As you might already know, I’m currently eagerly following the Guardian’s World Literature Tour. I think it’s fantastic because it gives you new inspiration and ideas about what to read. (not that I need any more books on my reading list, but hey).
A few weeks ago, when it was Germany’s turn, I participated eagerly in the creation of the spreadsheet of readers’ recommendations for good reads. Unfortunately, last week I was first very busy and then I got sick, so I never got around to participating on the Spanish one :(. Others, like Books on Spain (whose awesome blog I discovered thanks to the Guardian initiative!) did, though.
There are definitely some gems hidden on the spreadsheet that are going on my reading list:
- Javier Cercas: Soldados de Salamina – elsewhere in the Guardian, his Anatomía de un instante is discussed; I might actually want to read that one even more.
- Carmen Martín Gaite: El cuarto de atrás – sounds really interesting.
- Xavier Queipo: Papaventos – recommended by the aforementioned Books on Spain; originally in Galician, it is also available in Spanish, so I might try and get my hands on it.
- Antonio Buero Vallejo: Historia de una escalera – I loved La Fundación, so it might just be time to give that one a go. A play, not a novel, but who cares?
I might have added some more, though. Here are my belated two cents on the issue:
- Bernardo Atxaga: Obabakoak. A collection of short stories revolving around the fictional Basque village of Obaba. Beautiful (and available in English as well as German).
- Miguel de Unamuno: San Manuel Bueno, mártir. Unamuno’s Niebla is on the list (although the recommender forgot to mention that there exists an English translation, Mist), and it’s also my favourite. But San Manuel Bueno, mártir, is also excellent. Unfortunately, I don’t think this one has a translation.
- Benito Pérez Galdós: Misericordia. His La de Bringas – which I don’t know – was recommended, I would add Misericordia to the list as well. It’s a great description of Madrid and its society at the end of the 19th century.
Would you add any others I haven’t mentioned?
