Ghosts of Spain
The appearance, than sixty years after the Spanish Civil War ended, of mass graves containing victims of Francisco Franco s death squads finally broke what Spaniards call the pact of forgetting the unwritten understanding that their recent, painful past was best left unexplored At this charged moment, Giles Tremlett embarked on a journey around the country and through its history to discover why some of Europe s most voluble people have kept silent so long Ghosts of Spain is the fascinating result of that journey In elegant and passionate prose, Tremlett unveils the tinderbox of disagreements that mark the country today Delving into such emotional questions as who caused the Civil War, why Basque terrorists kill, why Catalans hate Madrid, and whether the Islamist bombers who killed 190 people in 2004 dreamed of a return to Spain s Moorish past, Tremlett finds the ghosts of the past everywhere At the same time, he offers trenchant observations on quotidian aspects of Spanish life today the reasons, for example, Spaniards dislike authority figures, but are cowed by a doctor s white coat, and how women have embraced feminism without men noticing Drawing on the author s twenty years of experience living in Spain, Ghosts of Spain is a revelatory book about one of Europe s most exciting countries. Best Download Ghosts of Spain author Giles Tremlett For Kindle ePUB or eBook – kino-fada.fr It is still a mystery to me how so many Spaniards can function on so little sleep. Late one night in Madrid, as my friend and I finished eating our dinner on Spanish time which means we get home around midnight we were walking back to our apartment when it suddenly began to rain First, it sprinkled then, it drizzled and soon it was pouring Without an umbrella here amusingly named para...A timely reminder of just how good journalistic writing can be Giles Tremlett is a contributing editor to the Guardian and Madrid correspondent for the Economist.Like a taste of what he does have nothing to add to this fine review.I admittedly haven t finished this book When I first started it, I was very impressed with the author s understanding of Spanish history in particular, the continuing trauma of the Spanish Civil War I enthusiastically read the book up until about Chapter 6, when I became aware of the fact that the author s observations were dissolving into gross general...On a trip to Spain a few years ago, I needed to make a change to my train ticket from Madrid to Malaga The ticket agent, a man in his 50s or 60s, barely listened to my request, looked at his watch, and without ever looking up growled, No Just the one word, without explanation and never looked at me Sort of expecting that, I looked to see if another agent could help me This time, the agent was a vibrant 20 ish girl, who took my question and made the change in about 45 seconds, smiling and c On a trip to Spain a few years ago, I needed to make a change to my train ticket from Madrid to Malaga The ticket agent, a man in his 50s or 60s, barely listened to my request, looked at his watch, and without ever looking up growled, No Just the one word, without explanation an...Books about Spain 2 Ghosts of Spain Travels through Spain and its Silent Past by Giles Tremlett 2006 This is the second of several inter related reviews for the books listed below 1 The New Spaniards by John Hooper, 2nd edition, 2006.2 Ghosts of Spain Travels through Spain and its Silent Past by Giles Tremlett, 2006.3 The Ornament of the World How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain by Maria Rosa Menocal, 2002.4 Spain in Mind an Anth Books about Spain 2 Ghosts of Spain Travels through Spain and its Silent Past by Giles Tremlett 2006 This is the second of several inter related reviews for the books listed below 1 The New Spaniards by John Hooper, 2nd e...If, like me, the conundrums of modern spain by turn frustrate and delight you, then you must read this book Why are the spanish so noisy Why do they chose to live on top of each other in high rise blocks depsite boundless empty spaces surrounding their overcrowded cities Why are spainsh kids so spoilt How can a country wth so much history be rushing headlong into the future I read it in 2 sittings, I ve lived in Spain for 2 years and laughed out loud at the familiar situations described, and If, like me, the conundrums of modern spain by turn frustrate and delight you, then you must read this book Why are the spanish so noisy Why do they chose to live on top of each other in high rise blocks depsite boundless empty spaces surrounding their overcrowded cities Why are spainsh ki...Tremlett is a journalist who lives in Spain That is a good thing He is in touch with real people and this gives his writing an immediacy and directness that goes beyond the common judgemental Briton abroad He also has some great chapter titles, such as How the bikini saved Spain.The premise of the book is that there is a story to be told around the secret histories of people who have simply refused to talk about their experiences under Franco...I liked parts of this bookthan others, but overall it was an interesting look at a society that has gone from semi fascist dictatorship to liberal democracy in just a few years Partly, this is down to the leadership of Franco s chosen heir, King Juan Carlos, who threw his authority behind Spain s new democracy and undercut rightwing attempts to overthrow the government Also, the transition was made easier perhaps possible by a widespread practice of letting the past remain in the past I liked parts of this bookthan others, but overall it was an interesting look at a society that has gone from semi fascist dictatorship to liberal democracy in just a few years Partly, this is down to the leadership of Franco s chosen heir, King Juan Carlos, who threw his authority behind Spain s new democracy and undercut rightwing attempts to overthrow the government Also, the transition was made easier perhaps possible by a widespread practice of letting the past remain in the past Many of the political class who ushered in Spain s democratic system also had been loyal servants of Generalissimo Franco Giles Tremlett does a decent job of detailing the complications and contradictions of modern Spain He is especially good at illustrating how, 70 years later, the civil war remains the elephant in the room no one comfortably talks about it, but it profoundly affects political attitudes He also examines the ethnic nationalisms that have bedeviled...10th book for 2016.Read this in preparation for an upcoming trip to Spain Each chapter in the book covers a different aspect of Spanish culture, starting with the recent re examination by Spaniards of the 1000s killed after Franco came to power, to later chapters dealing with the royal family, sex and feminism, parenthood, the Basques, ETA, the Madrid bombing etc The book covers similar territory to The New Spaniards , but I found the writing muchengaging It is written by a British jour 10th book for 2016.Read this in preparation for an upcoming trip to Spain Each chapter in t...It s sobering to read Ghosts of Spain and read about the Spanish Civil War After decades of silence about it, witnesses and descendants alike are now asserting the right to examine its history Mass graves have been exhumed archives are being explored witness statements are being made Most significantly, memorials to the Republican dead are emerging while those of Franco s supporters are shunned All this takes place in a country where the emphasis has been resolute about looking forwards no It s sobering to read Ghosts of Spain and read about the Spanish Civil War After decades of silence about it, witnesses and descendants alike are now asserting the right to examine its history Mass graves have been exhumed archives are being explored witness statements are being made Most significantly, memorials to the Republican dead are emerging while those of Franco s sup...

- English
- 18 November 2018 Giles Tremlett
- Hardcover
- 400 pages
- 0802715745
- Giles Tremlett
- Ghosts of Spain