Tales Of The Alhambra
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''Tales of the Alhambra'' (1832) is a collection of essays, verbal sketches and stories by American author
Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...
(1783–1859) inspired by, and partly written during, his 1828 visit to the palace/fortress complex known as the
Alhambra The Alhambra (, ; ar, الْحَمْرَاء, Al-Ḥamrāʾ, , ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the ...
in
Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
,
Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...
,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
.


Background

Shortly after completing a biography of
Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
in 1828, Washington Irving travelled from
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
, where he had been staying, to
Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
, Spain. At first sight, he described it as "a most picturesque and beautiful city, situated in one of the loveliest landscapes that I have ever seen." Irving was preparing a book called ''A Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada'', a history of the years 1478–1492, and was continuing his research on the topic.Burstein, Andrew. ''The Original Knickerbocker: The Life of Washington Irving''. New York: Basic Books, 2007: 210. He immediately asked the then-governor of the historic
Alhambra The Alhambra (, ; ar, الْحَمْرَاء, Al-Ḥamrāʾ, , ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the ...
Palace as well as the archbishop of Granada for access to the palace, which was granted because of Irving's celebrity status.Jones, Brian Jay. ''Washington Irving: An American Original''. New York: Arcade Publishing, 2008: 251. Aided by a 35-year-old guide named Mateo Ximenes, Irving was inspired by his experience to write ''Tales of the Alhambra''. The book combines description, myth and narrations of real historical events, even up through the destruction of some of the palace's towers by the French under Count Sebastiani in 1812, and the further damage caused by an earthquake in 1821. Throughout his trip, Washington filled his notebooks and journals with descriptions and observations though he did not believe his writing would ever do it justice. He wrote, "How unworthy is my scribbling of the place." Irving continued to travel through Spain until he was appointed as secretary of legation at the United States Embassy in London, serving under the incoming minister
Louis McLane Louis McLane (May 28, 1786 – October 7, 1857) was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware, and Baltimore, Maryland. He was a veteran of the War of 1812, a member of the Federalist Party and later th ...
. He arrived in London by late September 1829.


Publication history

''The Alhambra: a series of tales and sketches of the Moors and Spaniards'' was published in May 1832 in the United States by publishers Lea & Carey and concurrently in England by
Henry Colburn Henry Colburn (1784 – 16 August 1855) was a British publisher. Life Virtually nothing is known about Henry Colburn's parentage or early life, and there is uncertainty over his year of birth. He was well-educated and fluent in French and h ...
, and attributed to " Geoffrey Crayon".Jones, Brian Jay. ''Washington Irving: An American Original''. New York: Arcade Publishing, 2008: 289. Consisting of a series of essays and short fiction pieces, it was referred to as his "Spanish '' Sketch Book''". Shortly after the book's publication, Irving returned to New York after a 17-year absence from the United States. In 1851 Irving wrote an "Author's Revised Edition", also titled ''Tales of the Alhambra''.


Legacy and influence

The book was instrumental in reintroducing the Alhambra to Western audiences. A plaque now marks the rooms in which Irving stayed while writing some of his book.
Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
's 1834 tale in verse ''
The Tale of the Golden Cockerel ''The Tale of the Golden Cockerel'' (russian: «Сказка о золотом петушке», Skazka o zolotom petushke) is the last fairy tale in verse by Alexander Pushkin. Pushkin wrote the tale in 1834 and it was first published in literary ...
'' is based on two chapters of ''Tales of the Alhambra''. In turn, the Pushkin poem inspired Vladimir Belsky's libretto for the opera "
The Golden Cockerel ''The Golden Cockerel'' ( rus, Золотой петушок, Zolotoy petushok ) is an opera in three acts, with short prologue and even shorter epilogue, composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, his last opera he completed before his death in 1908. ...
" by
Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...
.
Dudley Buck Dudley Buck (March 10, 1839October 6, 1909) was an American composer, organist, and writer on music. He published several books, most notably the ''Dictionary of Musical Terms'' and ''Influence of the Organ in History'', which was published i ...
set portions of the text of the Don Munio chapter for his 1874 oratorio ''The Legend of Don Munio''.
Erwin von Busse Erwin von Busse also known as Granand or Erwin von Busse-Granand (12 January 1885 – 10 April 1939) was a German writer, artist, theater director, art historian and critic. His 1920 collection of short stories devoted to erotic male relationships ...
published a collection of short stories called ''Liebesmärchen'' or "Lovers Fairy Tales" based on the ''Tales of the Alhambra'' in Germany in 1921. The book serves as the basis of the 1950 Spanish film ''
Tales of the Alhambra ''Tales of the Alhambra'' (1832) is a collection of essays, verbal sketches and stories by American author Washington Irving (1783–1859) inspired by, and partly written during, his 1828 visit to the palace/fortress complex known as the Alhambr ...
''. ''The Legend of the Moor's Legacy'' has been adapted into a Soviet cartoon in 1959.
Villa Zorayda Villa Zorayda (also known as the Zorayda Castle) is a house at 83 King Street in St. Augustine, Florida. Built in 1883 by the eccentric Boston millionaire Franklin W. Smith as his winter home, it was inspired by the 12th-century Moorish A ...
, a museum in St. Augustine, Florida based on a wing of the Alhambra, takes its name from a character in Irving's book (specifically from "Legend of the Three Beautiful Princesses"). The city of
Alhambra, California Alhambra (, , ; from " Alhambra") is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately eight miles from the Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains t ...
is named after the book. In 1874, the daughter of Benjamin Wilson was reading the book and encouraged him to use the name for his new Los Angeles suburban development. In 2017, Spanish animation producer
Pedro Alonso Pablos Pedro Alonso Pablos (Madrid, January 11, 1979) is a film producer, known for his internet talk show, a pioneer in that medium, and for making his animated feature films almost entirely by himself. Interviews Mentioned interviews were recorded in ...
made an animated mini-series featuring some of the Tales of the Alhambra: ''The Arab Astrologer'', ''The three beautiful princesses'' and ''The rose of the Alhambra''.


References


External links

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Full text in Word document formOnline textAnimated miniseries about the ''Tales of the Alhambra''Online text with images
{{Authority control Alhambra (Spain) Essay collections by Washington Irving American short story collections 1832 short story collections Books adapted into films