South from Granada

Gerald Brenan was a Bloomsbury fringe figure who spent much of his adult life living in and writing about Spain. This is his much-loved travel memoir which recounts setting up home in the Alpujarras - a beautiful but fairly remote area of the south between Granada and the coast. It's a joy to read for all sorts of reasons - partly because of his amazing fortitude and resourcefulness, and partly because of the empathy he shows towards everything with which he comes into contact. At first he lived on next to nothing, with no water, gas, or electricity, settling in a village miles from anywhere. His idea was to spend his time reading, catching up on an education which he had not received at public school. His food came virtually straight off the land - for this region of Spain is rich in fruit, vegetables, and the olive oil for which it is famous ... Read more >>

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