Imogen CalderwoodA BRITISH American expat novel has been banned from the Alhambra Palace, in the first such incident for 30 years.
Song of Granada, by Anne Sikking, has been banned from all three of the Alhambra’s bookshops as well as the state-run hotel, The Parador.
The launch – booked, paid for and scheduled to take place at the Alhambra on October 20 – has had to be relocated at the last minute.
“The managers of the Alhambra have a very important job to do in caring for this unique treasure,” said Sikking.
“But of course it has been disappointing to find that Song of Granada is being excluded by people who admit to not having read it, not least because it is a work of fiction.
“There is not a single swear word and not one act of violence between people, so it’s still not clear to me what is being objected to. And of course as a writer with a work of fiction being released in modern Spain, this type of censorship has been a total surprise.”
Both the Alhambra Palace and The Parador hotel feature in the book, which documents a terrorist attack in the palace grounds.
Liz Chadwick, press officer for the book’s small British publisher Squaw Pies, added: “The book has received praise from Spanish, Irish and British writers, so all this has come as a complete bolt from the blue.”
The reason for the ban, according to the publisher, is that it is thought the book shows both Granada and the Alhambra in a bad light.
What also shows the Alhambra in a bad light is embezzling millions of euros in the ticket scam operated by its own staff. This book is the least of their problems. Wow, could a more stupid decision be made?
Its just a work of fiction! The book is fabulous. The Alhambra has lost its way by not allowing the book launch, perhaps they should rethink their decision.
Amazon says the book is about a terrorist attack on the monument. Not something the keepers of the Alhambra want to promote.
The Alhambra’s management seem to have mistaken the core themes of this novel- where they see terrorism, I see unity and beauty rising from the shadows of contemporary conflicts. This work of fiction shines a light on the Alhambra’s role in uniting diverse peoples under one common emotion: love.
But that’s not all Amazon says the book is about…
The book is fiction, the embezzlement and corruption at the palace was real, however.