Tales of the Alhambra

The Alhambra (mostly common English title: Tales of the Alhambra), appeared in other German editions also under the titles Tales of the Alhambra, Tales of the Alhambra or legends from the Alhambra, is a collection of short prose pieces, the American writer Washington Irving wrote in 1829.

Content

The collection of stories is embedded in a frame story, in which the author 's journey through Spain to Andalusia describes and gives a general description of the country and people. The bulk of the book consists of (depending on the edition ) about 30 stories around the Alhambra, the citadel of the last Moorish rulers in Al -Andalus. The stories are set to a smaller extent even at the time of Nasridenherrscher, for the most part but in after - Muslim period in which the Alhambra has been managed as a possession of the Spanish kings of Christian governors and was increasingly left to decay.

Genesis and performance history

On an extended trip to Europe reached Washington Irving in 1826 to Spain. As a result of extensive research source both of Spanish history and culture of the Arab Irving published in 1828 a biography of Christopher Columbus' and a year later the deemed Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada. In 1829 he traveled to Granada, where he spent four months living in the Alhambra and wrote down the stories of the collection. His stay ended when he was appointed as secretary of the U.S. embassy in London, a position that Irving held until 1832.

The first edition was in 1832 in Philadelphia, Lea & Carey under the title The Alhambra: A Series of laid Tales of the Moors and Spaniards, by the Author of " The Sketch Book". Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley published the book at the same time in London under the title The Alhambra. The British edition also contained a dedication to David Wilkie, RA, Irving's fellow travelers in Spain. Also in 1832 the German edition appeared in the translation of Christian August Fischer. 1851 Washington Irving was a revised version of the work out. The work has been translated into a variety of languages.

The work posed by the subtitle as a Spanish version of the 1819/20 published sketchbook represents the collection of short stories is one of the most closed Irving's literary works. She was responsible for the revival of the 19th century interest in the Alhambra and artistic reception of the works in the romance, which in turn led to the consolidation and restoration of the castle.