https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Spain in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Two volumes of "Don Quixote", the epic Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes, will go up for auction in Paris, where they are expected to fetch between €400 and €600K combined. Here's the incredible story of how they were unearthed. https://www.thelocal.es/20221130/rare-editions-of-spains-don-quixote-go-up-for-auction-in-uk Wed, 30 Nov 2022 10:41:03 +0100 rare-editions-of-spains-don-quixote-go-up-for-auction-in-uk If you've ever stepped into a Spanish bookshop and been shocked by the price tags you're not the only one. In Spain, you can expect to pay up to three times as much as you would for a book in the UK. So why is reading so expensive? https://www.thelocal.es/20210826/why-are-books-so-expensive-in-spain Thu, 26 Aug 2021 14:06:04 +0200 why-are-books-so-expensive-in-spain As July 17th marks the 85th anniversary of the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, The Local takes a look at the best books on the conflict. https://www.thelocal.es/20180718/spanish-civil-war-books-must-read-best Wed, 18 Jul 2018 13:35:56 +0200 spanish-civil-war-books-must-read-best The Local asked readers for recommendations for a summer reading list of must-read books either about Spain, based in Spain or by Spanish authors. https://www.thelocal.es/20180801/summer-reading-list Wed, 01 Aug 2018 10:49:15 +0200 summer-reading-list The legendary American writer spent some of his happiest and most productive years in Spain. Here are Hemingway's favourite hang-outs in a country that fascinated and inspired him. https://www.thelocal.es/20191119/hemingways-favourite-spanish-haunts Tue, 19 Nov 2019 10:19:07 +0100 hemingways-favourite-spanish-haunts Did you know that a gin and tonic tastes better in Madrid than anywhere else in the world? This is just one of things that makes Spain's capital a place to love, according to author Soledad Fox Maura. https://www.thelocal.es/20201209/opinion-madrid-is-a-celebration-of-daily-life Wed, 09 Dec 2020 19:08:47 +0100 opinion-madrid-is-a-celebration-of-daily-life It was hidden away for centuries in the archives of a seminary in Spain, a rare edition of a Shakespeare play experts believe may be the earliest copy of his work to reach the country. https://www.thelocal.es/20200925/shakespeares-last-play-discovered-hidden-in-salamanca-archives-in-spain Fri, 25 Sep 2020 13:43:35 +0200 shakespeares-last-play-discovered-hidden-in-salamanca-archives-in-spain Leading Spanish author Carlos Ruiz Zafón, who scored an international hit with his Barcelona-based mystery "The Shadow of the Wind", died on Friday, his publishing house said. He was 55. https://www.thelocal.es/20200619/spains-shadow-of-the-wind-author-ruiz-zafon-dead-at-55 Fri, 19 Jun 2020 17:19:14 +0200 spains-shadow-of-the-wind-author-ruiz-zafon-dead-at-55 Every month a growing group of book fans meets in a loft-style gallery in the Las Salesas district, on the edge of Madrid's trendy Chueca. https://www.thelocal.es/20200218/madrid-bookie-the-intimate-literary-club-with-big-ambitions Tue, 18 Feb 2020 16:16:42 +0100 madrid-bookie-the-intimate-literary-club-with-big-ambitions Anna Nicholas relocated from England to Mallorca and her writing career took off. Here, she explains why the island is an inspirational paradise. https://www.thelocal.es/20191129/opinion-why-mallorca-is-a-paradise-for-writers-if-you-can-stand-it Fri, 29 Nov 2019 11:00:35 +0100 opinion-why-mallorca-is-a-paradise-for-writers-if-you-can-stand-it While politicians remain at loggerheads, the arts bring resolution to the Basque Country's long history of violence, writes Caroline Gray. https://www.thelocal.es/20190808/patria-how-a-remarkable-novel-is-helping-spain-come-to-terms-with-the-basque-countrys-violent-past Thu, 08 Aug 2019 14:55:42 +0200 patria-how-a-remarkable-novel-is-helping-spain-come-to-terms-with-the-basque-countrys-violent-past Shawn Goldberg had been writing folk tales in the third person. Then he moved to Madrid and found an open mic writers' night. This is his story: https://www.thelocal.es/20190320/my-spanish-story-how-a-madrid-open-mic-night-helped-me-find-my-voice Wed, 20 Mar 2019 12:23:07 +0100 my-spanish-story-how-a-madrid-open-mic-night-helped-me-find-my-voice Sam Michaels relocated to very rural Spain to pursue a life as a writer. Here she describes how she adapted to a quieter pace of life and a house full of adopted animals. https://www.thelocal.es/20190215/my-spanish-story-swapping-the-city-for-a-life-in-the-campo Fri, 15 Feb 2019 13:10:26 +0100 my-spanish-story-swapping-the-city-for-a-life-in-the-campo Uruguayan poet Ida Vitale, 95, on Thursday won the Cervantes Prize, the most prestigious literary award in the Spanish-speaking world, Spain's Culture Minister Jose Guirao announced. https://www.thelocal.es/20181116/uruguayan-poet-95-wins-top-spanish-literary-award Fri, 16 Nov 2018 11:34:52 +0100 uruguayan-poet-95-wins-top-spanish-literary-award The spectre of the Civil War continues to haunt Spain in many different ways. It manifests itself overtly in conflicts over Catalan independence but also more subtly through art, literature and film. https://www.thelocal.es/20180903/why-the-spanish-civil-war-continues-to-haunt-gothic-literature Mon, 03 Sep 2018 12:18:01 +0200 why-the-spanish-civil-war-continues-to-haunt-gothic-literature Jefferson Bonar has been living outside the Andalucian town of Salobreña for over three years now and has spent that time drinking, wallowing in self-doubt, and occasionally working on his novel, which despite his best efforts is finished and available now on Amazon. https://www.thelocal.es/20180807/surprising-ways-spains-historic-little-villages-are-more-modern-than-madrid Tue, 07 Aug 2018 13:23:28 +0200 surprising-ways-spains-historic-little-villages-are-more-modern-than-madrid For forty years, Bob Yareham (who was born in Hackney North in 1954) has taught English as a foreign language, mainly in Valencia, a challenge that involves explaining, for what seems like the millionth time, that “yes, ‘bare’ is pronounced like ‘bear’ and ‘queue’ is no different from ‘q’. https://www.thelocal.es/20180717/english-actually-40-years-in-the-wilderness Tue, 17 Jul 2018 12:26:57 +0200 english-actually-40-years-in-the-wilderness The bookworms of Madrid have emerged from the woodwork as La Feria del Libro, the city’s annual book fair, occupies the Retiro park until Sunday June 10th. https://www.thelocal.es/20180607/10-bookshops-in-madrid-that-are-more-than-just-bookshops Thu, 07 Jun 2018 14:23:05 +0200 10-bookshops-in-madrid-that-are-more-than-just-bookshops One of the best attended annual gatherings of Spanish-language writers anywhere is held in Gijón, in northern Spain, and every year they unveil their pick of newly published books by their peers. https://www.thelocal.es/20170717/five-spanish-authors-you-should-read-this-summer Mon, 17 Jul 2017 12:14:29 +0200 five-spanish-authors-you-should-read-this-summer Swedish-born Cecilia Ekbäck puts the forgotten role of women first in her recently released historical crime novel, “In the Month of the Midnight Sun”, a stark, eery follow-up to her striking debut, “Wolf Winter”. https://www.thelocal.es/20170712/swedish-crime-novelist-eckbck-writes-women-back-into-history Wed, 12 Jul 2017 14:05:00 +0200 swedish-crime-novelist-eckbck-writes-women-back-into-history