Lost Paradise

Overview

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.

Author Biography

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.