This is a collection of essays, verbal sketches, and stories by Washington Irving. Irving lived at the Alhambra Palace while writing some of the material for his book. In 1828, Washington Irving traveled from Madrid, where he had been staying, to Granada, Spain. At first sight, he described it as "a most picturesque and beautiful city, situated in one of the loveliest landscapes that I have ever seen." He immediately asked the then-governor of the historic Alhambra Palace as well as the archbishop of Granada for access to the palace, which was granted because of Irving's celebrity status. Aided by a 35-year old guide named Mateo Ximenes, Irving was inspired by his experience to write Tales of the Alhambra. Throughout his trip, he filled his notebooks and journals with descriptions and observations though he did not believe his writing would ever do it justice. He wrote, "How unworthy is my scribbling of the place." A commemorative plaque in Spanish at the Alhambra reads, "Washington Irving wrote his Tales of Alhambra in these rooms in 1829". The book was instrumental in reintroducing the Alhambra to Western audiences. (Summary by Wikipedia and David Wales)
Washington Irving
Washington Irving (1783–1859) est considéré comme le premier grand écrivain américain du XIXe siècle. Figure majeure du romantisme, il est surtout célèbre pour ses nouvelles comme *Rip Van Winkle* et *La Légende de Sleepy Hollow*, mais aussi pour ses essais et ses récits inspirés de ses voyages en Europe, notamment en Espagne. Nommé ambassadeur des États-Unis en Espagne dans les années 1840, il y puise la matière de ses *Contes de l'Alhambra* (1832), dont *Le Souterrain de l'Alhambra* est un exemple emblématique. Son œuvre, à la fois historique et poétique, a marqué la littérature américaine et influencé des auteurs comme Edgar Allan Poe et Nathaniel Hawthorne.
