Alexis de Vilar says the film copies his 1987 novel Goodbye, Barcelona. Manel Haro points out that the book was not, as Alexis claims, registered with the Ministry of Culture (to indicate publication) in 1987, but in October 2008, a month after the film was released here. Alexis claims inter alia to have survived an…
Estacions fantasmes del metro de Barcelona (via Dani@Altres Barcelones) has got some great contemporary photos, digital reconstructions and historical material. The one thing I find curious is that, as with lots of Spanish websites, sourcing is vague and intellectual property appear not to be an issue. While one part of the Spanish blogosphere suffers periodic…
There are various explanations of Spanish anti-Americanism. The post-colonial hypothesis is popular: Spain is bitter about its loss of empire, its defeat in 1898, its not being invited to the G-whatever. An alternative hypothesis is that anti-Americanism is frustration arising from the idea that an implicit bilateral dollars-for-favours deal has been violated. In Luis Berlanga,…
“Prime minister José Luis Zapatero said the assault on Andrew Sachs was ‘measured’ given the actor’s portrayal of a halfwit Spaniard who thinks a rat is some kind of Siberian hamster.” Given that Manuel in Fawlty Towers is Barcelona’s best-known literary figure, I’m surprised the council hasn’t declared war, or banned UK flights, or something.…
César-Javier Palacios reports on the cyclist, shot dead by a hunter who mistook him for a boar. When in death’s dark vale loud singing usually suffices to drive off hell’s hunters. Hunters know this too. In his romance, Count Arnaldos, hungry hawk in hand, falls prey to a sailor (love, glory or death, true or…
El Mundo apparently says that Catalan schools are using a book which encourages small children to give the Hitler salute. Not so: heil is afaik an old-fashioned and regionally-specific greeting, along the lines of the English hail. The publisher is wrong to believe that this is the normal greeting–that’s hallo–and El Mundo is wrong, as…
Two lovely designers who trade the occasional hour with me and eat my curries and drink my hooch have informed me that all the various sites grouped under oreneta.com need to change. The Baldie needs to be legible by users over 35. Kalebeul needs more identity (someone said duotint photo 2 in sepia; I tried…
The following description of birdsong contests is taken from Josep Pla’s brilliant anecdotography of Rafael Puget, Un señor de Barcelona, and is mid- to late-19th century: Singing competitions A fondness for birdsong has existed in Manlleu, Barcelona province for as far back as my memory reaches. The “Societat d’aucellistes”, the Society of Bird-Fanciers, is very…
Spain’s up at no 52 on the UN parking ticket corruption index, so that’s between the Ukraine and the Philippines, with average 12.7 unpaid violations per diplomat. The UK averages 0.0. Other crime news: Either the Azerbaijanis or the UAEers have stolen an “r” from Australia. The data’s pretty old, so perhaps Spanish councils’ new…
Shop deliveries free on foot in Leeds LS1-8 & LS13 Dismiss