Author Archives: Ruth Green

A Taste of the Best Modern Spanish Fiction

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Here is my first blog for Booktrust:

Sometimes the prospect of reading a translated novel can seem a bit overwhelming, but it’s not all about the War and Peace’s and Don Quixote’s of this world. Many of you will have come across Lucia Graves’ beautiful translation of Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s The Shadow of the Wind (La Sombra del Viento), but here I hope to draw attention to a taste of some lesser-known delights from peninsular Spain.

For anyone interested in the history of the Spanish Civil War, you cannot get much better than Juan Goytisolo. Although he has written many great novels, Marks of Identity (Señas de Identidad) tells the story of a Spanish exile’s return from Paris to his family home in Barcelona and provides a fantastic introduction to just some of the literature which was inspired by the Civil War and Franco’s dictatorship. Another worthwhile read is Soldiers of Salamis (Soldados de Salamina) by Javier Cercas, which humanely reveals how the Civil War has permeated Spain’s modern-day conscious. Anne McLean’s translation of the novel was notably awarded the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize in 2004.

Published on 14-06-10. Read on here

When dying for your art is all part of the spectacle

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A matador and bull

Here is my latest article published in the Guardian:

“It is amazing what some people will do in the name of their craft,” I thought to myself last Friday as I was confronted with graphic images of Spanish matador Julio Aparicio being gored in the neck at Madrid’s Las Ventas bullring.

Animal rights issues surrounding bullfighting aside, the nature of Aparicio’s injuries not only serves to remind us how brutal this activity can be for the men and women involved, but also questions the motivation behind such dangerous activities – whether they be considered a sport, an art form, or simply an attention-grabbing venture in which people willingly place their lives in jeopardy.

Published on 25-05-10. Read on here

Medvedev has failed to protect judiciary

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Russia President Dmitry Medvedev

Here is my latest article published in the Guardian:

A leading senior Russian judge, Eduard Chuvashov, was assassinated in Moscow on Monday morning. Chuvashov was a judge in many high-profile trials involving extremist organisations and was renowned for his tough sentencing of groups such as the notorious Russian fascist group, the White Wolves.

Published on 16-04-10. Read on here

Nouvel by name, novel by nature

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French architect Jean Nouvel

Here is my latest article published in the Guardian:

The announcement last week that Jean Nouvel is this year’s chosen architect for the Serpentine Gallery pavilion  was met with scorn and derision. Much of the criticism also suggests that parochial views on what constitutes “good British architecture” are still prevalent and there are fears that modern architectural design is tainting our urban landscapes.

Published on 29-03-10. Read on here

The plight of the British polyglot

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Here is my first article published in the Guardian

We are a nation of monoglots, this we know all too well. Certainly, as a British-born and UK-educated university graduate in Spanish and Russian, with a smattering of other languages, my polyglotism is an enviable trait in this country.

Of course, the pervasive nature of English, much of it down to globalisation and Americanisation in recent years, has made the purpose of foreign-language learning somewhat redundant here. It is the unofficial business language and a default language for most people, wherever you are in the world. For those still interested in learning other languages, by virtue of nationality most other countries are light years ahead on the language learning front. For them English is a language of survival, whereas for us, foreign languages are not.

Published on 12-02-10. Read on here

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