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2nd out of 80 books
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36 voters
Tales of the Alhambra
This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than...more
348 pages
Published
(first published 1832)
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I am actually reading "The Conquest of Granada, Agapida Edition." The copyright date is 1892 and there are two leather bound editions from the Knickerbocher Press, New York. Great followup to my trip to Granada a few weeks ago. I have finished Volume 1, Volume 2 covers the actual conquest of Granada. Finished Volume 2 on 12-11-12, loved it and now ready to move on to new cities and countries.
What I liked about this book was the "short-story" aspect of each chapter. Made it very easy to pick up again (expecially since I mostly read it during my lunch hour). Some of the stories were touching, some funny, and yes, some were on the boring side but not many. Overall not an engrossing read, probably due to the individual aspect of the chapters. As I reached the last quarter of the book I found myself more glancing through the chapters just to get the main idea of what it was about. I knew...more
“Exotic Tapestry of Moorish and Christian Culture”
At casual glance these four tales, set in the magnificent ruins of the Alhambra of Granda, seem just Arabian fairy tales, with elements of
Enchantment, warriors, royalty, magicians with a flying carpet thrown in for good measure. A fun read adapted in simpler literary style for elementary readers. Yet Watson’s adaptation of Washington Irving’s
adult anthology recognizes various basic traits of human nature: avarice, the need for love, treachery a...more
At casual glance these four tales, set in the magnificent ruins of the Alhambra of Granda, seem just Arabian fairy tales, with elements of
Enchantment, warriors, royalty, magicians with a flying carpet thrown in for good measure. A fun read adapted in simpler literary style for elementary readers. Yet Watson’s adaptation of Washington Irving’s
adult anthology recognizes various basic traits of human nature: avarice, the need for love, treachery a...more
I read this book, along with another Washington Irving book, in preparation for a recent trip to Spain and Andalusia. I strongly recommend both Tales of the Alhambra and Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada. The latter can be found on Kindle as part of the "Works of Washington Irving" and you also get Tales of the Alhambra and most if not all of his other works. It was so cool to see several monuments to Irving as we toured the Alhambra. The Tales make a great pocket book for the plane or to rea...more
Charming. This book is sort of a mix between travelogue and mythical tales. While in Grenada working on another book, Irving became enchanted with the Alhambra and penned this book in tribute: “Such is the Alhambra;--a Moslem pile in the midst of a Christian land; an Oriental palace amidst the Gothic edifices of the West; an elegant memento of a brave, intelligent, and graceful people, who conquered, ruled, flourished, and passed away.”
First published in 1832 then later revised in 1851, this boo...more
First published in 1832 then later revised in 1851, this boo...more
Back in 1986 I travelled to Granada and was introduced to Irving by my traveling companion. It was twenty years after that I came to read this fairytale like stories. Most striking for me was that in the time of writing the old and new continent were still much more interwoven.
Irving was not only a writer but had a foreign affair mission. I can't help to think that his purpose was not only to write some tales. America at that time was ready to losen her relation with Europe. Likewise children fi...more
Irving was not only a writer but had a foreign affair mission. I can't help to think that his purpose was not only to write some tales. America at that time was ready to losen her relation with Europe. Likewise children fi...more
Washington Irving's Tales of the Alhambra is a classic. As in his other stories, such as The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Irving combines excellent pacing and humorous story-telling to make a and enjoyable read.
Tales of the Alhambra is divided into a series of vignettes; they alternate between Irving's own experiences in Granada and folktales related to him by the Alhambra's 19th-century inhabitants. As in his other works, Irving repeatedly contrasts the vices of corrupt public officials, greedy mon...more
Tales of the Alhambra is divided into a series of vignettes; they alternate between Irving's own experiences in Granada and folktales related to him by the Alhambra's 19th-century inhabitants. As in his other works, Irving repeatedly contrasts the vices of corrupt public officials, greedy mon...more
[9/10]
I understand now why this Alhambra book is sold at every news stand and souvenir boutique in the city of Granada, translated in every major tourist language. Washigton Irving account of his visit to the palatial complex around 1830 is almost single handedly responsible for reviving interest in the almost ruined 'pile' of masonry, in its chivalrous histories and spooky legends. It is both a blessing and curse. A blessing because it allowed the palace to be restored and maintained. A curse b...more
I understand now why this Alhambra book is sold at every news stand and souvenir boutique in the city of Granada, translated in every major tourist language. Washigton Irving account of his visit to the palatial complex around 1830 is almost single handedly responsible for reviving interest in the almost ruined 'pile' of masonry, in its chivalrous histories and spooky legends. It is both a blessing and curse. A blessing because it allowed the palace to be restored and maintained. A curse b...more
The copy I am reading was purchased in Spain - but text is in English - not exactly perfect (typos can give a sense of humor where the author did not intend!) - Written over a century ago - it is still an easy read and rather Gothic in tone - "the mysterious East!" - entertaining short stories linked together yet can stand alone - perfect for that 15 minutes you might be stuck waiting somewhere.
I'm visiting the Alhambra for the first time in April and thought this would fire my imagination beforehand - it certainly did that. This mix of myth and anecdote from the author, who was actually staying in the run-down, mostly ruined Alhambra Palace of the early 19th Century, peoples the building with the squatters of his present-day and the Moorish ghosts of the past. What surprised me, given the period he was writing in, was Irving's open-minded respect for the Moslem civilisation of al-Anda...more
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but sincerely, I dislike this book. For me it is very boring and slow-paced. It is well-written and has an extense vocabulary, but the "style" of writing is something I can't stand. This book almost killed my will to read. Seriously, I had to practically staple my eyelids to my forehead in order not to fall asleep, and! It took all of my willpower to force myself to finish it, for I hate leaving books half-way read. It may also be that, as I'm an early...more
I enjoyed this account of Irving's time at the Alhambra, particularly since I read it on my trip to Spain and Morocco, which included a visit to the Alhambra itself. While it demonstrates the typical and regrettable attitudes Americans and northern Europeans had towards Spaniards (that they are all simple, lazy, and yet proud), it also reveals Irving's somewhat surprising (to me) admiration of Moorish culture. He seems more hostile to Catholicism than to Islam, and acknowledges throughout the sc...more
I bought this book at the Alhambra on the advice of a friend, who said it was no longer in print in the United States (true until recently, it seems). His recommendation was some of the best advice I've received all year.
Irving's book is a wonderful combination of history, memoir and fairy tales, describing recognizable places in a fantastical yet believable way. While it may seem strange to say Arabian fairy tales are believable, but if you have ever visited the Alhambra, you will know that it...more
Irving's book is a wonderful combination of history, memoir and fairy tales, describing recognizable places in a fantastical yet believable way. While it may seem strange to say Arabian fairy tales are believable, but if you have ever visited the Alhambra, you will know that it...more
I went on a rare European vacation and picked this up in Granada, Spain. It is full of moorish tales that made the Alhambra come alive for me. We saw the plains where Ferdinand and Isabel defeated the last moorish enclave in the Iberian peninsula. Leave it to Washington Irving to raise the hairs on the back of your neck! The stories had all the more meaning when read from the ramparts of the castle of Granada. Imagine how the Moors felt to see their armies defeated! And, yet, it is at least as i...more
As a child, I experienced all books as fantasies: George Selden's Times Square was just as much an imagination to me as his Cricket therein. A special, vivid pleasure then to read a book in its real place, and so I picked this up before going to Granada. A Spanish friend expressed decidedly mixed feelings about this choice, saying that Irving's view is not one she would perpetuate. I can see her point: one must remember that the view of Spain is a projection.
Yet the book has virtues beyond that...more
Yet the book has virtues beyond that...more
This was a whole new Washington Irving for me. When I was much younger, my mother and I periodically used to visit Washington Irving's home (Sunnyside) in the Hudson Valley. I loved "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rumpelstiltsken." There were just scary and believable enough for a kid. I stumbled on this book while looking for books about Spain because of an upcoming trip. If this book were written today, it would be part blog and part mythology. I was able to get a sense of who Washington Ir...more
This book took a while to take off. I would say about a third of it is what I would call "introduction." I was all excited to read fairy tales that took place in the Alhambra, and I had to put up with about 100 pages of Irving's fond recollections of his trip to and period of settling in at the Alhambra. And that's not to mention the descriptions of the Alhambra itself. However, it wasn't that bad (though a bit patronizing, chauvinist and racist at points), and it was worth it to get to the stor...more
I found this paragraph on a google search "Alhambra Inquisition"
"The Alhambra and Granada would be just as far off the beaten tourist track as the rest of Spain, were it not for Washington Irving. Decades before the US civil war, the American diplomat found himself in Spain wandering around a forgotten gem and set about writing what became, in effect, its first promotional tourist brochure. Of course Mr Irving did much greater justice to the edifice than the Inquisition could hope to achieve"
The...more
"The Alhambra and Granada would be just as far off the beaten tourist track as the rest of Spain, were it not for Washington Irving. Decades before the US civil war, the American diplomat found himself in Spain wandering around a forgotten gem and set about writing what became, in effect, its first promotional tourist brochure. Of course Mr Irving did much greater justice to the edifice than the Inquisition could hope to achieve"
The...more
May 29, 2012
Bennievermeer
added it
Unfortunately, the overwhelming numbers of tourists take away some of the Alhambra's magic. A good way to preserve the exotic atmosphere (apart from visiting off-season) is to read Washington Irving's 'Tales of the Alhambra'. During his time as an American diplomat in Spain in 1829, Irving lived in the Alhambra and wrote a volume of travel notes and stories about it. Besides giving a fascinating account of Andalucian life in the 19th century, his 'Tales of the Alhambra' collect a number of Moori...more
In the early 1800's, Washington Irving spent some time in Granada, Spain, living in the Alhambra. This book is a wonderful collection of different kinds of tales inspired by his stay - some that actually occurred while he was there, some that took placed in the days of the Moors, some that are legends among the people of the region, and some that Irving wrote from bits and pieces of stories he heard.
I really enjoyed the glimpse into Moorish Granada, and into the history and culture of Spain. My...more
I really enjoyed the glimpse into Moorish Granada, and into the history and culture of Spain. My...more
Lovely little book illustrated with reproductions of contemporary lithographs.
In 1829 when Irving visited the Alhambra it housed a small garrison of spanish soldiers and wasn't a major tourist destination. Irving stayed there sleeping more or less where he wanted in different parts of the palace and wandered about by day observing the life of the garrison which included using fishing rods to catch passing birds.
interspersed with his recollections are spanish folktales involving either the Alhamb...more
In 1829 when Irving visited the Alhambra it housed a small garrison of spanish soldiers and wasn't a major tourist destination. Irving stayed there sleeping more or less where he wanted in different parts of the palace and wandered about by day observing the life of the garrison which included using fishing rods to catch passing birds.
interspersed with his recollections are spanish folktales involving either the Alhamb...more
This was a delightful book to read. It's a journal of a visit made by Washington Irving in 1829 when he lived in the ancient Moore Alhambra in Granada, Spain. I was reading it when we visited the palace. The book enriched my visit. He included ancient tales of flying carpet escapes, magical locations of wealth, and a vivid description of that area in Spain. The country of Spain honors Washington Irving and credit his wildly popular book as the reason why the Alhambra was restored. It is an amazi...more
This is truly an under-remembered, if not fully lost, classic. The book has alternating themes, which flip masterfully with each new chapter. One "Tale" is of Granada and the Alhambra as they were in Irving's day - the early 19th century. Such great history, such a brilliant record of the daily lives of both commoners and kings. The other "Tale" is of the Moorish times, legends, and history. These are told with mystical precision and enrapturing skill. Simply not to be missed by anyone who loves...more
Washington Irving was America's first diplomatic envoy to the court of Spain. His beautiful home on the Hudson, Sunnyside, is just a day trip away from Manhattan. I adore this book. Irving was also our first great literary star and introduced his young country to Romanticism. I've always had an interest in how the Abbasid and Ummayid ruled Spain, and these fanciful tales are very satisfying. I will scan the edition I have it's from his estate. It is a facsimile and has marvelous reproductions of...more
This book was originally called The Alhambra: a series of tales and sketches of the Moors and Spaniards, a title that neatly describes the theme of the book. It was written by Washington Irving, who went to Spain when Romanticism had just started. Consequently the book features all the characteristic elements that define a Romantic work: popular legends and folklore believed as History and History presented as a tale, nature identified with characters, love and tragedy and flexibility of facts....more
Until I visited the Alhambra myself, I had no idea that Washington Irving (of "Sleepy Hollow" and "Headless Horseman" fame) had 1) ever visited Spain and 2) had written an interesting travelogue-of-sorts about the experience. Tales from the Alhambra mixes Irving's narration of his time living in the Alhambra with the history and folklore/legends of Granada. Some of the legends are better than others, some of his narration is cheesy and dated, but overall, this was a fantastic way to continue ref...more
3 1/2 stars! i found this somewhat difficult to read, but i read for a purpose - to learn about the alhambra in grenada, spain. now after visiting there, i plan to read it again. irving, sleepy hollow + rip van winkle fame, recounts the tales and legends he discovered when he lived there for several months in the 1830s. think arabian nights, ali baba.... etc. as i have said before, the more i read, i discover how little i know. would recommend to all who plan to visit spain.
I bought this book while in Granada, and I read it during the rest of my trip. It was good, and I really liked all the legends that Irving introduced - I had never heard of any of them, so it was very interesting, particularly while wandering around the Alhambra. I loved how almost every chapter was an individual tale, yet they all revolved around one place and several connected to other stories. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in "local" legends.
Not your typical Irving, this is a travelogue filled with regional stories. I enjoyed this immensely, as it took be back to wonderful time in my life-- when I studied abroad in Spain. I could picture the magnificent Sultans and Sultanas that once graced the Alhambra in all their glory. A good book to read if you're not really into classical literature but wish to be, as it is written by Irving, but each chapter basically stands on its own.
I am enjoying reliving my study abroad in Spain and visiting The Alhambra thru these tales. I would love to revisit it some day and appreciate it thru more mature eyes.
I get a kick out of some of the literal translation of this book. I bought the English version while in Granada as a souvenir and it will remain close to my heart on my book shelf forever to be read and read again when I need of fix of Spain.
I get a kick out of some of the literal translation of this book. I bought the English version while in Granada as a souvenir and it will remain close to my heart on my book shelf forever to be read and read again when I need of fix of Spain.
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Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works include biographies of George Washington, Oliver Goldsmith and Muhammad, and several histories of 15th-centu...more
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“No hay nadie en el mundo que atienda mejor que la pobretería en España el arte de no hacer nada y de vivir de nada; el clima del país contribuye con la mitad , el temperamento de las gentes aporta la otra mitad. Dad, en efecto, a un español la sombra en verano, el sol en invierno, un trozo de pan, ajos, aceite, garbanzos, una vieja capa y una guitarra, aunque no sea propia, los sones de la guitarra, ¡y que ruede el mundo como quiera! Hablarle de estreches! Para él no hay desgracia; la soportan sus hombros sin encogerse, lo mismo que cuando cuelga de ellos la raída capa. El español es siempre un hidalgo, aun en hambre y en harapos.”
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Apr 04, 2013 05:26am