Foreign influencers in southern Spain
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Tony Bryant
Ronda
Friday, 2 August 2024, 13:23
As far as German-language literature is concerned, one of its great poets was René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke, better known as Rainer Maria Rilke, born in Prague in 1875. Considered one of the main literary figures of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, one may wonder why he is so revered in Ronda, which he referred to as "a city of dreams".
After living in Paris in the early 20th century, and following several trips around Europe, in November 1912, Rilke travelled to Spain, where he visited numerous cities such as Toledo, Cordoba and Seville. At this time, he was in the depths of a spiritual and existential crisis, travelling through Spain on a "tormented pilgrimage" in search of poetic inspiration.
However, he became enchanted with Ronda, where he stayed for two months, attracted by its climate and its magical location. He checked into room number 208 of the Reina Victoria Hotel, and his room has since been converted into a small museum dedicated to his memory. It was in this room, which looks out onto the vast landscape that stretches out from the foot of the gorge, that Rilke was inspired to write Epistolario Español (Spanish Correspondence), an extensive collection of letters that demonstrate his love and admiration of Spain, of which he said "is the place where art has been given the power to establish its hegemony".
He noted, "The spectacle of Ronda is indescribable, and around it, a spacious valley with plots of crops, oaks and olive groves."
Rilke left a lasting impression on Ronda, a town he declared "would correspond very well with the image of that other city revealed in dreams".
It is for this reason that a bronze sculpture of the poet was erected in 1966 in the gardens of the hotel that would forever be associated with his name.
The council also named an avenue in his honour (Avenida del Poeta Rilke), and a district, Barriada Poeta Rilke.
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