A Stranger in Spain

Fülszöveg

More readers have travelled in various lands with H. V. Morton than with any other travel writer of our times, ancl the qualities of humour, charm and sincerity, which are among the first qualities we demand from a travelling companion, are to be found again in full measure in his book, A Stranger in Spain. Starting from Madrid, the author motored round Spain, relating the landscape to its happenings. 'The stranger who wishes to approach Spain with sympathy and appreciation,' he writes, 'must do so through its history.' Thus, as he goes round the country, he reveals a rich tapestry of events. The Spain of the Christian Kings and the Galiphs of Córdoba, of Philip II and the tragic Hapsburgs, the Spain of Columbus, of St. Teresa, of Cortes and Pizarro, of Velázquez and Goya, is the thread upon which his narrative is strung. It will not surprise the reader of the 'Search' books to be told that an account of somé great happening in the past is followed by a talk with a plump and jolly... Tovább

Fülszöveg

More readers have travelled in various lands with H. V. Morton than with any other travel writer of our times, ancl the qualities of humour, charm and sincerity, which are among the first qualities we demand from a travelling companion, are to be found again in full measure in his book, A Stranger in Spain. Starting from Madrid, the author motored round Spain, relating the landscape to its happenings. 'The stranger who wishes to approach Spain with sympathy and appreciation,' he writes, 'must do so through its history.' Thus, as he goes round the country, he reveals a rich tapestry of events. The Spain of the Christian Kings and the Galiphs of Córdoba, of Philip II and the tragic Hapsburgs, the Spain of Columbus, of St. Teresa, of Cortes and Pizarro, of Velázquez and Goya, is the thread upon which his narrative is strung. It will not surprise the reader of the 'Search' books to be told that an account of somé great happening in the past is followed by a talk with a plump and jolly olive-miller, or the discovery of a caricature of Anne Boleyn in a cathedral. The Spain of the tourist poster, of Arab casements and castanets, plays but a small part in this book. The author's tastes drew him to the more austere Spain of Castile and the North, where, among dark churches and ancient towns and cities, the future of Christian Spain was forged in the Middle Ages. This varied and enchanting book, which reflects the thrill and unexpectedness of travel in a strange country, will be read by all who intend to visit Spain, and, with not less enjoyment, by those who prefer to travel at home. Thejacket design by C. IV. BACON is based on a photograph, by the author, of Avila mmmmmmm Vissza