The Passion of Flamenco
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This is an excellent book that all lovers of Spain should read. I consider myself reasonably fluent in Spanish but I can only wonder at the way Jason Webster totally immersed himself in Spain and the world of flamenco - earning the respect of the group to which he attached himself.
He describes beautifully the strange underworld of the true gipsy flamenco artists, searching always for "duende" - the thrill that a particularly well played or sung piece will produce in the audience. Stealing cars, sex, drugs, death and flamenco - all portrayed with a huge lust for life that can only make us wonder. Enjoy.
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A good read, although not what I was expecting!
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I picked up 'Duende' initially because of the beautiful cover and because I have always been attracted to the passion of the flamenco. Although I enjoyed the book, it wasn't quite what I was expecting - it's a bit more of a coming of age story rather than a history or exploration of flamenco.
Webster, having grown tired of his academic life, decides to move to Spain to immerse himself in the culture and learning about flamenco. There follows, a steamy affair with Lola (an older, and married, flamenco dancer), a move to Madrid where he falls in with a gypsy flamenco band and finally a move to Grenada and an unlikely friendship with an older woman.
The only bit I disliked was the graphic description of the bullfight, but this does only last for a couple of pages, so can easily be skipped.
The book is easy to read and enjoyable, but perhaps not the book for you if you are looking for something specifically to do with flamenco.
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Unputdownable
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I see the Review Guidelines forbid to me to make remarks directed at other reviewers, so I won't.
What I will do is tell you that I have been the Flamenco correspondent for Classical Guitar magazine for a decade, and for Guitar International for a decade before that; and everything Jason Webster says about Flamenco here seems to me absolutely accurate, with the piffling exception of a couple of misremembered names. (I think the Pedros Habichuela and Pinto should both be Pepes, but that could just be my ignorance).
I agree that if your object is to find out about Flamenco, then this is not the book to read; the classic in that regard is Donn Pohren's The Art of Flamenco.
I also agree that the present book is less about Flamenco than it is about the author, but I don't regard that as an obstacle. What is certain is that he is a born story-teller; and if his narrative ends up portraying him as rather self-centred, at least he has the grace to realise it and the honesty to admit it.
Jason Webster is not the first to have found life in the anglophone world empty, and to have sought its meaning in Flamenco. He is, however, the first (as far as I'm aware) to write such an account after the Spanish way of life changed so drastically (following the death of Franco).
If your budget will run to it, read Gerald Howson's The Flamencos of Cádiz Bay first, and then this. Both are unputdownable.
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Captures the magic of Spain
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I was lent this book by some friends who had both read it and loved it. It is as good as the reviews say. As a relatively recent visitor to mainland Spain it echoed my enchantment with Alicante as a wonderful place, and with my love of the Spanish way of life. Jason Webster's style of writing is very accessible and respectful of people's eccentricities. I found it hard to put this book down.
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Actually, it's a great book
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It's rare to come across a book that captures the excitement and loneliness of travel and living in a foreign culture as well as this. Not only is it well written, with pace and pathos, but it also depicts a contradictory Spain in social transition, and those who remain firmly on its margins. The book depicts the passionate desperation to fit in with the essence of those who, on the face of it, one only has a passing similarity to. Yes it's partly about adolescence and being young - but that's part of the point. However, despite being about real themes this book is light, readable and often funny.
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