13 h 34 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
An old palace holds poor families, haunted towers, and stories of treasure beneath its faded splendor.
In The Alhambra, Washington Irving takes you from the road to Granada into the rooms of its old Moorish palace. He lives there as a guest, among soldiers and poor families. With the proud guide Mateo Ximenes and the household of Dame Antonia, he discovers daily life within walls once home to rulers.
Palace sketches mingle with legends gathered from guides, neighbors, and old chronicles. In the Legend of the Arabian Astrologer, King Aben Habuz seeks safety from his enemies. In the Moor's Legacy, the poor water carrier Peregil is drawn toward hidden treasure. Around these tales, Irving explores courts, fountains, and towers with humor and affection.
What you’ll discover
- The road to Granada Ride across wild Andalusia with Irving, his companion, a guide, and an armed escort.
- Life behind palace walls Meet Dame Antonia and Dolores, whose modest household brings warmth to the old royal rooms.
- Stone lions and fountains Wander through the Court of the Lions, where slender columns frame a striking fountain.
- Enchantment and human weakness Discover astrologers, enchanted princesses, and buried treasure in tales told with gentle humor.
- Beauty under time's shadow See how a half-ruined palace prompts Irving to reflect on passing power and beauty.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who like travel writing, old legends and gentle humor, and anyone who plans to visit Granada or loves Spanish history. If you want a fast plot or strict history, its easy, wandering pace may feel less suited.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A traveler rides toward Granada
- Life among the palace's poor tenants
- The halls, towers and gardens of the Moors
- Legends of astrologers, princesses and treasure
- What lies beneath the legends
- How Irving tells it and why it lasted
Who’s who
- Washington IrvingThe American writer who lives in the palace as a guest, listens to its stories and tells them with humor and affection.
- Mateo XimenesA palace native who calls himself the son of the Alhambra, serves as Irving's guide and is proud of knowing everything about it.
- Dame AntoniaAn elderly tenant who looks after Irving's rooms and keeps a modest home in the palace with her family.
- DoloresDame Antonia's niece, a young woman of the palace household who brings cheer to Irving's daily life.
- Aben HabuzA Moorish king in the Astrologer legend who wants peace and safety, and who is tempted to ask for more than he should.
- PeregilA poor water carrier in the Moor's Legacy tale who hopes to better his fortune and is drawn toward hidden treasure.
- BoabdilThe last Moorish king of Granada, whose sad reign and loss of the city shadow the history Irving recounts.
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- Audiobook
- 13 h 34 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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The Alhambra
by Washington Irving· 1832
A stay in a Spanish palace brings local legends to life.
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Language: English
“Whatever note of localism there was in the Knickerbocker School, however dilettante and unfruitful it was, it was not the legitimate heir of the broad and eclectic genius of Irving.”
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
A traveler rides toward Granada
The book begins on the road. Irving sets out from Seville with a companion, and the two ride across a hard, wild stretch of Andalusia on horseback, with a guide and an armed escort. The roads are poor, the inns are bare, and bandits are a real talk of the day. Irving treats all this lightly, and he enjoys the muleteers, the wayside songs and the strange bare mountains.
He is already thinking about the Moors. For nearly eight hundred years Muslim rulers held much of Spain, and Granada was the last of their kingdoms. It fell to the Spanish crown in 1492. Irving knows this story from the chronicles, and every ruined tower he passes adds to his sense that he is riding through a vanished world.
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The author
Washington Irving
1783–1859 · American writer and historian
Washington Irving (1783–1859) was an American writer, historian and diplomat. He was born in New York City and died in Tarrytown, New York. He also lived in Britain and Spain. He published The Sketch Book in 1819–1820 and The Alhambra in 1832. He served as American minister to Spain from 1842 to 1846.
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What is The Alhambra by Washington Irving about?
It describes Irving's stay in the Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain, in 1829. It mixes travel sketches, history and local legends about Moorish kings, princesses, astrologers and hidden treasure.
Is The Alhambra a true story?
Partly. The travel sketches draw on Irving's real visit, published in 1832. The legends are folk tales and traditions, which he retells with his own touches, so they are not history.
Who is Mateo Ximenes in The Alhambra?
Mateo Ximenes is a local guide who calls himself the son of the Alhambra, because his family has lived in the palace for generations. He tells Irving much of what he learns about the place.
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