Homage to Catalonia
by George Orwell
Orwell's portrait of the Barcelona uprising and the spirit of a city at war is a classic, an observant and heartfelt report from the streets.
Catalonia: A Cultural History
by Michael Eaude
Michael Eaude traces the checkered history and unique monuments of Catalonia through the ages
The Arts in Spain: From Prehistory to Postmodernism
by John F. Moffit
A representative anthology of examples of painting, architecture and sculpture providing a critical overview of Spain. From Iberian and Roman beginnings, the book traces the development of the arts in Spain, examining the magnificent Islamic and Christian foundations at Cordoba and the Escorial, the idiosyncratic masterworks of El Greco, the Golden Age of Zurbaran and Velazquez, the art of Goya, and the innovative works of Picasso, Dali and Miro, and revealing that many of the most characteristic Spanish artistic currents had their origins at the dawn of history.
Duende
by Jason Webster
Duende is Webster’s captivating memoir of the years he spent in Spain pursuing his obsession. Studying flamenco guitar until his fingers bleed, he becomes involved in a passionate yet doomed affair with Lola, a flamenco dancer....
An Englishman in Madrid
by Eduardo Mendoza
Anthony Whitelands, an English art historian, is invited to Madrid to value an aristocrat's collection. At a welcome lunch he encounters Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera, founder and leader of the Falange, a nationalist party whose antics are bringing the country ever closer to civil war.....
The New Spaniards
by John Hooper
John Hooper's fascinating study brings to life the new Spain of the 21st century
The History of Spain - Land on a Crossroad
by Great Courses Documentary series
Professor Emerita Joyce E. Salisbury of the University of Wisconsin unfurls a broad and fascinating panorama of Spanish history, spanning the centuries from the first Neolithic settlement of the peninsula to Spain’s 20th century Civil War in this documentary series.
Made in Spain
by Chef José Andrés
Spanish Chef and philanthropist Jose Andres introduces the cuisine of Spain in this 13 episode series available on Prime.
The Shadow of the Wind
by By Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals from its war wounds, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer's son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julian Carax. But when he sets out to find the author's other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. ...
The Forging of a Rebel: The Forge, The Track and The Clash
by Arturo Barea
A semi-autobiographical trilogy that captures life in early 20th-century Madrid. Barea delves into the city’s struggles during the Spanish Civil War and offers a deeply personal perspective on its socio-political landscape
The Struggle for Catalonia: Rebel Politics in Spain
by Raphael Minder
Minder, a journalist for The New York Times, provides a nuanced view of the independence movement. He explores both Catalonia's aspirations and the challenges of achieving independence, while also considering Madrid's perspective. An excellent resource for understanding the movement without partisan bias.
The Truth about Franco - Spain's forgotten Dictatorship
by Documentary
This documentary delves into the past and attempts to examine the almost forty-year rule of Spain's Generalisimo - Francisco Franco.
Catalan Food: Culture and Flavors from the Mediterranean
by Daniel Olivella
Olivella masterfully combines typical recipes with historical narratives about Catalonia’s culinary traditions.
Cadogan Guide Barcelona & Catalonia
by Dana Facaros
This savvy guide combines practical details and maps with illuminating background on history, culture and sightseeing.
Winter in Madrid
by C.J. Sansom
A vivid and haunting depiction of wartime Spain, Winter in Madrid offers an intimate and riveting tale and a remarkable sense of history unfolding
The Hive
by Camilo José Cela
A daringly irreverent depiction of decadence and decay in Franco's Spain written by the 1989 winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, Camilo José Cela.
Hotel Florida
by Amanda Vaill
Madrid, 1936. In a city blasted by civil war, six people meet and find their lives changed forever...
Soldiers of Salamis
by Javier Cercas
Cerca's novel follows a gripping investigation into a historical mystery rooted in Spain's tumultuous past. The story revolves around Rafael Sánchez Mazas, a key founder of the Spanish Falange and a minister in Franco's regime after the Spanish Civil War. Before his rise to prominence, Sánchez Mazas narrowly escaped execution by Republican forces, fleeing into the woods. Despite being spotted by a Republican soldier, he was spared—a moment that became a focal point of myth and storytelling, much of it propagated by Sánchez Mazas himself.
Decades later, author Javier Cercas delves into this account, uncovering deeper, often unsettling truths beneath the legend. His exploration is less about glorifying the miraculous escape and more about examining its human and moral complexities. While the narrative is reflective and occasionally speculative, it offers thought-provoking insights into historical memory and its modern implications. Despite sparse dialogue and a slower pace, the novel's powerful themes and emotional depth make it a compelling read for those interested in Spain's history and the legacy of its civil conflict. The novel was also made into a film "Soldiers of Salamina", released in 2003
Gaudi: The Life of a Visionary
by J. Castellar-Gassol
A chronological journey covering the life and works of Gaudi
Ghosts of Spain
by Giles Tremlett
Tremlett captures the Spanish character, history and modern politics in this masterful portrait, interweaving the story of his love for the country (where he has lived for 20 years) with interview, anecdote and observation.
The Shadow of the Wind
by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Set in the brooding atmosphere of post-WW II Barcelona, this gripping story-within-a-story has it all: murder, doomed love and a mysterious book which draws the young hero, Daniel Sempere, into the city’s dangerous underworld.
Barcelona Map
by Borch Maps
A detailed city map, laminated and folded for easy reference.
Madrid: the History
by Jules Stewart
Jules Stewart provides an insider's account of Madrid and unveils the history and culture of one of Europe's most fascinating, but least-understood cities.
Two Catalonias
by (Documentary)
A must see documentary on the divisions in Catalan Politics and the independence movement
Barcelona
by Robert Hughes
This big, thoroughly enjoyable cultural history of the city touches on architecture, art, religion and literature from Roman outpost to the present.
Food and Wines of Spain
by Penelope Casas
This classic collection of 400 recipes, interwoven with cultural commentary and culinary history, is a pleasure to read, but prepare to become hungry.
Goya
by Robert Hughes
Hughes brings us the story of an artist whose life and work bridged the transition from the eighteenth-century reign of the old masters to the early days of the nineteenth-century moderns.
España - A Brief History of Spain
by Giles Tremlett
Bestselling author and journalist, Giles Tremlett delves into the rich and varied history of Spain, from prehistoric times to today, in a brief, accessible and enjoyable account.
Antonio Gaudi, Master Architect
by Juan Bassegoda Nonell
This lavish little collection of Gaudi's work captures the evolution, imagination and exuberance of one of the most influential architects of the 20th century.
A life of Picasso
by John Richardson
Richardson draws on his close friendship with Picasso, his own diaries, the collaboration of Picasso's widow Jacqueline, and unprecedented access to Picasso's studio and papers to arrive at a profound understanding of the artist and his work. (4 volumes)
The Time of the Doves
by Mercè Rodoreda
Powerfully written story set during the Spanish Civil War and beyond.
This is a rare and moving portrait of a woman confronting and surviving a convulsive period in Spanish history
A Concise History of The Spanish Civil War
by Paul Preston
A full-blooded account of this pivotal period in twentieth-century European history. Paul Preston vividly recounts the struggles of the war, analyses the wider implications of the revolution in the Republican zone, tracks the emergence of Francisco Franco's brutal (and, ultimately, extraordinarily durable) fascist dictatorship and assesses the way in which the Spanish Civil War was a portent of the Second World War that ensued so rapidly after it.
Gaudi, A Biography
by Gijs van Hensbergen
A vivid account of the architect and his work.
Cathedral of the Sea
by Ildefonso Falcones
Set in fourteenth-century Barcelona, Cathedral of the Sea is a thrilling historical novel of friendship and revenge, plague and hope, love and war.
