The honoring to Washington Irving and the extension of the night visit for the Palace and Gardens of the Generalife, principal cultural offers of the Alhambra in 2009

The tribute to the North American writer Washington Irving, on the occasion of the 150 anniversary of his death, and the extension of the night visit for the Gardens and Palace of the Generalife, are some of the principal cultural offers foreseen by the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife for 2009.
The exhibition of Washington Irving and the Alhambra will take place at the Chapel and Crypt of the Palace of Carlos V and will be developing between October 2009 and February 2010. The contents of the exhibition will be organized around the trip that Washington Irving made through Spain, focussing specially on his stay on the city of Granada and, specially, on the Monumental complex of the Alhambra.
Tales of the Alhambra
Furthermore, there will recover the importance of the publication of Stories of the Alhambra as the first action of promotion of this Monument in the world. And it is that made Irving the writer who has contributed more to the diffusion of the Monumental Complex. Of his work “The Tales of The Alhambra” hundreds of editions have been published throughout the years and millions of books can be counted, being numerous the translations in different languages, which corroborates the great popular acceptance of the work and the reputation of this author, who managed to know in life the above-mentioned success.
Bibliographical material, principally the first editions; correspondence, diaries of the trip, books of notes, photography’s and prints, besides engravings and furniture of the period and personal belongings of the writer, are some of the exhibition resources of Washington Irving and the Alhambra. A great number of the exposed funds belong to the funds of the Library and the File of the Patronato de la Alhambra y el Generalife and the rest comes from other museums, institutions and public and private collectors, Spanish as foreigners, emphasizing specially the collaboration of the House-museum of Washington Irving in Sunnyside in New York.
The sample is a part of the commemorative program of activities promoted by the Patronato de la Alhambra y el Generalife on the figure of the writer, initiated in 2007, coinciding with the celebration of the 175 anniversary of the publication of the first edition of “The Tales of the Alhambra” and continues until 2009, date of his 150 anniversary of his death.
As complement to the exhibition, a bilingual catalogue will be edited by texts done by specialists and specification sheets by contribution of graphical documentation of the most relevant pieces.
Parallel to the inauguration of the Exhibition, there have foreseen another series of commemorative activities of the 150 Anniversary of the death of Washington Irving, where you can find an International Seminar on the figure of the North American author, reading marathons, Courses in the University of Andalusia and a sculpture installed in the Forest of the Alhambra.
It is a good opportunity and occasion to promote the route of Washington Irving for Andalusia turned into cultural itinerary from Seville to Granada, with the Legacy Andalusí, and that it has now the incentive of this great exhibition and a unique opportunity to contemplate the Alhambra trough the romantic prism that the North American writer so much spread. This offer is directed fundamentally to the cultural, congresses, idiomatic (English/Spanish) and national tourism, proceeding from United State of America and European.
Extension of the tourist offer for the Gardens and Palace of the Generalife
With the aim to diversify the tourist offer of the Monumental Complex, next March there is foreseen that the night visit for the Gardens and Palace of the Generalife starts, which adds to the already existing one for the Nasrid Palaces. Last year, more than 2.000 persons enjoyed this tour in the free visits.