Novels about Spain
 

I will be in Spain for 3 weeks this summer. I always enjoy reading novels about the country or city that I am visiting. Any suggestions of books that might take place in Madrid or Barcelona? I love mysteries, but anything would be great.
C

If you like mysteries, I highly recommend Arturo Perez Reverte. I'm a big fan of his mystery novels. The Fencing Master, among others, takes place in Madrid, and the movie based on it is great.
See them all at
www.perez-reverte.com

Don Quijote?

"The shadow of the wind", by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

Rgds, Cova

Cova beat me to it. That is a fabulous book (though I have not read the translation).

Perez Reverte wrote "the queen of the south" about a female drug lord and I loved that book. My dad read it in English and raved.

If you want to read in Spanish, there is a great book called "las ventajas de viajar en tren" and if you have a more basic level, Manolito Gafotas is a children's series full of cultural gems. I have read them all. Their author (Elvira Lindo, wife of famous author Antonio Munoz Molina) also has a series of short articles from El Pais (Spanish newspaper out of Madrid) collected into book form. The first one, "Tinto de verano" is hilarious, and the ones that have followed have been very popular. She wrote a horrible book called "una palabra tuya" so skip that one.

I really love Ortega y Gasset and Clarin, but they are all old authors and their work is very dense. OyG is right on target about a lot of things, though.

Manuel Vazquez Montalban is a wonderful writer and wrote "Yo mate a Kennedy" and "tatuaje" are from the Carvalho series. Last year (the year of the book) BCN hosted tours of the city based on the main character (Carvalho) that were very entertaining.

It's not a novel, but Michener's "Iberia" is a wonderful read. He clearly had a great love for Spain.

Although he is rather obscure in the U.S., Camillo Cela is one of Spains greatest writers and a winner of the Noble Prize in Literature. His novel, "The Family of Pascal Duarte," is very reminiscent of the Existentialist Albert Camus.

I am a big fan of Garcia Lorca. His poetry contains the imagery of Andalusia. If you want to get a feel of Spain, read some of his poems.

Enzian, I am glad you mentioned "Iberia." I just re-read most of it. Highly recommended even if it is not a novel.

Another: "Journey to the Alcarria" by Camilo Jose Cela, about Castilla-Leon I believe.

"The Cypresses believe in God"
by Jose Marie Gironella

about the events and people leading up to the civil war.

Although by no means a book for all tastes. A little known book named "For Whom the Bell Tolls" is placed in Spain.

Blood and Sand - Vincente Blasco-Ibanez - a novel about Spanish bullfighters

Child of Our Times = Michel Del Castillo - about a SPanish family forced into exile during Spanish Civil war

Did you know there is a film of Blood and sand? I think it was Tyrone power and Linda Darnel?

I recently reread "The Sun also Rises" by Hemingway and it really made me want to go back to Spain. It is a fast easy read and is set partially in Paris and partially in Spain (mainly Pamplona). For some reason, I have never been able to finish For Whom the Bell Tolls.

On bullfighting by Mr. H: "The Dangerous Summer" and "Death in the Afternoon."

I'm a big fan of For Whom the Bell Tolls, but doubt it's what cindyma's after.

Bob_KY - try to get through it. It has, what I consider, a very powerful ending.

Driving Over Lemons by Chris Stewart; not a novel but a first-hand account of an ex-pat who locates in Spain. Has been compared favorably to Mayles/Provence and Maes/Tuscany.

Grandmere, wasn't it Driving Over Oranges? I was going to mention that one too.

It was lemons, I am quite sure..the guy in Mallorca? He wrote a second book about his time there. Or maybe I am getting him confused with another Brit who relocated to Spain...

Brian,
I have tried it twice, but maybe will give it one more attempt. I like most of his others.

I'm sorry, you're right!