Enrique Jardiel Poncela claims in an afterword to have written his “quasi-cosmopolitan novel”, Amor se escribe sin hache (Amor is written without an H) in the following locations (Madrid unless specified): Café Universal.- Café Europeo.- Café Varela.- Café Castilla.- Café Español.- Café España.- Cuevas del Hotel Nacional.- Café Gijón.- Café Recoletos.- Granja del Henar.- Negresco.-…
After struggling for 10 minutes, a well-dressed young man manages to set fire to a container just off Carmen, steps back, takes out what looks like an expensive video camera in order to film his work, and is immediately robbed by two Moroccan lads. Try explaining that to Mummy and Daddy. Other faves: Several hoodies…
Jordi’s got a post about the excellent (sez me, not he) work being done by the Community of Madrid (the regional authority) to foment bilingualism in Latin America in order to improve the chances of the poor. Any chance of some finance for Spanish-language education in Catalonia, if the Generalitat won’t oblige?
This may just be one of those hateful things people here say about the capital, but someone the other day told me that, in the first part of the C20th, the number of barrel organs per head of population in Madrid far exceeded that in Barcelona. Armando Palacio Valdés’ autobiographical La novela de un novelista…
Nightfall in Madrid, which was apparently notorious (Pérez Galdós, Rosalía, ca 1872): In the house a sepulchral silence reigned, but outside the noise was unbearable: carriages came and went without cease; a girl cried the lottery every five minutes, informing the public, “Tomorrow’s the last day to get your tickets. 10 reals for a décimo…
The elaborate precautions taken in Spain to mitigate the effects of such torrents as we’re having at the moment can lead to puzzlement during dry spells. Here‘s Isaac D’Israeli in Curiosities of Literature: In one of his odes [Gongora] addresses the River of Madrid by the title of the Duke of Streams and the Viscount…
I always thought (and I think most people think) that “Spain is different” originated in the 1960s during Manuel Fraga’s period as promotor of beaches, bullfights and bars, but in fact it’s older, although not earth-shakingly so: this PDF booklet celebrating 75 years of paradors dates it to 1955 (and says that the systematic promotion…
Mayors all over the country are trying to find ways of combating a perceived deterioration in public behaviour. Adolfina García has dug up the still-effective Ordenanza de Policía Urbana y Gobierno de la Villa. Some rules: Shoeshines should wear uniform. Spittoons should be present in all lodging houses. Chickens, turkeys and other barnyard animals are…
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