Spanish and Basque Legends: A people's chronicle from prehistory to the 21st century - Softcover

Marsh, Richard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0955756812 ISBN 13: 9780955756818

Publisher: Legendary Books, 2022

Synopsis

This is the only collection of Spanish legends in print in English.

About this title

From the Author

This collection of legends (broadly defined) is meant to be representative rather than comprehensive. As a Basque saying goes, "A small fountain quenches your thirst as well as a big one." I have selected the stories based on period, place, theme and type. Galicia and the Basque Country are especially rich in local tales, Burgos (Old Castile) in medieval historical legends. During the Christian Reconquest of Moorish Spain between AD 718 and 1492, there is a concentration of accounts of courage and compassion, cruelty and outrage at action hot spots such as Toledo and Seville and throughout the shifting borderlands.

Most of the legends have come to me from multiple sources. I have compiled my versions of these in a straightforward manner in the style I feel is best suited to each story, giving precedence to the narrative while reflecting the often formal tone of the older sources. Historical and background information necessary to the appreciation of each story is provided in a brief introduction or incorporated in the text. Additional information is in the Notes section in the back of the book.

From the Back Cover

These 76 tales of brave warriors, clever women, star-crossed lovers, magic, miracles, cruelty, compassion, betrayal, and wry humour feature the pre-eminent

El Cid
Fernán González
The Seven Princes of Lara

Other stories include the 13th-century BC Coming of the Almujuces to Galicia, How the Basques Discovered Ireland, the naming of Madrid's Street of the Head, the tragic Peña de los Enamorados in Antequera, and the dramatic true history behind Guzmán el Bueno's Heroic Deed of Tarifa.

Edition details

• Publisher: Legendary Books
• Publication date: 2022
• ISBN 10: 0955756812
• ISBN 13: 9780955756818
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 240