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Despite its international significance, Madrid has been almost entirely ignored by urban, literary and cultural studies published in English. A Cultural History of Madrid: Modernism and the Urban Spectacle corrects that oversight by presenting an urban and cultural history of the city from the turn of the century to the early 1930s. Between 1900 and 1930, Madrids population doubled to almost one million, with less than half the population being indigenous to the city itself. Far from the Castilian capital it was made out to be, Madrid was fast becoming a socially magnetic, increasingly secular and cosmopolitan metropolis. Parsons explores the interface between elite, mass and popular culture in Madrid while considering the construction of a modern madrileo identity that developed alongside urban and social modernization. She emphasizes the interconnection of art and popular culture in the creation of a metropolitan personality and temperament. The book draws on literary, theatrical, cinematic and photographic texts, including the work of such figures as Ramn Mesonero Romanos, Benito Prez Galds, Po Baroja, Ramn Gomez de la Serna, Ramn Valle-Incln and Maruja Mallo. In addition, the author examines the development of new urban-based art forms and entertainments such as the zarzuela, music halls and cinema, and considers their interaction with more traditional cultural identities and activities. In arguing that traditional aspects of culture were incorporated into the everyday life of urban modernity, Parsons shows how the boundaries between high and low culture became increasingly blurred as a new identity influenced by modern consumerism emerged. She investigates the interaction of the geographical landscape of the city with its expression in both the popular imagination and in aesthetic representations, detailing and interrogating the new freedoms, desires and perspectives of the Madrid modernista.
Madrid 1900 assesses the cultural history of Madrid and its relation to the cultural history of Spain through examining the literature written in and on Madrid at the turn of the nineteenth century. The center for Spanish national identity, turn-of-the-century Madrid offered a haven for young writers to try out their ideas and launch their careers. Ugarte traces the history of this writerly consciousness in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, combining historical, biographical, and literary sources.
At the heart of the Castilian plateau, far from the coastal towns and ports of Spain, sits the great city of Madrid. Perched some 2,200 feet above the distant sea, it is at once the loftiest and also the most enigmatic of Europe's capitals: hard to decipher for the Spanish and for foreigners alike. Its intense character and the abrupt manner and hectic lifestyle of the Madrilenos can make even other Spaniards feel exhausted. Yet, Madrid has a rich historical and cultural life which attracts almost 8 million visitors per year, drawn to its beautiful palaces and churches, the magnificent collections of the Prado and everywhere the echoes of a faded empire. Despite its ancient origins, Madrid feels like a modern, youthful city. But the legacy of Madrid's 'golden age' - the Spanish colonies from the Andes to the Philippines from which the city derived such wealth - remains evident in the extravagant Baroque facades of the old city. Jules Stewart here provides an insider's account of Madrid and unveils the history and culture of one of Europe's most fascinating, but least-understood cities.
As the capital city of Spain, Madrid is nowadays considered one of the most interesting “food towns” in the world. This is perhaps due to the wide variety of specialty dishes that its cuisine boasts, ranging from the old-fashioned and traditional to the modern, and even the futuristic; a cuisine that has consistently received high praise from the likes of New York Times’ critic Mark Bittman and TV celebrity chefs such as Anthony Bourdain and Mario Battali, to name just a few. But how did a once humble and unsophisticated city like Madrid become the vibrant food metropolis that it is today? How did contemporary madrileño cuisine come to be, and what are its main identifying dishes? What role have its legendary restaurants, cafés and markets played in putting Madrid in the map as one of the world’s top food destinations? Maria Paz Moreno looks at the gastronomical history of Madrid throughout the ages. She traces the historical origins and evolution of Madrid’s cuisine, exploring major trends, most innovative chefs, restaurants and dishes, and telling the story of this fascinating city from the point of view of a food lover. She discusses the diverse influences that have shaped Madrid’s cuisine over the centuries, including the introduction of foods from the New World since the 16th century, the transition from famines to abundance during the second part of the 20th century, the revolution of the Michelin-starred young chefs at the beginning of the 21st century, and how madrileños’ sense of identity is built through their food. The sense of community created through communal eating experiences is also explored, focusing on the culture of sharing tapas, as well as traditional and avant-garde eating establishments, from restaurants to bars to chocolaterías, and even markets and festivals where food plays an important part. Anyone wishing to know more about the city, the culture, the richness of its food and people, will find a delightful review in these pages.
"A book of rich detail.”--The Wall Street Journal Bestselling author of Ghosts of Spain Giles Tremlett traverses the rich and varied history of Spain, from prehistoric times to today, in a brief, accessible primer with color illustrations throughout. Spain's position on Europe's southwestern corner has exposed the country to cultural, political, and literal winds blowing from all quadrants throughout the country's ancient history. Africa lies a mere nine miles to the south, separated by the Strait of Gibraltar-a mountain range struck, Spaniards believe, by Hercules, in an immaculate and divine display of strength. The Mediterranean connects Spain to the civilizational currents of Phoenicians, Romans, Carthaginians, and Byzantines as well as the Arabic lands of the near east. Hordes from the Russian steppes were amongst the first to arrive. They would be followed by Visigoths, Arabs, and Napoleonic armies and many more invaders and immigrants. Circular winds and currents extended its borders to the American continent, allowing it to conquer and colonize much of the New World as the first ever global empire. Spain, as we know it today, was made by generations-worth of changing peoples, worshipping Christian, Jewish, and Muslim gods over time. The foundation of its story has been drawn and debated, celebrated and reproached. Whenever it has tried to deny its heterogeneity and create a “pure” national identity, the narrative has proved impossible to maintain. In España, Giles Tremlett, who has lived in and written about Spain for over thirty years, swiftly traces every stretch of Spain's history to argue that a lack of a homogenous identity is Spain's defining trait. With gorgeous color images, España is perfect for lovers of Spain and fans of international history.
Planted by royal whim in a harsh, sun-drenched tableland, Madrid flaunts its distinctive Spanish identity as the most vibrant of Europe's capitals. An imperial court, remote from external influences, produced durable curiosities like the siesta, the paseo and a joyously hectic nightlife. A city where decorative display and lunching are often rated above industry and money-making, Madrid's exuberant style nonetheless flourishes in the modern world. Elizabeth Nash explores the chaotic jumble of a city built by in-comers eager to serve - or use - a court by turns austere and ostentatious. In squares, parks, streets and monuments old and new, she tracks down aristocrats and artisans, servants and chancers who bred a unique urban culture combining deference and insolence, conformity and flair. • The city of artists and writers: Velazquez and Goya, realism, the erotic and the macabre; Cervantes, Cela and Hemingway, the traditions of satire, the picaresque hero and the novel of war • The city of power politics: The heart of the Spanish Empire; the scars of civil war and dictatorship; democracy and the movida of hedonistic excess and liberation, celebrated by Oscar-winning film-maker Pedro Almodovar • The city of passions: The intellectual debates of cafi society; fiestas sacred and profane; the cult of bullfighting and the capital's love affair with soccer.
New Madrid: A Mississippi River Town in History and Legend focuses on the hearts and minds of a restless population as it moved west into the Mississippi River Valley in the 1800s. The river-port town of New Madrid, Missouri, strategically located just below the junction of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, and destined to be the capital of "New Spain," was en route for thousands of early Americans. New Madrid's pioneers reveal their past and their stories through letters, newspapers, official records, and other sources. The author takes the reader through the town's history, recounting tales of legendary people whose lives crossed with those of area residents. Lively illustrations, photographs, and maps enhance the stories, a treasure for anyone whose ancestors experienced the westward movement, participated in the Civil War, were slave-owners, slaves, or American Indians, or for those who are curious about American life in earlier times.
This guide offers a cultural history of the city, and covers the building and development of Madrid as one of Europe's capitals. The author explores Madrid by touring the squares, parks, monuments, and the streets of old and new to discover the mystique of Madrid.
Collecting and displaying finely crafted objects was a mark of character among the royals and aristocrats in Early Modern Spain: it ranked with extravagant hospitality as a sign of nobility and with virtue as a token of princely power. Objects of Culture in the Literature of Imperial Spain explores how the writers of the period shared the same impulse to collect, arrange, and display objects, though in imagined settings, as literary artefacts. These essays examine a variety of cultural objects described or alluded to in books from the Golden Age of Spanish literature, including clothing, paintings, tapestries, playing cards, monuments, materials of war, and even enchanted bronze heads. The contributors emphasize how literature preserved and transformed objects to endow them with new meaning for aesthetic, social, religious, and political purposes ­– whether to perpetuate certain habits of thought and belief, or to challenge accepted social and moral norms.