The Bible in Spain

The Bible in Spain, subtitled "or the Journey, Adventures, and Imprisonment of an Englishman in an Attempt to Circulate the Scriptures in the Peninsula" published in London in 1843 was a popular work of George Borrow (1803–1881). It ran through several editions. [1]

Content

The book relates Borrow's travels through Spain while working as a Bible salesman.[2] The work relates numerous personal encounters Borrow had with Spaniards, during the Carlist Civil War, from the prime minister to beggars, including Gypsies.[2] This was the first widely read book with accurate first-hand information on Gypsies (though a more complete description is found in his first work The Zincalí (1841), which was not a commercial success).[2]

Influence

Prosper Mérimée was moved to write his story Carmen (the source for Bizet's opera) as a result of reading in the book a story about a man on whom Mérimée based Don José.

In the Footsteps of George Borrow by Guy Arnold (ISBN 1904955371) is a travel book in which the author retraces the steps of Borrow's journey as related in The Bible in Spain.

References

  1. ↑ Sarah Anderson, Anderson's Travel Companion: A Guide to the Best Non-fiction and Fiction for Travelling. Brookfield, Vt., 1995.ISBN 1859280137 (p. 355)
  2. 1 2 3 Wim Willems,In Search of the True Gypsy: From Enlightenment to Final Solution. Routledge, 2014.ISBN 1317791908 (pp. 102-4)

External links

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