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veronicafrance 's review for:
Pagan Spain
by Richard Wright
Published in 1957, this book is of historical interest really, since it describes a way of Spanish life that is, thankfully, mostly history now (although Spaniards do still have a penchant for religious pageant and prostitution -- Wright is interesting on both of these). It's not a history book though -- it's a very personal view of a country that Wright was not that familiar with. He had done some research, of course, but there's the odd factual error (Charles V's "cathedral" in the Alhambra for example). And his dislike of Catholicism means he does not spend too much time exploring the religious background to the pagan ceremonies he witnesses, but derives his own meanings and symbols from them.
The writing is fresh and unhampered by presuppositions. Perhaps because of his own experience of oppression as a black American, Wright is particularly good at empathising with the women he meets. "Spanish men have built a state," he writes, "but they have never built a society, and the only society that there is in Spain is in the hearts and minds and habits and love and devotion of its women."
Perhaps one of the most striking passages is his long description of a bullfight in Barcelona. Unlike Hemingway, he focuses on the emotional and ritual aspects. It didn't change my mind about the barbarism of the spectacle, but it was interesting to realise that bullfighting is not about fitness, agility, or strength. It's about being capable of standing completely still while a massive, angry bull charges towards you. Wright is able to become engaged in the spectacle while still observing carefully and rationally.
The writing is fresh and unhampered by presuppositions. Perhaps because of his own experience of oppression as a black American, Wright is particularly good at empathising with the women he meets. "Spanish men have built a state," he writes, "but they have never built a society, and the only society that there is in Spain is in the hearts and minds and habits and love and devotion of its women."
Perhaps one of the most striking passages is his long description of a bullfight in Barcelona. Unlike Hemingway, he focuses on the emotional and ritual aspects. It didn't change my mind about the barbarism of the spectacle, but it was interesting to realise that bullfighting is not about fitness, agility, or strength. It's about being capable of standing completely still while a massive, angry bull charges towards you. Wright is able to become engaged in the spectacle while still observing carefully and rationally.