Madrid

...og sådan tænker jeg altid på Madrid: En by, der er et sandt forhindringsløb trafikalt, og alligevel hilser buschaufføren på dig, når du stiger ind. En by, hvor grønthandlerne tit lægger et par ekstra tomater og kartofler i posen som tak for handlen. En by, hvor alle barer og cafeterier er propfyldte i morgentimerne. Men der er altid nogen, der lige træder et skridt til siden, så du kan få en lille bitte andel i bardisken. Plads nok til et glas friskpresset appelsinjuice, en kop kaffe og et stykke tortilla de patatas og de påkrævede centimeter, så du kan folde dagens udgave af avisen halvt ud. Luna Christofi, fra bogens intro

The miraculous story of Madrid--how a village became a great world city For centuries Madrid was an insignificant settlement on the central Iberian plateau. Under its Muslim rulers the town was fortified and enlarged, but even after the Reconquista it remained secondary to nearby Toledo. But Madrid's fortunes dramatically shifted in the sixteenth century, becoming the centre of a vast global empire. Luke Stegemann tells the surprising story of Madrid's flourishing, and its outsize influence across the world. From Cervantes and Quevedo to Vel?zquez and Goya, Spain's capital has been home to some of Europe's most influential artists and thinkers. It formed a vital link between Europe and the Americas and became a cauldron of political dissent--not least during the Spanish Civil War, when the city was on the frontline in the fight against fascism. Stegemann places Madrid and its people in global context, showing how the city--fast overtaking Barcelona as a centre of international finance and cultural tourism--has become a melting pot at the heart of Europe and the wider Hispanic world.

The miraculous story of Madrid--how a village became a great world city For centuries Madrid was an insignificant settlement on the central Iberian plateau. Under its Muslim rulers the town was fortified and enlarged, but even after the Reconquista it remained secondary to nearby Toledo. But Madrid's fortunes dramatically shifted in the sixteenth century, becoming the centre of a vast global empire. Luke Stegemann tells the surprising story of Madrid's flourishing, and its outsize influence across the world. From Cervantes and Quevedo to Vel?zquez and Goya, Spain's capital has been home to some of Europe's most influential artists and thinkers. It formed a vital link between Europe and the Americas and became a cauldron of political dissent--not least during the Spanish Civil War, when the city was on the frontline in the fight against fascism. Stegemann places Madrid and its people in global context, showing how the city--fast overtaking Barcelona as a centre of international finance and cultural tourism--has become a melting pot at the heart of Europe and the wider Hispanic world.