Stories from Spain/Historias de Espana

by Genevieve Barlow, William Stivers

In Stories from Spain/Historias de Espana , we've placed the Spanish and English stories side by side-- lado a lado --so you can practice and improve your reading skills in your new language while enjoying the support of your native tongue. This way, you'll avoid the inconvenience of constantly having to look up unfamiliar words and expressions in a dictionary. Read as much as you can understand, and then look to the facing page for help if necessary. As you read, you can check your comprehension by comparing the two versions of the story. You'll also find a bilingual vocabulary list at the end of the book, so you'll have a handy reference for new words. Stories from Spain/Historias de Espana gives you the chance to

Genres: Spanish Literature, Spain, Short Stories

176 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1999

Reviews

[Loki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eses estan buenas historias; los gocé mucho. I learned a few new words.

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pleased to find that I could read these stories fluently with my rusty Spanish. The stories were kind of boring.

[hil · Rating 2 out of 5]

me iba a morir de aburrimiento. todas las historias son históricas, por lo que el vocabulario ni siquiera es tan útil:/

[Roger Woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky dual language book of stories from Spanish folklore. One to dip in and out of rather than read right through.

[Meghan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

These side-by-side books are really helpful for learning Spanish.

[Scot León Pfuntner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy interesante pero demasiado corto.

[Dralex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was disappointed to reach the end of this collection of stories, which had given me pleasant reading over a couple of weeks.

The Spanish is, according to the estimation shown on the back cover, of intermediate standard. I don't have access to Spanish speakers to converse with, but have been reading Spanish for a couple of years and wanted something to maintain my proficiency. So each day I've been reading one story; there are eighteen stories altogether.

The stories are set out with a layout that is all but exactly the same throughout; for each story there is an attractive black and white drawing on a left hand page with introductory information in English and Spanish on the next right hand page, followed by the story itself, set out with English and Spanish on facing pages. Almost all of the stories are two pages in length (that is, two pages of Spanish, along with two pages of English translation). This was an ideal format for me, giving me a reading of a few minutes before I closed my day; and for those who need to resort more to the translation and vocabulary helps, I would imagine that the stories are short enough not to be overwhelming. But students of Spanish with greater proficiency may find the texts too short and insufficiently challenging.

The content of the stories will also affect a reader's response. The books preface states that "The eighteen legends are in chronological order and cover a period of more than a thousand years", from the eighth century to the end of the eighteenth. In one story, a pirate who breaks his leg is left on an island by his companions when he is unable to get back to their boat; discovered by islanders, he is taken to the village mayor, who treats him with kindness and has a beautiful daughter ... In another, a haughty lady steals a rosary from a chapel, bringing upon herself an unforeseen consequence. Of course, at something like two pages for each story, literary depth is not a consideration. As to the content, the reader to whom such tales are uninteresting had better look to improve their Spanish elsewhere. In my own case, learning something of a cultural heritage I know little of was actually part of the enjoyment. In fact, one of my criticisms of the volume is that the reader who is interested in such material is given no hints for further reading nor any significant indication of where the volume's authors have themselves found these tales.

A further disappointment is that not all of the eighteen tales are accompanied by (downloadable mp3) audio tracks. The front cover indicates that the volume "includes free audio download", while the back cover does include the more accurate information that the downloads are only of six chapters. The aural component of language-learning is significant, and so this struck me as a somewhat stingy provision.

The translation and the vocabulary lists (which include all significant vocabulary items) will be used according to the proficiency of the reader, but they are there if needed.

In sum, this is a very competently produced volume of stories which will serve well those endeavouring to improve their skills in Spanish as a foreign language, and will be all the more interesting to readers who enjoy the cultural content conveyed by these eighteen brief legends.

[Emily D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad way to start reading in Spanish. Stories and language used to tell the stories are simple enough for a learner. This book can be read in one day if you read only the Spanish versions, using the English part to just clarify words and expressions you don't understand.

it'snot the most inspiring or exciting collection of stories, but it gets its task done of slowly teaching you to read. I am definitely looking up the other two books they recommended to me - Historias de Mexico and Historias de Puerto Rico.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish the authors would use English translations more true to the original Spanish.