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With his trademark wit and inquisitive eye, Morton travelled through a Spain unspoilt by tourism, revealing a country where the past was very much alive. Interweaved with written episodes from Spain's history, this is a journey of discovery that should appeal to those with a sense of adventure.
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3 reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Somewhat dated as a travelogue, but still well worth reading.
7 Dec 2008
Format:Paperback
It is good to see that this book is still in print and available from Amazon. Morton (b. 1892, d. 1979) was one of the best travel writers of his generation, which perhaps constituted the golden age of English travel writing. A STRANGER IN SPAIN is his account of his tours in Spain in or about 1954. He visited all of the major and some of the minor cities in the country. But the book is much more than a travelogue, as Morton intersperses the account of his journeys with stories about the central events and personages of Spanish history, all of which are told with charm and intelligence. He emphasizes the surprisingly many historical relationships and associations between Spain and England, so the book probably is of more intrinsic interest to a Brit than to an American. Still, I can't conceive of a more pleasurable way of learning the basic outline of Spanish history from Ferdinand and Isabel through the end of the 18th Century and Napoleon's invasion of Iberia. I read the book before a recent trip to Spain and doing so provided an excellent foundation for my all-too-brief time there.
If, through some trick of time travel, I were an Englishman writing this review in 1955, I certainly would give A STRANGER IN SPAIN five stars. Fifty years later, the book is somewhat dated as a travelogue and, as noted, it was written for a British audience. Hence, the four stars. Still, it is an exceedingly well-written book, well worth keeping in print and well worth reading by anyone interested in Spain.
If, through some trick of time travel, I were an Englishman writing this review in 1955, I certainly would give A STRANGER IN SPAIN five stars. Fifty years later, the book is somewhat dated as a travelogue and, as noted, it was written for a British audience. Hence, the four stars. Still, it is an exceedingly well-written book, well worth keeping in print and well worth reading by anyone interested in Spain.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Yet another Morton masterwork
27 Nov 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
"The stranger who wishes to approach Spain with sympathy and appreciation, must do so through its history." Wrote H V Morton, and he certainly does so in this book, and shares not just that history but the attitudes, mannerism and even religion on the Spanish peoples he meets. A Stranger in Spain was a `sponsored' book, undertaken with the fullest support by the tourist board of Franco's Spain, although Morton, quite rightly does not mention this, or let his escorts, guides and official chauffeurs intrude on his splendid narrative. Readers will find that same erudite, educated and friendly author's voice that Morton deploys in all his works. A created personality that differs so much, according to his biographers, to the real H V Morton that this likable traveling companion should be considered as one of his most creative works.
The book is written as though Morton was wandering, alone, through a continuous tour of Spain within a normal trip's timeline. Sometimes though, the prose does not paper over all the cracks, at one stage Morton "recovers" a car we did not know he had from Madrid - a distance of 134 miles - to continue his journeys. The passage in fact marks a brief return to his home, by then in South Africa, and a return trip at a later date, but the craftsman in Morton keeps us continuously beside him without interruption of our now joint journey.
In his discussion of the locality of the foods of Spain - always excepting those delicious shellfish that seem to be always freshly available wherever one eats in Spain - his descriptions are just mouthwatering ... he even attempts to offer the reader a little recipe or two! His very detailed and frank descriptions of the celebrated, cruel and gory bullfights would satisfy the curiosity of any reader who had not seen one and had already been quickly and fully sated. Yet Morton balances this with the obvious Spanish love of animals and he describes the charming - and seemingly happy - little "burros" he meets. And being Morton he, of course, finds cats everywhere in including one of his own loved breed, a lonely Siamese.
The politics of Franco, which we could understand from his biographers probably sat easily with Morton, are not totally avoided, being integral to history, and the anticipated return of Spain to a Constitutional Monarchy is mentioned whenever he met it. (King Juan Carlos I resumed rule two days after General Franco's death in 1975).
A masterly tour, a great read and entirely typical of this authors skills, "Often imitated but never bettered" as fellow travel writer Jan Morris wrote.
The book is written as though Morton was wandering, alone, through a continuous tour of Spain within a normal trip's timeline. Sometimes though, the prose does not paper over all the cracks, at one stage Morton "recovers" a car we did not know he had from Madrid - a distance of 134 miles - to continue his journeys. The passage in fact marks a brief return to his home, by then in South Africa, and a return trip at a later date, but the craftsman in Morton keeps us continuously beside him without interruption of our now joint journey.
In his discussion of the locality of the foods of Spain - always excepting those delicious shellfish that seem to be always freshly available wherever one eats in Spain - his descriptions are just mouthwatering ... he even attempts to offer the reader a little recipe or two! His very detailed and frank descriptions of the celebrated, cruel and gory bullfights would satisfy the curiosity of any reader who had not seen one and had already been quickly and fully sated. Yet Morton balances this with the obvious Spanish love of animals and he describes the charming - and seemingly happy - little "burros" he meets. And being Morton he, of course, finds cats everywhere in including one of his own loved breed, a lonely Siamese.
The politics of Franco, which we could understand from his biographers probably sat easily with Morton, are not totally avoided, being integral to history, and the anticipated return of Spain to a Constitutional Monarchy is mentioned whenever he met it. (King Juan Carlos I resumed rule two days after General Franco's death in 1975).
A masterly tour, a great read and entirely typical of this authors skills, "Often imitated but never bettered" as fellow travel writer Jan Morris wrote.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
A Stranger in Spain
28 Aug 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Fun book written in the 1950's about a Brits travels through spain. Amazing how even how time has past there are so many things that are still the same. A fun read!
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