A Woman Unknown
Voices from a Spanish Life
-
- 25,00 kr
-
- 25,00 kr
Publisher Description
Lucia Graves, daughter of the poet Robert Graves and his wife Beryl, grew up in the beautiful village of Deia on the island of Majorca. Neither Spanish nor Catholic by birth, she nevertheless absorbed the different traditions of Spain and felt the full impact of Franco's dictatorship through the experience of her education. Lucia found herself continually bridging the gaps between Catalan, Spanish and English, as she picked up the patterns and nuances that contain the essence of each culture.
Portraying her life as a child watching the hills lit up by bonfires on Good Friday, or, years later, walking through the haunting backstreets of the Jewish quarter of Girona, this is a captivating personal memoir which provides a first-hand account of Catalonia, where Lucia lived and raised a family. It is also a unique and perceptive appraisal of a country burdened by tradition yet coming to terms with political change as the decades moved on.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A hybrid of biography, memoir and travel essay, this is a portrait of life in the dazzling cornucopia of Spain. Graves is the only daughter of poet Robert Graves's first marriage. Born in Devon, England, in 1943, she was raised on the Spanish island of Majorca, and her memoir deals mainly with her experiences growing up in post-civil war Spain under Franco's regime. However dominating that rule was, her enchanting village escaped much of it, enveloping Lucia and her brothers in a safe haven marked by beautiful landscapes, rich folklore and a vibrant linguistic tradition. The book is loosely chronological, spanning her life and ties to Catalonia, the region of northeastern Spain near France and Andorra, whose principal city is Barcelona. Growing up there among the devoutly Catholic and unmistakably Spanish, she absorbed many of their beliefs and customs, although she herself was neither Catholic nor Spanish. She reveres the language of Catalan, attributing its energy and beauty to its speakers. After studies at the International School in Geneva and Oxford, she returned to Spain and started a family in the Barcelona area. Her status as a foreigner in a familiar land gives her a unique perspective on Spain's identityDone that is frequently caught between antiquated Franco-era customs, the repressed society it yielded and the modernization brought about by political change. Written in fluid, conversational prose, this memoir will draw and captivate both readers of memoirs and those who enjoyed Chris Stewart's Driving over Lemons.
