Madrid: de Fortunata a la M 40
un siglo de cultura urbana

Historia del lanzamiento de un libro

 

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The public presentation of the volume was quite impressive. Held as it was the the legendary Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid it was the kind public launching of a project that few Hispanists ever get. We were honored to have been allowed to present our work in this setting. The mesa redonda provided a lively interchange of ideas about the present state of cultural production relating to Madrid and to the state of cultural analysis itself. The following images give an a idea about the nature of the event.

The event brought together a number of old friends and other cultural figures and media types to celebrate the launch.

The noted film director, Iciar Bollaín, took time out from her busy schedule to come to the event. Iciar was artist in residence at the University of Arizona several years ago.

Rebecca Jowers the Director of the University of Arizona's Program in Alcalá de Henares and her husband Luis López Guerra, Secretario del Estado del Ministerio de Justica and long-time friends were honored guests. In the backgroud in the blue sweater is Luis Suñen the noted literary critic and former Director of Alianza Editorial. It was Luis who made the initial decision to acquire the book. We forever in his debt.

 

Standing next to Luis Suñen is Juan Ignacio Ferreras a former student of Lucien Goldmann and a pioneer in the study of literary sociology. Juan is a long time friend and mentor. Here Juan Gets his own picture.

Francisco Cortina our editor at Alianza with Carmen del Moral, Nancy Brendendick and Ed Baker.

Becky, Juan Ignacio, Luis and Carmina Rodríguez Hermoso former Directora de Estudios Internacionales at the Universidad SEK in Segovia where the University of Arizona has a summer program.

Ed and I pose with the poster announcing the Mesa Redonda.

 

I don't remember who can up for the idea to do the book presentation as a Mesa Redonda but it turned out to be a wonderful idea. We imposed upon a long time friend of Ed's, Jesús Martínez, an historian and adminstrator at the Complutense to moderate and were happy that a number of the contributors, Carmen del Moral, Nancy Brendendick and María del Mar Alberca were able to attend.

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Francisco Cortina kicked things off by introducing Jesús Martínez. That is María del Mar Alberca next to Jesús.

Here we all are ready to answer questions from the public

Ed Baker explains it all.

Attempting to explain anything Ed left out.

Listening to comments from the público.

 

The Alianza marketing department arranged several promotional events. The first was several hours with El Mundo's Madrid reporter, Pablo Herraiz and the photographer Ricardo Cases. There idea was to take us on a tour of typical haunts in Madrid and did an interview. The reportage appeard in El mundo on October 24, 2003. You can find it in PDF version here along with the review of the book. You can find the review that El País published here.

To read the review of the book published in El País and their coverage of the event click here.

 

En busca de Madrid con El mundo

El mundo, one of Spain's widest circulating newspapers did a huge spread on the book and the event. To read the article in PDF format, click here. What follows is a blow by blow--better said drink by drink--description of our El mundo odyssey.

 

The requisite author/book shot kicked off our El mundo tour.

 

Our first destination was Casa Labra a Madrid culinary institution famous for its buñuelos de bacaloa and cerveza. Not exactly what the doctor ordered for two middle aged guys but impossible to resist! On the way we stopped in the Puerta del Sol, where else would one begin a tour of Madrid, with the famous Tío Pepe sign in the background.

Could we leave out the Oso and Madroño another icon of the city?

 

In Casa Labra, after the buñuelos, the inevitable caña, salud!

Then it was on to Casa Mingo on the banks--more or less--of the Manzanares, a true madrileño institution, for pollo asado, ensalada and cidra.

 

That's Ricardo, the photographer with the camera, and Pablo in the white shirt.

I suggested we finish our tour with un cortado in the Café Barbieri in the Lavipiés. So we jumped in cab and Ricardo insisted on taking this picture.

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The Café Barbieri is one of my favorite spots in Madrid. It was here that I made my pitch to a very reticient and very pregnant Iciar Bollaín to be artist in residence at the University of Arizona and of course it is here where Victor Erice filmed the cafe interior scenes for El sur.

 

The Metro in the Plaza de Lavapiés. Final de trayecto for our magical mystery tour of Madrid. But not the end of Alianza's plans for us. Which included a stint or Radio Madrid on Cadena SER. Hear our interview here. It would have been longer if they had not decided to have us on the Sunday of the Municiapal Elections.