Description

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Lost Paradise is a book about a unique and pivotal European city. Although there are a number of interesting biographies of major cities such as London, Rome, Istanbul, Jerusalem, and Barcelona, this is the first narrative history of the city of Granada for English-speaking readers, which celebrates and explores the distinctive, evolving identity of the place. It is an account which brings to the fore the image of the city as a lost paradise, reveals it as a place of perpetual contradiction, of beauty and violence, and links it to the great dilemma over Spain’s true identity as a nation. The author’s aim is to paint a compelling portrait of the city of Granada from its origins to the present day, taking the reader on a vibrant historical voyage of discovery that uncovers its many-layered past and establishes it as Spain’s most important city.

About the Author

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Elizabeth Drayson is Lorna Close Fellow in Spanish at Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge. She is a specialist in medieval and early modern Spanish literature and cultural history. She is the author of The Moor's Last Stand: How Seven Centuries of Muslim Rule in Spain Came to an End. 

Praise For…

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“An admirable achievement... With her expertise as a scholar and her command as a storyteller, Drayson delivers a fascinating study that is part love letter to a city, part commentary on how memory is a force that impacts each successive age'” —BBC History Magazine

“Beauty built on blood and brutality! Elizabeth Drayson delves into the history of Granada in a fascinating new tome” —Daily Mail

“A glittering homage to one of the world's most beautiful and storied cities... Brilliantly and compellingly places Granada at the heart of more than two millennia of Mediterranean history'” —Dan Jones

“Drayson's book is a labour of love and it tells: there is a passion in her writing, in every detail that she has to offer about the history of the region... A gloriously illustrated book as compelling to look at as it is to read” —International Times

“For those who have visited Granada and the Alhambra, Drayson's writing will certainly revive pleasant memories, while those who have not yet made the journey will surely be inspired to do so by this evocative, richly illustrated and beautifully produced book” —TLS