The Disinherited

Spain, more than any other western country, is a nation of exiles- its history over the last five hundred years is a story of both expulsion and exodus. By driving out key minorities and powerful sections of its own elite, Kamen argues that Spain has undermined its own identity and diminished its art and high culture. Spain has in effect been in a constant state of cultural civil war and, as a result, many of the most memorable masterpieces of Spain's culture - from Albeniz's Iberiasuite to Picasso's Guernica- were produced on foreign soil. This book is both a rich cultural history and a powerful and poignant account of the experience of exile.