cover image The Disinherited: Exile and the Making of Spanish Culture, 1492–1975

The Disinherited: Exile and the Making of Spanish Culture, 1492–1975

Henry Arthur Francis Kamen, . . Harper, $34.95 (508pp) ISBN 978-0-06-073086-4

Since 1492, Spain has experienced more than 14 great exoduses and expulsions, making it by far the most “departed” country in Europe. Kamen (Empire: How Spain Became a Great Power ), a fellow of the Royal Historical Society, explains that the exile of some three million Spaniards has exerted a powerful influence on Spanish culture, identity and character in absentia. These exiles, recalling only the sights, smells and sounds of home, often conceived idealistic visions of what their country should be and persuaded others to realize them. Modern Spain, he argues, is thus the invention of its disinherited citizens: many of the finest works of Spain's authors, painters (Picasso's Guernica, for instance), musicians and philosophers were produced outside of the mother country. Over the course of his narrative, Kamen discusses in detail the background conditions of the most painful exiles (the Jews in 1492, Protestants in 1559, Muslims in 1609, liberals in 1813 and writers in 1936) and while commiserating that “the disinherited went through deprivation, alienation and loss of identity,” he concludes that they achieved for Hispanic culture something they could not have had they stayed home and enjoyed a life of tranquillity. Kamen adopts an intriguing perspective for those who have a broad interest in, and familiarity with, Hispanic history. 16 pages of b&w illus. (Dec. 2)