Nubian, one of the reference platforms for digital reading under the subscription model, coinciding with the feast of San Isidro, has collected ten titles to get to know Madrid, its enclaves, its people and its different environments throughout its history, through literature.
«A melting pot of cultures and a meeting point for a large population of emigrants from all over the peninsula, Madrid is the summary of many singularities that can be explained through books, written by both native Madrilenians and foreign writers«, They say from Nubico in a statement.
These are the 10 readings recommended by Nubico to delve into the history of Madrid.
#1 - The secret history of Madrid, by Ricardo Aroca (Origins of Madrid)
With this novel we will be able to know the origins of Madrid. The novel is an exciting journey through time that describes the changes in the urban space of the capital from its origin in Muslim times to the present, analyzing the mysteries that lie behind the genesis of some of its most representative buildings. This tour of the city allows us to understand how the transformations of society, politics and the economy have had their immediate reflection in urban development.
#2 - Captain Alatriste, by Arturo and Carlota Pérez-Reverte
This novel will allow us to know the Madrid of the Habsburgs through the misadventures of a veteran soldier of the thirds of Flanders. His adventures immerse us in the intrigues of the Court of a corrupt Spain, in dark alleys between the shine of two steel or between the taverns where Francisco de Quevedo composes sonnets.
#3 - History of the life of the Buscónby Francisco de Quevedo
Quevedo's work is one of the greatest exponents of the Golden Age and of how Madrid and the Barrio de las Letras (Huertas) emerged in these centuries as one of the epicenters of Spanish universal literature: Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Quevedo , Góngora and later Moratín, Espronceda or Larra, lived their days here.
#4 - The villain of Vallecasby Tirso de Molina
Another of the great Madrid authors of the Golden Age is undoubtedly Tirso de Molina. The union between this author and Madrid can be seen in the enormous number of allusions in his works to the capital, as is the case of The Villana of Vallecas, the comedy that anticipated another of his most representative works The Trickster of Seville. This type of genre would later be relegated to the background by the historical events that occurred in Spain: the entry of Napoleon and, above all, the Uprising of May 2 and the War of Independence.
#5 - National Episodes I. The War of Independence, Benito Perez Galdos
This is the culminating work of its author and the best portrait of Madrid at that time. The military and political adventure that Spain experienced for more than six years is mixed, leading to the May 2 uprising against the French occupation, at which time Madrid plays a key role. Daoiz and Velarde but especially Manuela Malasaña will go down as icons of the city, giving name to one of the most popular neighborhoods in the city.
#6 - Bohemian lightsby Valle Inclán
With this work we will enter the crisis of 98 and the Generation of 98 and we will get to know the cafes and gatherings of the Center. Years later a very marked historical event for our country took place: the crisis of 98. This time gave rise to a great modernist generation, with authors among which Valle Inclán and his work stood out. Bohemian lights. The literary circles of Madrid and the unforgettable figure of Max Estrella are the portrait of the bohemian Madrid, where crowds of people met in cafes to discuss issues related to politics and literature.
#7 - Cats Fightby Eduardo Mendoza
Years later, another event marked Spanish and Madrid literature: the Spanish Civil War. In this context it is set Cat fight. Madrid 1936,work starring a young Englishman, a specialist in classical art, who moves to the Spanish capital and finds himself involved in a thorny plot of espionage and politics. All this set in Madrid in the moments before the spring of 1936, the days before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.
#8 - The three weddings of Manolita, by Almudena Grandes
It is precisely in Madrid just out of the Civil War where this novel is set. It is an emotional story about the post-war years of poverty and an unforgettable tapestry of lives and destinies with real and imagined characters in Madrid's downtown neighborhoods.
#9 - Alaska and other stories of the move, by Rafa Cervera
This difficult context of war contrasts with the party environment that years later would characterize the capital at the time known as “La movida madrileña”. Works like Alaska and other stories of the scene They are essential to know the secrets of this historical and cultural moment that took place in Madrid streets such as Malasaña, Luchana, Covarrubias, Tribunal or the Sol area.
#10 - Madrid 1987by David Trueba
But talking about the 80s is also talking about politics and transition. An example of this moment can be seen in this novel, which tells the story of Miguel, a veteran columnist, feared and respected, and Angela, a young first-year journalism student. Like two trains, their personalities collide head-on, in the Spain of 1987, a country that had just finished closing the chapter of Francoism and that was installed in democracy.