A country that seems well known, but is not well known
The Real Story of Spain in 37 Keywords

Bullfighting, flamenco, soccer.
It is the representative image of Spain that comes to mind for many people.
You might think of a matador battling a bull under the scorching sun, teetering between life and death, a captivating flamenco of a woman with jet-black hair and sparkling eyes, or a festival where people are crazy about soccer or throwing tomatoes.
But let's get this straight.
Not all Spaniards are Carmen and Don Quixote.
Bullfighting is banned in some Spanish autonomous regions, and not all Spaniards are crazy about football.
This book tells the true story of Spain, focusing on geography, cities, politics, history, architecture, art, society, and culture, and what you may have been curious about or misunderstood about.
Everything you need to know about Spain, explained in 37 keywords, in an easy and fun way.

People often define Spain as the 'land of passion' and the 'land of the sun'.
Passion isn't a bad thing, but to define a country in a few words like this is no different than saying that all Spaniards are Carmen and matadors.
We don't know much.
Their attitude towards life and death hidden behind the passion of flamenco, the tolerance of the Spanish system that existed before the irrational Inquisition, their national character that is both proud and easily open to strangers.

--- From [Prologue]

I too stood in front of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela just a month after I started walking.
It's a place I've had in my mind all month.
Rather than feeling relieved that I no longer have to walk, the feeling of emptiness that I can no longer walk was greater.
The pilgrims who had been walking together took pictures with the cathedral in the background, laughing together, oblivious to their shabby appearance.
The poses are also varied.
They hug each other, kiss each other on the square floor, and then lie down.
Rather than trying to soothe the regret, it seems like he is trying hard to hide the feeling of emptiness that is creeping in.
I took a break from the noisy atmosphere and went to a corner of the square where I could see the cathedral at a glance.
The Santiago I've longed to visit is right before my eyes, but where is my true "Santiago"? I recall a phrase I once read in a rural albergue.
“Don’t run! You are the one who must go.”
--- [05.
From the Camino de Santiago - Pilgrim's Way

The approximately 20,000 Inquisition judges who operated throughout Spain regularly visited each region and were obsessed with finding heretics.
When they caught a heretic, they gathered the people together and read out loud the heretical acts.
He then encouraged the audience to condemn the heretics.
Those who remained silent in response to this demand were also not spared from punishment.
A person brought before the Inquisition could not know who had accused him.
The Inquisition was a conduit for personal retribution and a place where accusations and snitches were encouraged.
Mutual suspicion has become an obstacle to free academic discussion and research.
It also narrowed the living space of the Spaniards and trapped Spanish society in a cycle of obedience and oppression.
--- [11.
[The Inquisition - The Shackles of Obedience and Oppression]

Don Quixote does not merely depict the miserable frustration of Spanish society, which was unable to escape the medieval Christian order and values ​​and was facing the wave of modernity.
Don Quixote is a mad knight, but he is a man full of free spirit and a sense of justice.
The values ​​of the Middle Ages at that time sought human nature in innate status and providence.
However, Cervantes wanted to go beyond these backward medieval values ​​and show modern humanism that emphasizes human virtue and individual freedom through the character of 'Don Quixote'.
Don Quixote is not a story about gods or humans subservient to gods, but a story about humans living in the human-centered Renaissance era.
--- [22.
Don Quixote - A Self-Portrait in 17th Century Spain]

During the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), soldiers on Franco's side assassinated Josep Sunyol, a political party leader and owner of FC Barcelona.
This incident became a decisive moment for the people of Barcelona to reflect on their Catalan identity and the meaning of the FC Barcelona football team.
After the Spanish Civil War, dictator Franco, who took power, provided full support to the Castile region, where Madrid was located, while continuing to oppress the Catalonia region, where Barcelona was located.
This is why the match between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, ​​known as 'El Clásico', became a war without gunfire.
'El Clásico' is not just a soccer match.
It is a battle of political pride between two teams representing nationalism across Spain (Real Madrid) and Catalonia (FC Barcelona).
--- [29.
El Clásico - A War Without Gunfire]

However, cultures are not something that can be judged superior to one another.
To understand different cultures, you must think and look at things from the perspective of the people in that culture.
Bullfighting is a ritual that combines solemnity and excitement, life and death.
The Spanish temperament can be seen in the fact that bullfighting, which is 'always followed by death', is their national sport.
Spanish philosopher Ortega y Gasset said, “It is inconceivable to know Spanish history without considering bullfighting.”
Bullfighting is the life and history of the Spanish people.

--- [31.
Bullfighting? A dangerous art that risks death.