Tales of the Alhambra

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Summary: A marvelous combination of travelogue, legends and Spain
Review: "Tales of the Alhambra" was penned by American author Washington Irving ("Rip Van Winkle," "Sleepy Hollow") during a stay at the legendary Alhambra in Granada, Spain. I bought this book after my visit to the Alhambra, and found it to be a fantastic companion to what I had seen and experienced.

The Alhambra (and Generalife) is a combination fort/palace/gardens dating from the 13th century, filled with fantastic Arabic architecture (ornate plasterwork, ceramic tiles, sculpted marble fountains and archways), and lots of room for imagining the days of its former greatness, which Irving brings to life most memorably. The book is illustrated with charming and detailed watercolour engravings dating from the same period when the book was written.

Irving seamlessly winds legend, history, and a Spanish travelogue of sorts together, and even though the book is over 170 years old, it seems as if it was written yesterday. There are tales of princes, genies, lost and found loves, enchanted treasures, battles, hellish headless horses (does the inspiration seem familiar?), and commentary on the Spanish landscape and nature of the Spaniards that he lives with. Full of bewitching music, the smell of roses and exotic perfumes, firey sunsets, and the ghosts of the past, the book is a sensory treat as well. If you plan on visiting the Alhambra, read this first--it will definitely enhance your experience. If you've already visited, this makes a priceless souvenir, bringing to life once more the stately halls and fragrant gardens.

Rating:
Summary: A marvelous combination of travelogue, legends and Spain
Review: "Tales of the Alhambra" was penned by American author Washington Irving ("Rip Van Winkle," "Sleepy Hollow") during a stay at the legendary Alhambra in Granada, Spain. I bought this book after my visit to the Alhambra, and found it to be a fantastic companion to what I had seen and experienced.

The Alhambra (and Generalife) is a combination fort/palace/gardens dating from the 13th century, filled with fantastic Arabic architecture (ornate plasterwork, ceramic tiles, sculpted marble fountains and archways), and lots of room for imagining the days of its former greatness, which Irving brings to life most memorably. The book is illustrated with charming and detailed watercolour engravings dating from the same period when the book was written.

Irving seamlessly winds legend, history, and a Spanish travelogue of sorts together, and even though the book is over 170 years old, it seems as if it was written yesterday. There are tales of princes, genies, lost and found loves, enchanted treasures, battles, hellish headless horses (does the inspiration seem familiar?), and commentary on the Spanish landscape and nature of the Spaniards that he lives with. Full of bewitching music, the smell of roses and exotic perfumes, firey sunsets, and the ghosts of the past, the book is a sensory treat as well. If you plan on visiting the Alhambra, read this first--it will definitely enhance your experience. If you've already visited, this makes a priceless souvenir, bringing to life once more the stately halls and fragrant gardens.

Rating:
Summary: Brings the Alhambra and all it's glorious history to life
Review: I visited Spain in Nov 2002 and was absolutely enchanted by the Nasrid Alhambra palace in Granada. Built in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, it casts a watchful eye over the inhabitants of the city below.

From the exterior, palace is surrounded by an imposing fort structure built of reddish brown stone - clearly meant to give the vision of martial strength to the outsiders. At night from the Albaycin (Old Arab Quarter), the palace is hauntingly beautiful-floodlights on the fort giving it a ghostly appearance. Upon entering the deceptively unassuming palace, a world of breathtakingly beautiful art and architecture slowly overwhelms you.

I simply couldn't get enough of this palace and often found myself trying to absorb as much of it's ambiance as possible. I was introduced to Washington Irving's work when I had bought an audioguide at the entrance of the palace. This guide was essentially oral excerpts from his book detailing the history and legends of each room as I walked through them.

Upon completing the tour, I then was compelled to buy the book. Reading it, I could see the Alhambra in front of my eyes again. In addition to that, I could imagine its former royal inhabitants as the legends of chivalry, romance and ghosts were told.

Washington Irving had the opportunity to live for several months in the Alhambra palace. Back then it was a forgotten Moorish fort in a terrible state of disrepair. His style is very soft and dreamlike, thus one is drawn into his writing as he discovers the legends from the 'guardians' who have taken residence in the palace.

This book was truly a delight to read, I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about the Alhambra or as a memoir of one's own visit to the palace.

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Summary: Exciting stories, stirring history, and a great guidebook
Review: Irving's book on the Alhambra and the surrounding territory of Granada remains one of the best guidebooks to the region--and one of the most entertaining travelogues ever written. Anyone who has visited (or plans to visit) southern Spain will be thrilled by the account of Irving's trip, but I'll go further: you need not ever go there to enjoy this classic work of history and humor.

Irving stayed at the Alhambra for three months in 1829 and jotted down notes concerning its history and legends. Early in his visit, Irving was accosted by Mateo Ximenes, a credulous and indigent "son of the Alhambra" who soon proves a worthy and endearing companion, a guide to secret chambers, and a conveyor of whimsical traditions. A couple of years later, while in London, Irving wrote "The Alhambra," describing his idiosyncratic hosts, recounting the millennium-old history of the Moorish occupation, and transcribing fresh versions of the palace's medieval legends and myths, many of which resemble stories from the "Arabian Nights." The first edition appeared in 1832, a second American edition was published four years later, but Irving extensively revised and enlarged the book in 1851, incorporating material unavailable or unknown to him in the 1830s. This last edition is the one most commonly available today. (I believe the only in-print edition is included in a collection of Irving's works published by The Library of America.)

The result is easily Irving's most accessible book, filled with wit and anecdote. To the history of the Moorish kingdom of Granada, Irving intersperses tales (both historical and mythical) of enchanted caves, imprisoned princesses, and buried treasure. His admiration for Islamic heritage is obvious throughout: "The Arab invasion and conquest brought a higher civilization and a nobler style of thinking, into Gothic Spain." And he regularly denounces the prejudices (both medieval and contemporary) "so strongly characteristic of the bigot zeal, which sometimes inflamed the Christian enterprises" and which have prevented his fellow Europeans from studying a rich and justifiably proud tradition.

As Irving accurately summarizes, Moslem Spain was "a region of light amid Christian, yet benighted Europe; externally a warrior power fighting for existence; internally a realm devoted to literature, science, and the arts; where philosophy was cultivated with a passion . . . and where the luxuries of sense were transcended by those of thought and imagination." Plus, the Islamic "occupiers" and Christian warriors certainly knew how to tell a good story. This book will delight both history and literature buffs.

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Summary: Tales of the Alhanbra used book
Review: On 7/24/04 through Amazon Marketplace I purchased this used book.
It arrived within the week and was excellently packed and shipped by [e-mail]. A lovely "Thanks for Buying!" note was included with the invoice. The book is in very good condition with wonderful pictures. A surprise was that it had belonged to the Austin Public Library - a favorite city of mine. I'll be ordering more through you! Thank you.

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Summary: A Classic Written by an American Classical Author!
Review: This wonderful book written by a well-loved American author details his travels in Spain, and more specifically in the Castle Alhambra. These tales are delightful, and seemlessly weave from fact to fiction to history to folklore. It is a true travel log, done oh so many years ago, and done with Irving's whimcical and enchanting style. The sketches give a good description of Spain and travel in the early 1800's. Older children and adolescents would probably enjoy these sketches.