Antonio Machado was part of the Generation of 1898, a group of writers that were concerned about Spain’s position in the modern world and wrote to inspire people to reassess their values in order to awaken a national consciousness. Unlike his contemporaries, Machado adopted what he called “eternal poetry,” which was based more on reflection and intuition, than on intellect. Nuria Morgado, Associate Professor of contemporary Spanish Literature at the College of Staten Island and the Graduate Center, City University of New York introduces in this podcast this major figure in Spanish culture. Boo ..read more

Miguel de Cervantes’ daring in literary experimentation was both perfectly suited to the time in which he lived, and an exponential step forward in literary art, specifically in the genre he perfected, the modern novel. Susan Byrne, Professor of Hispanic Studies and Chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas introduces in this podcast this major figure in Spanish culture. Presented by Maria Jenell Nicolas. Books and publications by Susan Byrne Law and History in Cervantes’ Don Quijote, Toronto, University of Toronto Press, 2012. Ficino in Spai ..read more

Many Spanish-language poets, from Lorca to Pablo Neruda or Octavio Paz are indebted to the work of Juan Ramón Jiménez, Spanish poet who received the Nobel Prize of Literature en 1956. He is a rare creator of pure, lyrical texts that express the essence of poety. Julio Jensen, Associate Professor in the Department of English, Germanic and Romance Studies at the University of Copenhagen, talks about this outstanding figure in Spanish culture. Presented by Maria Jenell Nicolas Books and publications by Juan Ramón Jiménez Platero and I, translated by Eloïse Roach, Austin, University of Texas Press ..read more

Above all a philosopher, José Ortega y Gasset enunciated the seminal idea of his thought in this sentence: “I am myself and my circumstance, and if I don’t save it, I don’t save myself”. In this podcast, Juan Pablo Fusi, Professor Emeritus of Contemporary History at Madrid’s Universidad Complutense, talks about this outstanding figure in Spanish culture that tried to make sense of the most important challenges of 20th century’s humanity. Presented by Maria Jenell Nicolas Books and publications by José Ortega y Gasset (1914) | Meditations on Quixote, New York, Norton, 1961. (1921) | Invertebrat ..read more

Dalí was born in the early years of the twentieth century in a typical bourgeois family from Figueres (Spain). Trained as a classical artist, he soon discovered Surrealism and also became a celebrity in other artistic fields, such as writing, film and design, which cannot be understood without taking into account the creative project he conceived with his wife Gala. In Dali’s Teatre-Museu, in Figueres, his essence is all over the place, just like an old vice or a never negotiated remorse. In fact, this prodigious building is not only Dalí’s museum: it is also his mausoleum. In this podcast, Es ..read more

No one from Spain’s past is more famed, more hated or more misunderstood than Cristopher Columbus. Misplaced vengeance topples Columbus’ statues. Tweets traduce him. He was mendacious, egotistical, irrational, self-righteous, humourless, and mean. But he had virtues to balance his vices—including dazzling bravery, a kind of ingenuous charm, and a confiding nature. He was, moreover, sympathetic towards cultures other than his own, including Native Americans’. In this podcast, Felipe Fernández-Armesto, William P. Reynolds Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame, talks about this out ..read more

The general view of Nineteenth Century European narrative is somehow incomplete. The literary critics who set up the canonical banquet table of the XIX century novelists made name tags for only a few: Balzac, Dickens, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Flaubert, Zola and Henry James. Meanwhile writers of equal talent, like Benito Pérez Galdós —considered the most important fiction writer in Spain after Miguel de Cervantes— were not even contemplated as possible guests. In this episode, Germán Gullón, literary critic, writer and Professor emeritus of Spanish Literature at the University of Amsterdam, presen ..read more

Spain is a country with a lot to offer, and over the history, it has been one of the most creative countries in the world. Its writers, artists, rulers and thinkers have inspired, and continue to inspire, many people throughout the globe. Welcome to 'Major Figures in Spanish Culture', a new podcast that's coming to you on November 18, produced by Fundación Juan March in Madrid. Each month we will invite a renowned expert to sit down with us for half an hour and share a story about one of Spain's most prominent figures. We're bringing you the life and stories of writers, artists, adventurers, w ..read more

No one from Spain’s past is more famed, more hated or more misunderstood than Cristopher Columbus. Misplaced vengeance topples Columbus’ statues. Tweets traduce him. He was mendacious, egotistical, irrational, self-righteous, humourless, and mean. But he had virtues to balance his vices—including dazzling bravery, a kind of ingenuous charm, and a confiding nature. He was, moreover, sympathetic towards cultures other than his own, including Native Americans’. In this podcast, Felipe Fernández-Armesto, William P. Reynolds Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame, talks about this out ..read more

The general view of Nineteenth Century European narrative is somehow incomplete. The literary critics who set up the canonical banquet table of the XIX century novelists made name tags for only a few: Balzac, Dickens, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Flaubert, Zola and Henry James. Meanwhile writers of equal talent, like Benito Pérez Galdós —considered the most important fiction writer in Spain after Miguel de Cervantes— were not even contemplated as possible guests. In this episode, Germán Gullón, literary critic, writer and Professor emeritus of Spanish Literature at the University of Amsterdam, presen ..read more