I was trawling through the archives of Culture Spain yesterday and found some articles and information about Spain that you may find interesting. These are articles that I was commissioned to write for a magazine some years ago and, I think, they are well worth revisiting.
Certainly, some of the topics that I was asked to write about were nothing less than eye openers – to put it very mildly!
Of course, what these articles about Spain reveal is the complexity of Spain – something that I have always found fascinating. Indeed, Spain, like many countries, becomes ever more interesting the deeper you delve into it. In fact, researching and writing investigative articles about Spain can be like peeling back of the skin of an onion. Often, just as you think you have found a definitive answer to a topic, you find another layer of complication and hidden depth that reveal subtleties you never thought existed. This can be both a joyous and disturbing process…
So, if you like wildly disparate articles and information about Spain then have a look at some of these:
ALL THE KING’S MEN - Politics in Spain and the thrilling story of the death of General Franco, the development of democracy in Spain and the deadly Tejero crisis.
BIG BANG - The birth of modern Spain and the astonishing rise of Spain as it was (finally!) united and became the greatest power in Europe helped, of course, by its merciless conquistadors and the discovery of the Americas and almost infinite quantities of gold.
CONFESSIONS OF A CALL GIRL IN SPAIN - The amazing story of a top class prostitute in Spain, what she does, why she became a prostitute and what it is like to work in a brothel in Spain.
HOOKED - ‘The gateway to Hell’, the reality of drugs in Spain, the drugs war, the types of drugs used and the stories of drug addicts and those working to help them.
MELTDOWN IN MARBELLA - ‘The Godfather, a face lift and Mr Clean’, the incredible tale of corruption in Marbella and the appalling problems that this created. Just check out Gig y Gil and Roca. How did they get away with it for so long?
ON THE ROCKS - Divorce and domestic violence in Spain is a major issue and one that is a scar upon Spain despite the urgent efforts of the government to help women. But why has Spain got one of the highest divorce rates in Europe?
CLUBBING TOGETHER - Spain’s brothel culture is a huge surprise for anyone who thought that Spain was a conservative and deeply religious country. Quite clearly this is not the case and this article will make you think twice every time you pass a neon sign saying ‘Club’ on the roadside. Are you looking at a nightclub or (far more likely) one the many brothels in Spain…
THE BIG ISSUE – Few issues in Spain are more controversial than immigration with the mass immigration in Spain that has occurred over the past few years a cause of deep concern to many Spaniards. This has been a shock to the Spanish but then they needed mass immigration – or did they?)
THE BORGIAS - Few families in the world have been as notorious as the Borgias with Lucrezia Borgia and Caesar Borgia famous worldwide. Were they really as bad as that portrayed or was Pope Alexander misunderstood?
WHAT DID THE MOORS DO FOR US? – The Moors entered Spain in 711 and left (very reluctantly) hundreds of later. Although they are much reviled now, the Moors in Spain contributed an amazing amount to both Spain and Europe. Without them, would Europe ever have dug itself out of the ‘Dark Ages’?
Do feel free to give me your thoughts on these articles about Spain. Do they match the reality of your experience of Spain – or are there other even more revealing topics about Spain that you find particularly fascinating?
