Gerald Brenan is generally regarded as the greatest of English writers about Spain. "South from Granada" describes the essence of a remote rural area before the Civil War with vivid sympathy. Here, brought back to life, are the festivals and folk-lore of the Sierra Nevada, the rivalries, romances and courtship rituals, the village customs, superstitions and characters. Equally compelling are chapters on Granada in the twenties, food and the Phoenicians, the cheap brothels and archaeological remains of Almeria, the stark but haunting mountain scenery and even a visit from Virginia Woolf. The result was acclaimed on publication as a masterpiece; it remains a classic, richly evocative account of a lost way of life.
South From Granada (Penguin Modern Classics)
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
The best of Brenan's books: he has a true and proper knowledge of the culture he describes' -- Cyril Connolly, Sunday Times
`A brilliant interpreter of Spain to the rest of the world'
-- The Times --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
`A brilliant interpreter of Spain to the rest of the world'
-- The Times --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
From the Publisher
Published for the first time in Penguin Modern Classics, WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY CHRIS STEWART. Describing the essence of a remote rural area before the Spanish Civil War, this book explores the festivals and folklore of the Sierra Nevada, the rivalries, romances and courtship rituals, the village customs, superstitions and characters. It includes chapters on Granada in the Twenties, food and the Phoenicians, the cheap brothels and archaeological remains of Almeria, the mountain scenery and even a visit from Virginia Woolf.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
IT was in September 1919 that I went to Spain for the first time. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
IT was in September 1919 that I went to Spain for the first time. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
By Ken Murray
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Intoxicating account of Mr Brenan's arrival and adventures in the Alpujarra, Andalucia in the 1920's. After all these years, his observations and humour still strike a chord. Even if you are visiting the Costa Del Sol on for the sun or golf, read this for an insight to the "real" Spain and its history - just few miles inland.
39 of 40 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book has to be a must for anyone living or travelling in the southern most parts of Spain. It clearly paints a picture of the life and times of a nation and its people, who in a short period of time have moved from a society living in part, a medievial life style, through to civil war, and the threshold of the modern state Spain has become today.
Brenan tells a tale of village life,and of the people who lived there, and records their folk-lores, customs and history; and also of the visitors to his home, Virginia Wolf, Dora Carrington, Lytton Strachey and Augustus John, and of their connections within the Bloomsbury group.
The places are real, they are still there, and through this book a modern day visitor can travel back in time and with just a little imagination, recreate those the scenes and passions of 80 years ago; of Yeger, the village for severn years his home, and of the cities of Granada and Almeria and the mountains of the Sierra Nevada.
It is a delightful book full of colour and once started you may find very difficult to put down.
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By C. Lamb
Format:Paperback
This is a true classic from Gerald Brenan. After WW1 the author was close to breakdown, desperate to experience poetry and literature and the recipient of a small war pension. His solution was to travel to a remote village in the South of Spain, take 2000 books and soak in the atmosphere and learn how to love once again. His journey is understated, educated, intelligent and human.
It is no picture book. It is a true snapshot taken through the eyes of a would-be Bloomsbury boy who had experienced the Empire, the Somme and physical illness and who then decided to actually pay attention to the world sarrounding him.
Brenans description of the personalities, geography, love affairs and society he encounters are glorious to me. There is no vanity or laziness in the writing. As his lifestyle is stripped to necessities so is his writing. Yet it is free and beautiful and evocative in many places. So many modern travel writers try to recreate life as a gaudy, filter-enhanced, postcard picture of the places they are subsidised to visit. Gerald Brenan captures a clear, gentle, colour snap of his life spent in Yegen during a period of time when black and white was all the camera could capture. Perhaps that is the reason it seems to have been so important for him to record it faithfully.
It is no picture book. It is a true snapshot taken through the eyes of a would-be Bloomsbury boy who had experienced the Empire, the Somme and physical illness and who then decided to actually pay attention to the world sarrounding him.
Brenans description of the personalities, geography, love affairs and society he encounters are glorious to me. There is no vanity or laziness in the writing. As his lifestyle is stripped to necessities so is his writing. Yet it is free and beautiful and evocative in many places. So many modern travel writers try to recreate life as a gaudy, filter-enhanced, postcard picture of the places they are subsidised to visit. Gerald Brenan captures a clear, gentle, colour snap of his life spent in Yegen during a period of time when black and white was all the camera could capture. Perhaps that is the reason it seems to have been so important for him to record it faithfully.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 8 reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book and quality
Gerald Brenan's book is a classic. Maybe not known by a lot of people, but it really opens up the Alpujarras for the reader, and Brenan is am original writer with a great eye for... Read more
Published 12 days ago by Torben Holleufer
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing picture of life in the Alpujarra region of Spain in the...
This book transports you back to an earlier life and culture in the Alpujarra region of Andalusia from the 1920s to 1950s, detailing the local culture and folklore, history and... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Sue Warner
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spain in the wake of the First World War
Beautifully written, giving an authentic and beautiful story of a man finding himself in Spain after the horrors of the First w
World w
War. Read more
World w
War. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mrs. L. W. Baxendale
4.0 out of 5 stars
Picture of inland, rural Spain.
This book depicts the author's experience living in inland southern Spain - a vivid and memorable picture, with lots about the author's own contacts and relationships, but somehow... Read more
Published 2 months ago by dorothy mary collins D M Collins
5.0 out of 5 stars
Present.
Bought for my husband, who enjoyed it immensely. He loves this sort of book and thought that it was very well written.
Published 5 months ago by Merryl Glover
3.0 out of 5 stars
I preferred Laurie Lees books about Andalucia
I preferred Laurie Lee's books about Andalucia, they have more insight and written better. Gerald Brennan seems to be the typical stiff Brit abroad; just observing the natives and... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Mr. Richard Artes
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent interesting book
The real story of an englishman visiting spain after WW1. His thoughts as he walked for miles, then his life, people he met etc. I found it interesting & well written
Published 18 months ago by J. Wylie
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting & Boring
Parts of the book were interesting to read about but there were also some boring passages which, I'm afraid, is our overall impression.
Published 20 months ago by Bluesman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gerard Brenan, South from Granada.
Superb book, read all Chris Stewart's books, so far about 4 times each. Got Gerard Brenan's South from Granada, nearly finished second read of it in about one month. Read more
Published 21 months ago by R. Palmer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Muy muy agradable
I enjoyed this book so much that I had to ration myself, just reading a chapter at a time while I had another book on the go. Read more
Published 23 months ago by pantodame
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > History > Europe > Spain
- Books > Travel & Holiday > Travel Writing
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
