The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Land of The Blessed Virgin; Sketches
and Impressions in Andalusia, by William Somerset Maugham

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Title: The Land of The Blessed Virgin; Sketches and Impressions in Andalusia

Author: William Somerset Maugham

Release Date: November 13, 2008 [EBook #27252]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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THE LAND OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN

SKETCHES AND IMPRESSIONS IN ANDALUSIA

BY

WILLIAM SOMERSET MAUGHAM

(WITH FRONTISPIECE)

LONDON WILLIAM HEINEMANN

MCMV

_All rights reserved_

[Illustration]

TO

VIOLET HUNT

Contents

I. The Spirit of Andalusia

II. The Churches of Ronda

III. Ronda

IV. The Swineherd

V. Medinat Az-Zahra

VI. The Mosque

VII. The Court of Oranges

VIII. Cordova

IX. The Bridge of Calahorra

X. Puerta del Puente

XI. Seville

XII. The Alcazar

XIII. Calle de las Sierpes

XIV. Characteristics

XV. Don Juan Tenorio

XVI. Women of Andalusia

XVII. The Dance

XVIII. A Feast Day

XIX. The Giralda

XX. The Cathedral of Seville

XXI. The Hospital of Charity

XXII. Gaol

XXIII. Before the Bull-Fight

XXIV. Corrida de Toros--I.

XXV. Corrida de Toros--II

XXVI. On Horseback

XXVII. By the Road--I.

XXVIII. By the Road--II.

XXIX. Ecija

XXX. Wind and Storm

XXXI. Two Villages

XXXII. Granada

XXXIII. The Alhambra

XXXIV. Boabdil the Unlucky

XXXV. Los Pobres

XXXVI. The Song

XXXVII. Jerez

XXXVIII. Cadiz

XXXIX. El Genero Chico

XL. Adios

I

[Sidenote: The Spirit of Andalusia]

After one has left a country it is interesting to collect together the
emotions it has given in an effort to define its particular character.
And with Andalusia the attempt is especially fascinating, for it is a
land of contrasts in which work upon one another, diversely, a hundred
influences.

In London now, as I write, the rain of an English April pours down; the
sky is leaden and cold, the houses in front of me are almost terrible in
their monotonou