Disclosure : This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

In the Footsteps of George Borrow

George Borrow – brilliant linguist, expert on gypsy culture and author of “Wild Wales” (1862) – remains an enigmatic character whose fiction and travel writing mix autobiography and invention. From 1835 to 1840, he worked as an agent of the British and Foreign Bible Society, attempting to distribute Protestant Testaments in fiercely Catholic Spain. The outcome of this controversial and risky enterprise is – though not the one that his employers expected – as “The Bible in Spain”, an account of his wanderings published in 1843. The book, a classic of travel and observation, has been in print ever since. A century and a half later, Borrow enthusiast Guy Arnold followed in the footsteps of the restless and eccentric Bible salesman, tracing his route through Spain and Portugal. Visiting the same places, staying where possible in the same inns, and taking the same roads, Arnold explored the varied landscapes and cities of the Iberian Peninsula in a journey that took him through Madrid, Lisbon, Toledo, Seville, Cadiz, Salamanca and Segovia as well as many small towns and villages.Braving blisters, angry dogs and over-inquisitive hoteliers, Arnold walked over a thousand kilometres, taking buses and trains where Borrow had used horses, mules and carriages. In the course of his journey, he looked at cathedrals and churches, palaces and convents, castles and ruins. He also encountered a broad cross section of humanity, Spanish and foreign, on the long road. “In the Footsteps of George Borrow” brings to life the scenery and culture of Spain as well as the complex personality of the man who described it in the 1830s. In the course of his travels, Guy Arnold considers Borrow`s ambiguous religious beliefs, his avowed taste for the social lowlife and his mysterious liaison with a widow from Norfolk. He also compares modern Spain with that of Borrow`s time and finds – civil war and brigandage apart – that much remains surprisingly the same.

Related Products:

May We Borrow Your Language?: How English Steals Words from All Over the World In The Footsteps of Adam Beg, Steal and Borrow: Artists Against Originality In the Footsteps of Stamford Raffles In the Footsteps of the Gods Default ThumbnailCountry of Larks: A Chiltern Journey: In the footsteps of Robert Louis Stevenson and the footprint of HS2 George`s Grand Tour The Fife Pilgrim Way: In the Footsteps of Monks, Miners and Martyrs NOAA Chart 16381 – St. George Island – St. George Harbor Peppa Pig: George and the Dinosaur Peppa Pig: George`s Train Ride In the Footsteps of Marco Polo The 50 Greatest Churches and Cathedrals of Great Britain Finding George Orwell in Burma In The Footsteps Of Alexander The Great George and the Unbreakable Code Walking the Woods and the Water: In Patrick Leigh Fermor`s Footsteps from the Hook of Holland to the Golden Horn In the Footsteps of William Wallace Crossing the Empty Quarter: In the Footsteps of Bertram Thomas The Footsteps of Anne Frank The Mystery of the Parsee Lawyer: Arthur Conan Doyle, George Edalji and the Case of the Foreigner in the English Village The Extraordinary Tale of Kate Marsden and my Journey Across Siberia in her Footsteps Dark Horses at the Patagonian Frontier: Riding the Pioneer Trail Peppa Pig: George`s Balloon Windswept: Walking in the Footsteps of Remarkable Women The River Of Lost Footsteps – A Personal History of Burma Flag of England (St George`s Cross) In the Footsteps of Robert the Bruce What George Forgot Behind the Masks: In the footsteps of the early Greek dramatists In the Footsteps of Mr Kurtz Bothy Tales: Footsteps in the Scottish hills Footsteps of Federer: A Fan`s Pilgrimage Across 7 Swiss Cantons in 10 Acts Peppa Pig: Slow Down, George! George Pig – Keychain The Streets of Paris: A Guide to the City of Light Following in the Footsteps of Famous Parisians Throughout History Peppa Pig: George and the Noisy Baby George`s Marvellous Medicine New York Times: Footsteps from Ferrante`s Naples to Hammetti`s San Francisco, Literary Pilgrimages Around the World George`s Dragon at the Fire Station