Washignton Irving: The Tales of The Alhambra

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.

Washington Irving was a man of his time and a prototype of the Romantic writer. His preoccupations and interests led him to carry out an enormous amount of research into historic documentation, which has earned him the consideration of being the first modern Hispanist. Through his Tales of the Alhambra, he became the leading source of publicity for the Alhambra and the Generalife.

In that Romantic context of travels through Europe and the Iberian Peninsula, his Andalusian journey played specially a decisive role for him. His first and main reason for undertaking it, that of translating and later writing a biography of Christopher Columbus, soon gave way to the appeal of the rise and fall of what in the eyes of the Romantics was an exceptional civilisation, the Islamic world. He was captivated by Granada, the setting of that lost splendour.

Once in Granada, Irving perceived the city from The Alhambra, the Nasrid palace and city within a city he was given the privilege of making his residence. As convinced of its magic and enchantment as he was of the harsh reality of its dilapidated condition, he lived there and wrote of its unique inhabitants, the “sons of the Alhambra”, and felt the need to tell the world of that extraordinary monument. The great evocative power and appealing style of his Tales of the Alhambra have captivated generations of travellers. Through his writings, they have been able to imagine the past life of the Nasrid palaces and halls believing they have shared in its mysteries and legendary intrigues.

The debt owed to Irving by the Alhambra is incalculable. This tribute was born of the sincere gratitude felt by all of us who have ever dreamed of the Alhambra thanks to him.