During their first activity of the semester, members of the CIS University Book Club visited the Espacio Cultural Serrería Belga, one of the most prominent cultural centers in Madrid’s Barrio de las Letras, to explore the three literary exhibitions currently on display there.
The first of these, titled “Madrid, Muse of Letters,” invited students to discover the prominent role that the city of Madrid has played in several key works of Spanish literature—such as Episodios Nacionales by Benito Pérez Galdós and El Capitán Alatriste by Arturo Pérez-Reverte—as well as in the lives of authors including Pío Baroja, Miguel Hernández and Rosalía de Castro, among others.
“I loved seeing how different Spanish writers, even if they were not from Madrid, felt a deep connection with the city in different ways. We talked about Miguel Hernández’s imprisonment and about how the experiences and relationships of the authors with the city were very different,” said student Theo Svistunov, who has been attending the club for two years.
The second exhibition, “A Thousand and One Quixotes,” centered on Miguel de Cervantes’ masterpiece Don Quixote de la Mancha and featured more than 300 pieces of great artistic value, some of them never before exhibited. Among them were antique editions of Don Quixote in several languages, portraits, card games, storybooks and music albums, among others.
“I knew Don Quixote was very popular, but I hadn’t realized how widespread its influence was—not only in Spain but also abroad at the time. We saw antique editions in English, Spanish, French and Italian, so it was fascinating to learn about its international reach during that period,” added student Sebastián Zmuda, who, like Theo Svistunov, is also one of the club’s longest-standing members.
Finally, the third exhibition focused on Madrid’s literary cafés of the 19-20th centuries, including the Café de Pombo, La Fontana de Oro, Café del Príncipe and Café de la Montaña—meeting places often frequented by writers such as Benito Pérez Galdós, Ramón María del Valle-Inclán, Pío Baroja and Manuel Machado.
The CIS University Book Club plans to continue its cultural excursions throughout the semester. The next visit will take place on October 10, when members will explore the Casa Museo de Miguel de Cervantes in Alcalá de Henares and its medieval market.