Tales of the Alhambra

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What to expect

Written in 1831, Washington Irving’s dreamlike description of the Alhambra, the beautiful Moorish castle that defined the height of Moorish civilization, and of the surrounding territory of Granada remains one of the most romantic and entertaining travelogues ever written of this region in Spain.

Enhanced here with exquisite Spanish guitar music, the narrative is a heady mix of historical fact, medieval myth and mystery, sensual descriptions, and an appreciation for a civilization that valued beauty, philosophy, literature, science, and the arts on an equal level with warrior skills. Secret chambers, desperate battles, imprisoned princesses, palace ghosts, and fragrant gardens, described in a wistful and dreamlike eloquence, will transport listeners to a paradise of their own.

Critics Review

  • “The Tales of Alhambra are brillant and striking, told with the most delightful grace of language, and addressed to the imagination.”

    New York Mirror, 1832

  • “As we are here strongly impressed with [the Tales of the Alhambra], we might speak of that most delightful of all critical offices, the giving of free, fearless praise.”

    American Monthly Review, 1832

  • “In the works of Washington Irving there is more polished elegance than rough stregth: he is always graceful and neat, flowing and harmoinious…The present work dawned on his fancy as he mused amid the magnificent ruins of the Alhambra…we know of few who can equal him in the art of transferring living and breathing flesh and blood to his canvas.”

    Athenaeum, 1832

  • “Ralph Cosham gives an excellent even-toned reading with inflections of Spanish and Arabic that add to the stories. Spanish guitar music provides both transitional moments and ambience.”

    AudioFile

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