Washington Irving and the Tales of the Alhambra
Washington Irving lived in the Alhambra in 1829 and published Tales of the Alhambra in 1832, sparking the tourism boom that made it Spain's top monument.
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Washington Irving (1783-1859) was an American writer, historian and diplomat. In 1829 he moved into the Alhambra, and he left Spain for England that July. Tales of the Alhambra was published in May 1832 in the United States and, at the same time, in England.
His trace is in the Alhambra. The Patronato calls the Emperor's Chambers by a second name, Washington Irving's Chambers, in honour of his 1829 stay in the adjoining rooms, and a stone plaque over the door was placed there in 1914 by the Council of the Alhambra. In the Alhambra woods, a bronze monument inaugurated in 2009 stands 2.15 metres high and shows the writer with a notebook in his left hand.
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Places to see
In their time
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Modern Granada
1808–today
French troops held Granada from 1810 until 17 September 1812 and mined the Alhambra's towers on leaving; eight fell. On Christmas night 1884 a Mw 6.7 earthquake wrecked villages around Alhama de Granada, though not the city itself. On 20 July 1936 a garrison revolt took the centre, and the Albaicín held out under artillery fire until the 23rd.
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Ángel Ganivet
1865–1898 Historical figure
Ángel Ganivet, Granada-born writer and consul, died in Riga in 1898. Where he rests in San José cemetery, the 1921 Alhambra Wood monument, and his story.
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Manuel de Falla
1876–1946 Historical figure
Manuel de Falla settled in Granada around 1920 and organised the 1922 Concurso de Cante Jondo at the Alhambra. His life and where to find his trace today.
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Ángel Barrios
1882–1964 Historical figure
Ángel Barrios, Granada composer and guitarist (1882-1964), whose family lived on Calle Real, was Falla's landlord. His life and where his trace remains.
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Federico García Lorca
1898–1936 Historical figure
Federico García Lorca, born near Granada in 1898, summered at the Huerta de San Vicente until 1936. His family moved to Granada in 1909; the house is a museum.
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Enrique Morente
1942–2010 Historical figure
Enrique Morente, the Albaicín-born flamenco singer who set Lorca to cante and recorded Omega with Lagartija Nick. His life and where Granada keeps his trace.
Undated
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Carmen de los Mártires
Monument
Seven-hectare Romantic estate on the Alhambra hill with free entry, roaming peacocks, five garden styles, and a Poets Route with verses by García Lorca.
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