obvious but becomes quite clear (and annoying) in later pages. At times it reads like someone who wishes to live in the Granada of 1423 not the current one...which is absurd for many reasons.
I read this before a trip to Granada in which we stayed in Albayzin. Grenada/Albayzin is a fascinating place with a complex history; certainly an area worth exploring. The history that he weaves into the otherwise meandering narrative is worth it for the introduction it provides to a visitor. This book is a decent read before/during a visit even if it fails to reach its potential.
Nightingale is a published poet so the flowery writing style is not surprising but it is at times a bit too much. He does beautifully describe overlooked aspects of Albayzin but his obsession with the artistic definitely distorts reality. Later in the book he even seems to leave reality with mentions of “useful beauty” in tiles and how patterns can suggest a more “fundamental, inclusive order” in the world. Lots of artistic musings as such.
A much bigger issue is his disdain for so much of what constitutes modern Spain and his stretching of history to make declarative statements. He is not an historian so he can partake in fantasy and nostalgia but he so clearly wishes that Al-Andalus still existed that large parts of the narrative come across as bitter.
Then he ventures into pages of pseudo-history, suggesting future Spanish economic problems were due to Ferdinand and Isabella not maintaining a diverse and prosperous Al-Andalus. On top of that he is staunchly anti-Church in a way that initially is not obvious but becomes quite clear (and annoying) in later pages. At times it reads like someone who wishes to live in the Granada of 1423 not the current one...which is absurd for many reasons.
I read this before a trip to Granada in which we stayed in Albayzin. Grenada/Albayzin is a fascinating place with a complex history; certainly an area worth exploring. The history that he weaves into the otherwise meandering narrative is worth it for the introduction it provides to a visitor. This book is a decent read before/during a visit even if it fails to reach its potential.
January 31, 2022
I do not know whether to whoop for joy or cry for having found my book of 2022 before then end of January! Steven Nightingale’s poem to his adopted city of Granada starts as a travel book, with the sights, sounds and smells of the Albayzin then twists and segues seamlessly through gardening, food, poetry, history, geometry, art, philosophy, politics and economics. Ideas abound and spin off one another to weave a tapestry which illustrates the best of Al-Andalus and its downfall. It constantly stimulated in me the desire to go off and read more on a wide variety of subjects, look at art and just get lost in the narrow streets of the city (luckily I live close enough for this to be a possibility). Mesmerising and tantalising by turns, I immediately wanted to go back to the beginning and read it again …
June 18, 2023
read this as prep for my upcoming granada trip this summer. it’s a great intro to the city & the cultural and historical legacies that remain from its time under islamic rule (which is exactly what i was looking to read). the author really beautifully describes the multicultural albayzin district where his family resides, and it’s made me even more excited to visit the city, although I did wish he touched a little more on the alhambra. the first and last thirds of the book are most enjoyable, whereas the middle section of the book kind of meanders into a context-heavy account of spanish political history (which admittedly could’ve been easily shortened into a single chapter) and a very technical, if almost philosophical, exploration into the geometry of the alhambra’s architecture. nonetheless, it’s still a worthy travel memoir to read if you’re interested in the city at all!
February 26, 2018
A rather lovely, if meandering, biography of the city of Granada in Span, with a focus on the Albaicin neighborhood that the author fell in love with and lived in for a short time. Moving lazily around between such subjects as Sufiism, medieval mathematics and gardening, it’s best not to read it doggedly, as one would a novel. Better to dip in here and there, while enjoying some of the color photographs, to get a sense of the flavor and tang of the old moorish quarter of the city.
As a travel guide, it is not terribly useful, but there is a wonderful bibliography and list of sources at the back, making this book a useful or at least inspirational starting point for a more specific or serious exploration of Granada.
As a travel guide, it is not terribly useful, but there is a wonderful bibliography and list of sources at the back, making this book a useful or at least inspirational starting point for a more specific or serious exploration of Granada.
October 6, 2021
"To say that such a life is within reach, today, in the repellent darkness of our own times, is thought to be sentimental. To think an easygoing, workaday, peaceable, open-minded life in the company of those we love might be available anywhere is said to be naive and simple minded. Yet if it is possible in the Albayzin, it is possible anywhere on earth."
So encouraged and inspired by how much love, joy and fascination the author had of where he lived. Creating worlds within worlds is something we are all in need of right now and it has given me a new way to think about a city.
So encouraged and inspired by how much love, joy and fascination the author had of where he lived. Creating worlds within worlds is something we are all in need of right now and it has given me a new way to think about a city.
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