Monthly Archives: September 2011

New Spanish Travel by English Writers

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Açedrex is pleased to continue expanding our offerings in English on Spanish topics with a new two-book series.

I’ve always been a fan of nineteenth-century travel narratives in English. They make comparisons that reveal more about England or the US than they do about the country visited. They don’t avoid showing their awe or their disgust. They’re resolutely opinionated and unabashedly judgmental. In other words, their perspective makes the book.

In spite of all that, someone reading these narratives today can learn a lot about the Spain of the time: history, politics, customs, economic conditions and religious morality. This edition presents Castilian Days by John Hay and The Land of the Blessed Virgin by W. Somerset Maugham.

John Hay, lawyer, diplomat and journalist, served as Lincoln’s secretary and was US Secretary of State during the terms of McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt. He helped negotiate the treaty that ended the Spanish-American War. First published in 1875, Castilian Days contains his sharp observations of Spain, 1867-1868, when he was secretary of legation in Madrid. Hay’s no-nonsense reporting makes you feel you are discovering Spain right along with him.

W. Somerset Maugham was one of the most popular writers of his era and is known as one of the most significant travel writers of the time. Playwright, novelist, and short story writer, Maugham wrote his reflections on Spain during his literary travels there early in his career. The Land of the Blessed Virgin is a collection of wryly detailed essays on what the author saw and the people he knew in Andalusia. The prose — and the Spain it portrays — sparkles.

The edition includes the full text of both books and a convenient interactive table of contents. Spanish Travels Volume 2, available in October 2011, will contain more great prose from savvy travel writers and period photography and etchings.

Available in Kindle and Nook.

Primer título naval / First Naval Title: Trafalgar

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Continuamos con nuestra nueva serie auténticamente bilingüe con un tributo a nuestro benefactor y ángel guardián, Tom Grundner, que falleció el pasado 11 de septiembre, y a quien le encantaban los buques históricos.

We continue our new truly bilingual series with a tribute to our benefactor and guardian angel, Tom Grundner, who suddenly passed away this September 11, and who loved historical ships.

¡En español! And in English!

«Gabriel, ¿eres tú hombre de valor?»

No supe al principio qué contestar, porque, a decir verdad, en mis catorce años de vida no se me había presentado aún ocasión de asombrar al mundo con ningún hecho heroico…

«Sí, mi amo: soy hombre de valor».


Conoces la historia de la derrota de la Batalla de Trafalgar. Esta novela te demostrará exactamente lo que pasó en los barcos y en el psyche españoles aquél fatídico 21 de octubre.
De la pluma magistral de Galdós nos viene este relato de un testigo presencial de la batalla naval que siempre después definió las fuerzas armadas tanto de Inglaterra como de España. Sé testigo de la derrota a través de los ojos de Gabriel, un huérfano con sólo 14 años que acompaña a su amo en el buque insignia de la Armada Española. Investigando el tema, el autor transcribió historias orales acerca de este momento importante. Escúchalas ahora como si los marineros te las contasen personalmente, describiendo los buque, las estrategias, los empeños desesperados de los tripulantes sin experiencia y, más importante, el costo humano.
Publicado en 1873, TRAFALGAR es el primer tomo de la primera serie de las Episodios Nacionales. La novela está llena de personajes auténticos que dan vida a la historia.
Esta edición incluye la versión original en español y una traducción revisada al inglés, con un índice activo que facilita la experiencia lectora.

 
“Gabriel, are you a brave man?” 

I did not know what to answer, for, to tell the truth, in my fourteen years of life no opportunity had ever presented itself…
“Yes, sir, I am a brave man.” 


You know the story of Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar. Have you ever wondered what happened on the Spanish decks – and to the Spanish psyche – on that fated October 21st?
From the masterful pen of Spain’s Charles Dickens comes this “eyewitness account” of the thrilling naval battle that defined both the English and the Spanish military forever afterward. Witness the disastrous defeat through the eyes of Gabriel, an orphan of only fourteen who follows his master onto the flagship of the Spanish Armada. As research for this novel, the author faithfully transcribed oral histories about this important moment in time. Hear them now as if one of the sailors were in the room with you, describing the ships, the strategies, the desperate efforts of inexperienced crew, and, most importantly, the human toll.
Published in Spanish in 1873, this is the first volume of Benito Pérez Galdós’s first set of ten novels in the “National Episodes” series. Now in a revised, corrected, and easy to read English translation, TRAFALGAR is full of authentic, opinionated characters who bring history alive.
This edition includes the complete original Spanish text and a revised and corrected translation into English with an interactive table of contents to make navigating between the versions as simple as possible.

 

¡Dos libros en uno! Two books in one! Kindle | Nook

Nueva Serie Bilingüe / New Bilingual Series: Doña Perfecta

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¡Este libro contiene la versión original en español y una traducción al inglés!

This book contains the original novel in Spanish as well as a complete English translation!

Doña Perfecta is the first book in a series that best defines the meaning of our bilingual publishing house. Read the Spanish, read the English, or read them both!

Pepe Rey, matemático y sobrino de Doña Perfecta viaja desde la urbe a Orbajosa para casarse con Rosario, su prima. Mete la pata de inmediato con Inocencio, el “penitenciario,” diciendo liberalidades. Le acusan de ateo. Perfecta no da ninguna libertad a Rosario porque no quiere que se casen, pero ya se han enamorado. Añade a esta tensión la llegada de las tropas, un abogado y planes para un secuestro entre los sentimentos de culpabilidad de una chica enamorada y tienes la melodramática y teatral trama de Doña Perfecta.

Los personajes de Galdós, psicológicamente verosímiles, están motivados por pasión en vez de ideologías. Tienden a ver el mundo a través de los cristales deformadores de sus prejuicios particulares, lo que es tan cierto de los personajes «buenos» como de los «malos». Se señalan los puntos de vista estrechos y conservadores de las pequeñas comunidades, su oscurantismo y prejuicios. Pero se describe la sociedad de Madrid como superficial y frívola. La rígida visión que tiene doña Perfecta de la religión triunfa sobre su reacción inmediata, de verdadero cariño, hacia Pepe, y distorsiona la opinión que tiene de él. El choque de prejuicios se convierte en un choque de personalidades a medida que avanza la novela, que termina de manera llena de suspense y sorpresas.

Nuestra edición digital incluye los textos completos y un índice activo para fácil navegación entre las versiones.

Debido a las ideas cambiantes del autor, existen por lo menos tres versiones del final del libro. Las dos versiones de esta edición corresponden al final B. La existencia de una variedad de finales agrega muchos colores más al caleidoscopio que es Doña Perfecta. Es muy recomendable que los busques.

Pepe Rey, a mathematician and nephew of Doña Perfecta, travels from the capital to Orbajosa to marry his cousin Rosario. He immediately makes social gaffes with Inocencio “the penitentiary,” discussing liberal policies. Pepe is accused of being an atheist. Perfecta does not want the marriage to take place and puts Rosario on lockdown, but the two have already fallen in love. Add to these tensions the arrival of the troops, a lawyer and plans to run away together amid the guilty feelings of a girl in love and you have the theatrical, thrilling plot of Doña Perfecta.

Galdós’s psychologically realistic characters are motivated by passion instead of ideology. The “good” ones as much as the “bad” ones tend to see the world through the deforming lenses of their own prejudices. The conservative, narrow points of view of small towns are highlighted, but Madrid society is described as superficial and frivolous. Doña Perfecta’s strict sense of religion triumphs over her first, sincere feelings of affection for Pepe and distorts her opinion of him. The clash of prejudices becomes a clash of personalities as the novel goes on, and ends in a suspenseful, surprising scene.

Our digital edition includes the complete texts and an interactive table of contents that make navigation between the versions simple. The English translation absorbs the final Spanish chapter into the second-to-last, probably because the original last chapter is so short.

Due to the author’s changing ideas, at least three versions of the ending exist. The two versions of this edition correspond to ending “B.” All these different endings add another splash of color to the kaleidoscope that is Doña Perfecta and it’s highly recommended to investigate them.

¡Los dos libros en uno! Two books in one: Kindle | Nook

The Long Arm of the Law in Medieval Spain

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Our first new nonfiction title is making its debut! If you are the author of a history or literary criticism book about Spain, especially Spain in the Middle Ages, this is your invitation to submit a query or proposal to acedrexpublishing@yahoo.com.

Although their milieu bore striking similarities to the Wild West, the people of medieval Spain were preoccupied with constructing valid laws and learning how best to abide by them. This obsession with legality comes out in epics, songs, stories, and even in miracles of the Virgin Mary.

Scholars have largely failed to see the usefulness of considering the different types of text produced under Alfonso X together, preferring to look at them in isolation or in conjunction with later literature. By investigating what the varied projects of Alfonso X’s scriptorium have in common, as well as how they diverge, we can better approach the underlying ideals manifested in each text. The thirteenth-century society they portray then comes into brilliant focus.

This book proposes a new direction for all such studies by suggesting unprecedented comparison between the Cantigas and the other texts from Alfonso X’s scriptorium. The legislative program, which presents the guidelines for daily life, manifests the king’s theoretical model for an ideal society. In the Cantigas de Santa Maria, time and again, these same ideals are dramatized for the edification of their public. In these songs, Alfonso allows Mary to work for him, promoting his political program for Castile. Specifically, the legal material not only supports Cantigas analyses, but also provides a theoretical context against which the miracle stories play out. Comparing the outcomes with the legal ideal gives a more realistic and comprehensive picture of every day life all over Alfonso X’s Iberia. Both texts fulfill a didactic function that unifies the king’s disparate works and forms the foundation of Castilian culture.

This digital edition contains 30 color illustrations for color e-readers and a completely interactive table of contents and footnotes for easy navigation.

This title will be available in paperback by the end of the year, at which time anyone purchasing the digital edition can write to acedrexpublishing@yahoo.com for a free pdf to use for scholarly citation purposes.

Digital editions available now for Kindle or Nook.