Sheila

Sarah: I recommend Iberia by James Michener. I believe Maria was referring to "Platero y yo" by Cela. <BR>Also, if you can find it, the film "Cría" is excellent.

Maira

It is not fiction, but it is one of the best books I have read about Spain. It is the Spain edition of the Travelers Tales Guides. Just an outstanding anthology of short narratives/ travel stories of visitors to Spain. Full of anecdotes and very interesting tidbits of cultural notes, it features writers like Garcia Marquez talking about his visit to Galicia and what reminded him of his grandma's cooking in Colombia, Barbara Kingsolver's visit to La Gomera (Canary Islands; should be mandatory reading for visitors), or the time Louis de Bernieres (Correli's Mandolin) decided to take part in La Tomatina (Tomato Fiesta in Bunol, Valencia; hilarious). The essays are so well written and so interesting they read like fiction. Definitely this book ought to be mandatory reading for Spain-bound travelers. It will enhance your trip; guaranteed.

Marc David Miller

I am happy to see the other mentions of "Barcelona" (Whit Stillman and I both went to the same high school--I like to support my fellow alums). Also, there is an interesting non-fiction book called "The Spaniards" (forgot the author) published about three years ago, which contained a set of essays on life in post-Franco Spain.

Alun John

Try the book "the New Spaniards" by John Hooper (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...079043-0053304) - its a bit old but still quite relevant. You may also want to see if Ian Gibson has writen any recent articles on Spain. <BR> <BR>You may want to try reading some Spanish authros - Miguel Delibes, Cela and Cervantes's Don Quijote. Films - most Almodovar - even Matador . Have you tried Laurie Lee's "As I walked out one Midsummer Morning." I actually remember travelling through Spain around 12 years ago with my dog-eared For whom the bell tols book - pure heaven!

Maira

ttt for the poster looking for books set in Spain. <BR><BR>Also, the Brazilian author Paulo Coelho has a number of outstanding books set in Spain that you may want to check out.

Becky

"Talk of Angels"--fictional set in Madrid during the Franco regime. This is what inspired me to go to Spain. It is about an Irish governess in a wealthy Spanish family. Loved the landscapes, etc.<BR><BR>CHIC FLICK!!!!<BR><BR>http://www.hollywood.com/movies/detail/movie/177846<BR><BR>

dudex

Featuring El Clint: A Fistfull of $$$, For a Few $$$ More, and The Good, The Bad & The Ugly - aka the ever popular paella western.

Lily

The Ninth Gate (movie) with Johnny Depp shows some real cool lifelike scenes of Spain - but the movie isn't for everybody.

Bedi

Hi, Sarah-<BR>I enjoy prepping for a trip abroad by renting native films, too. It's a good way to get accustomed to hearing the language and you can usually pick up a handy phrase or two in the process. I highly recommend "Cria Cuervo" (I think in English it means "Crying Crow"???); it's by the same director who shot "Spirit of the Beehive", which I found to be slow and not nearly as good as "Cria". The child actress, Anna Torrens, is captivating. Enjoy your trip!

kate

The scenes in Spain on "The Ninth Gate" were filmed in Toledo; most of the film was made in Portugal. Also filmed in Toledo were scenes of "El Cid" and "The Three Musketeers".