Literary tourism in Madrid: Turning the page in the Barrio de las Letras (Literary Quarter)
The Barrio de las Letras is one of the liveliest areas in the centre of Madrid and is well known for its open-air terraces, the liveliness of its tapas bars and its nightlife. Its name comes from a time when its streets were home to some of the best theatres in the capital, but also to the dreams of universally famous writers who lived in or frequented its streets.
Hundreds of anecdotes tell the personal stories of literary figures, so much so that walking through the squares and alleyways is like turning pages of literature and biographies with a lot of charm (yes, literary). From the letters of the Spanish Golden Age to the most bohemian, original and captivating artists who live the neighbourhood today in their own way. The Barrio de las Letras is one of the cradles of Spanish theatre and art, and, by extension, an inspiration that is well worth getting to know.
One of the things that most attracts the attention of those who want to discover the history of the Barrio de las Letras on the physical layout of its streets is to see how Madrid's lifelong alleyways and its best-known corners were once famous. One example is the Plaza de Santa Ana, where some of the most important plays of Spanish theatre that are now in the books were performed for the first time.
The Corral de la Cruz was located where the Teatro Español stands today, and not far away there was another, the Corral del Príncipe. Both had their conflicting interests. The so-called ‘Poles’ were fanatics of the performances at the Corral de la Cruz, the ‘chorizos’ defended the performances at the Príncipe with a passion that was debated by hook or by crook in the inns of their time.
It was the corrales that animated the literary and creative life of the neighbourhood, because the playwrights were encouraged to live next to these performance venues. Simply because they wanted to be close to their work. And, of course, of the competition and of the actors and actresses who gave life to the characters who, for the same convenience, came to live in the same area, creating in the end a very peculiar social and professional microcosm in the 17th century.
Churches
The churches in Madrid's Barrio de las Letras also speak of the past of many writers. From the cradle. Because more than a few were baptised in these churches. The Church of San Sebastián contains the baptismal registers of Benavente, Moratín and Ramón de la Cruz. Larra and Bécquer were married at its high altar. And under its naves the deaths of Espronceda, Lope de Vega and the brilliant Cervantes were mourned. And of course, a brotherhood that still exists today, that of the Virgen de la Novena, has been the protector of actors since 1631.
Calle de Huertas, today full of bars and tapas bars, was the natural setting for the plots of works by Espronceda, Bécquer and Pérez Galdós. Their imagined characters wandered over the cobblestones that can still be walked on.
Calle Quevedo was another scene, in this case of an all-out fight between two giants of Spanish literature: Quevedo and Góngora. The former did all he could to drive the latter out of his home. On the plaque on the place where the house used to stand, one can read the classic ‘here he lived’, Quevedo. But what it does not say is how he managed it.
The first edition of Don Quixote was printed in the Barrio de las Letras. In view of what has been seen, read what has been published, it seems fair and even logical.
