Tremlett's taut recounting of the 2004 train bombings in Madrid makes especially timely reading, with the suspects now on trial.

Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and Its Silent Past

At this charged moment, Giles Tremlett embarked on a journey around the country and through its history to discover why some of Europe's most voluble people have kept silent so long. I cant vouch for it's accuracy but it certainly appears that the author has 'gotten under the skin of Spain' and is offering the reader some very interesting insights into one of Europe's largest countries. Waverers are chivvied to join one camp or the other with arguments where you rarely hear the phrase "I see what you mean". Most significantly, memorials to the Republican dead are emerging while those of Franco’s supporters are shunned.As it was not tourist season, the tower blocks we hurtled past were lonely figures, devoid of people and activity. He has the journalistic habit of letting others do his thinking for him, merely reporting their opinions. Of course, as his book’s title indicates, understanding current events often requires an examination of past history, and this is nowhere more true than in Spain, where the ghosts of the Civil War have yet to be laid to rest. It is written by a British journalist, who has lived for many years in Spain and gives a half-insider/half-outsider perspective on the country. The furore over the exhumation of General Franco’s body shows that despite the civil war and his reign belonging to the past, the divisions are still as raw today as they were back then.

Ghosts of Spain : travels through Spain and its silent past Ghosts of Spain : travels through Spain and its silent past

One of the downsides for Spain is that it’s in an awkward position compared to the rest of Western Europe. The little stories and people from los pueblos made the reading even more enjoyable, the history of flamenco y los gitanos was great. In elegant and passionate prose, Tremlett unveils the tinderbox of disagreements that mark the country today. I read it in 2 sittings, I've lived in Spain for 2 years and laughed out loud at the familiar situations described, and winced at the descriptions of what happened during the civil war and it's aftermath.This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. All this takes place in a country where the emphasis has been resolute about looking forwards not backwards and where there are ongoing separatist movements. However, maybe this also reflects the diversity of Spain's regions, languages, and people that couldn't adequately be summed up in any other way.

Ghosts of Spain : Travels Through Spain and Its Silent Past

Will be interesting to see how much PC group-think he pours into that one, as Isabella would certainly not pass any of their exams. Galicia and Aragon even have their own languages too, however, they are not as widespread as the other two. This was built on what I had encountered during previous trips to the country and stereotypes of Spain. It was felt at the time that it was better to forget what had happened than to reflect as a society. there are pages here on almost every exemplary, cautionary, and symbolic aspect of Old Spain and New.The tone of his book is entirely different from John Hooper’s The New Spaniards, though both are excellent in different ways and complement each other nicely. Virtually nobody eats while walking; and disposable coffee cups are a rarity, as coffee is normally drunk sitting down. I found most of this to be interesting, although Tremlett's style can be a bit dry and understated, perhaps a little too anglosajon.

Giles Tremlett - Wikipedia Giles Tremlett - Wikipedia

After reading it I felt I had a greater understanding of the country, which explained many things I had come across. The ticket agent, a man in his 50s or 60s, barely listened to my request, looked at his watch, and without ever looking up growled, "No".Each genre has a distinguished pedigree, and the likes of Richard Ford and Gerald Brenan, Raymond Carr and Paul Preston, are as revered in Spain as at home. Late one night in Madrid, as my friend and I finished eating our dinner on Spanish time—which means we get home around midnight—we were walking back to our apartment when it suddenly began to rain. Those seeking to rebury victims flung into ditches inhabit a different mental universe from those wanting to forget the whole bloody business. It is a good example of being rewarded for the effort of reading: you trudge through 1-2-3 chapters, wavering to give up and then “BANG”: half a page of valuable and absolutely fascinating information few of your friends ever heard of.