Kill it With Fire – The Boston Review
In my latest piece for Boston Review, I examine how Spain’s far-right party, Vox, is actively working to rehabilitate the legacy of Francisco Franco. By revisiting the brutal events of…
Half a Million Reasons
…takes the piss and gives nothing in return. Click over to read the original piece in Spanish in the HOY or read the English translation below. (PDF en castellano abajo)…
All That Glitters…isn’t Zara
…seen online (in Spanish) as well. Years ago I was following the trail of the great 14th century tangerine traveller, Ibn Battuta through S.E Asia for an travel piece that I…
Judas Lights
…left itself. That reaction prompted me to write Judas Lights. The piece argues that there is a crucial difference between a corrupt politician and a corrupt idea. Individuals can betray…
A late May Afternoon
…storks returning to their nests overhead is at times the only sound in the golden light. Everyone here wants to leave having seen a miracle, a masterpiece….next time, next time….
Salt, Stories, and the Value of Slow Travel Writing
…more than a winter-sun destination. You can read the full piece with Perceptive Travel here. I’m also delighted to be working with Perceptive Travel once again. At a time when…
The Age of Mean
…just another blunt object for hypocrites to swing at their enemies. This piece, apparently too radioactive for an English-reading audience, fell victim to the silent chokehold of self-censorship. The shadow…
The Purity Panic: Notes from the Museum of Imaginary Nations
…sealed museum and more like a bustling kitchen. In the Spanish version of the piece (my bi-weekly “Camino a Ítaca” in HOY) I take the same theme and ask: Why…
Globalization and its Discontents
…homemade honey vodka, still stamped with the fading letters CCCP and poured us each a stiff drink. Through wild gestures and, eventually, song, we pieced together his bewilderment: that someone…
Why Granada is our favorite city in Spain
Revisiting one of my favorite cities in Spain. A trip though Granada for Matador Network where the Alhambra isn’t the only stop. Almost 10 years now since another piece I…