Young American poet Adam Gordon is a fraud and a bastard. And the fact he’s spending a year in Madrid, as the recipient of a prestigious fellowship, is thanks to total pretence. Officially, he’s in the Spanish capital to write a “long and research-driven poem… about the literary response to the Civil War.” But Adam intends doing no such thing (thank god). Instead he smokes pot, takes prescription drugs, forms wafer-thin relationships and frets constantly about the validity of his experiences. If that narrative risks coming off as trite, then Leaving the Atocha Station, by American poet Ben Lerner (who spent a year in Madrid as a Fulbright scholar), is far from it. The book, which is thin … [Read more...] about A new take on the American abroad
Archives for August 2012
Malcolm Tucker meets Mariano Rajoy
Far be it for me to tell Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy whom he should hire as his press secretary. But recently, as two members of his cabinet once again clashed in public (this time Energy Minister José Manuel Soria and Finance Minister Cristóbal Montoro contradicting each other over energy policy) I wondered, after watching an episode of The Thick of It, if the answer wasn’t staring me in the face. Malcolm Tucker, the rabid, Scottish, über-swearing PM’s press secretary in the TV series, could be the answer to Rajoy’s prayers. Witness his "handling" of wayward minister Hugh Abbot: Admittedly, Tucker would either have to learn Spanish, or Rajoy would need an extraordinarily clever … [Read more...] about Malcolm Tucker meets Mariano Rajoy
La Liga: Getafe upset leaves Real Madrid still seeking a win
El Derbi madrileño may be a forgone conclusion most years, with Atlético Madrid rolling over every time for their neighbours, but Real Madrid are always given a much tougher time by their other cross-city rivals, Getafe. Jose Mourinho’s men took to the pitch on Sunday night looking to collect three points for the first time this season. Instead they left with none. They began comfortably when Gonzalo Higuaín – who has an excellent record against El Geta – scored from close range in the 27th minute at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, but eight minutes after the break, the home side levelled when Juan Valera nodded past Iker Casillas from a free-kick. The visitors failed to capitalise on their … [Read more...] about La Liga: Getafe upset leaves Real Madrid still seeking a win
Land and liberty
It may be a slow summer; it may be that the world’s media can’t get enough bad news from Spain as the country sinks deeper into depression. In such a context, news editors are particularly susceptible to stories about latter-day Robin Hoods. Which is what Juan Manuel Sánchez Gordillo, the Communist Party mayor for the last 33 years of Marinaleda, a village near Seville, has been gleefully dubbed after he and groups from the Andalusian Workers’ Union that he helped found went into two supermarkets in early August and made off with trolleys of basic foodstuffs that they said they were going to distribute among unemployed agricultural labourers. Speaking to journalists after he and his … [Read more...] about Land and liberty
Basque Country enters an era of uncertainty
The announcement on Tuesday by the Basque premier, Patxi López, that the region will hold early elections on October 21 was a reminder of how much things have changed since he took power in 2009. Since López entered a governing partnership with the conservative Partido Popular, the terrorist group ETA has been increasingly weakened, culminating in last autumn’s announcement by the group that it was laying down its arms for good. The date of the scheduled elections – a year and a day after ETA’s announcement – is no coincidence. López himself was not coy about underscoring his government’s part in the new atmosphere of peace that the northern region is enjoying. “We have done what we … [Read more...] about Basque Country enters an era of uncertainty
La Liga: Villa’s return a boost for new Barça boss
La Liga returned at the weekend, and while sports daily Marca may have had a front cover dedicated to the seemingly duel never-ending duel between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, a marginally less celebrated player, who could prove the key to FC Barcelona’s attempts to wrestle the league title back from Real Madrid, was also back and doing what he does best. David Villa marked his return from an eight-month layoff by netting Barça’s final goal in a 5-1 drubbing of Real Sociedad at the Camp Nou. He scored in the 84th minute, having come on as a substitute only seven minutes earlier to a standing ovation. The Asturian striker’s relief was evident as he wheeled away in celebration, … [Read more...] about La Liga: Villa’s return a boost for new Barça boss
Spain’s “Robin Hood” labour union hogs the limelight
Since then, Sánchez Gordillo has also been involved in a series of marches across Andalusia by around 400 SAT members who say they want to highlight the issue of unemployment. Spain has Europe’s highest jobless rate at 24.8 percent. Andalusia is one of the regions that has been most affected by the current economic crisis, with an unemployment rate of 34 percent, rising to 63 percent for those under the age of 25. … [Read more...] about Spain’s “Robin Hood” labour union hogs the limelight
Exchange rates in holding pattern as markets await central bank action
Welcome to my weekly account of what’s affected the euro exchange rate, covering the 10th to 17th August 2012. This is intended as a brief guide to the latest movements in the euro, to help you plan the best time for you to change currencies. Exchange Rate Changes GBPEUR: 1.2707 to 1.2717. No big change since broke 1.26 about 4-5 weeks ago. GBPUSD: 1.5621 to 1.5712. But fell from 1.62 in May and since then hovering. EURUSD: 1.2289 to 1.2355. Hovering at about this point for about 4-5 weeks. What’s Affected The Rate This Week The exchange rates sit more or less unchanged this week, with the euro moving less than a cent against the pound and US dollar. And in fact, if you look back, … [Read more...] about Exchange rates in holding pattern as markets await central bank action
La Liga: Real Madrid and Barcelona prepare to do battle
"I should not have done what I did, obviously not," said José Mourinho. "The person who messed up there was me," he added, referring to the moment when he casually strolled over to then FC Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova at the Camp Nou and poked him in the eye. The incident has been brought up countless times over the past year but as the opening of 2012/13 season approaches, the Real Madrid manager seems to be attempting to calm the waters as the man he once assaulted is now head coach at Barcelona. The two men start the season at different stages. Mourinho, is now beginning his third year at the helm of the capital club where many a manager before him did not even last a … [Read more...] about La Liga: Real Madrid and Barcelona prepare to do battle
Spain’s reluctance to request aid weighs on the euro
Welcome to my weekly account of what’s affected the euro exchange rate, covering the 3rd to 10th August 2012. This is intended as a brief guide to the latest movements in the euro, to help you plan the best time for you to change currencies. How The Rates Have Changed Pound to euro: 1.2615 to 1.2707 (+0.729%) US dollar to euro: 0.8079 to 0.8151 (+0.891%) What’s affected rates this week The euro has fallen against both the pound and US dollar this week, chiefly because of a figurative game of chicken between Spain and the European Central Bank. The ECB said this week it was prepared to directly intervene in the financial markets to reduce Spain’s borrowing costs. Given that these … [Read more...] about Spain’s reluctance to request aid weighs on the euro