Malasaña, Lavapiés, Chueca, Carabanchel, Marqués de Vadillo, Retiro, Tirso de Molina, Azca… The streets of Madrid have served as inspiration for many writers, who have found in its corners the perfect setting for literary fiction.
Madrid and literature have been faithful companions for centuries, allowing readers to travel through the words and emotions that the capital can evoke.
Come to Madrid, travel through the power of literature, and enjoy its many options for discovering the city alone or with your partner.
Madrid and Books, a Close Relationship
Madrid is, without a doubt, a literary city. Renowned writers and lesser-known authors have found in this bustling metropolis a place full of inspiration. It is no surprise, then, that the city has been the birthplace, refuge, and muse of great writers such as Lope de Vega, Cervantes, Calderón, and Tirso de Molina. However, they weren’t the only ones to fall under its spell: Benito Pérez Galdós, Mariano José de Larra, Ramón Gómez de la Serna, Ramón María del Valle-Inclán, and Arturo Barea were other major authors who shaped the city’s literature.
Today, the relationship between Madrid and books remains strong. Hundreds of Madrid-based writers continue to use the city’s streets as the setting for their works of art; others have adopted Madrid as their city of inspiration despite not being born there. The city remains a surprising blend of the traditional and the cosmopolitan—a fusion that is highly appealing to both readers and writers.
Madrid Through the Writers Who Walked It
As a tribute to the literary Madrid of the past and present, the city center is home to venues, streets, and even neighborhoods where literature takes the spotlight. In fact, in the famous Barrio de las Letras (Literary Quarter), visitors can discover the great stories of all those writers who lived in Madrid and captured it in their books so that others could experience it in the same way. Today, there are various routes that let you explore the literary Madrid of the past: the Galdós route and the Lorca route remain among the most popular.
Galdós’ Madrid appears in some of his most important works, such as Fortunata y Jacinta. Places like Café Comercial or Lhardy witnessed many of the cafés and literary gatherings where Galdós participated, learned, and found inspiration. On his literary route, you can even visit the boarding house where he stayed upon arriving in Madrid and continue to the writer’s monument. On Hortaleza Street, you’ll find the Pérez Galdós bookstore and the street named in his honor.
Lorca’s Madrid will transport you to Calle Alcalá, where he lived, to Café Gijón on Paseo de Recoletos, or to the old Teatro Eslava, where Lorca experienced his first failure with the play El Maleficio de la Mariposa.
In Plaza de Santa Ana, you’ll find a life-sized statue of the artist; just a few steps away, you can visit the Teatro Español, where Lorca successfully premiered his play Yerma in 1934.
Madrid is a city full of history, legends, and inspiring stories. Walking through its streets may inspire you just as it has inspired the great literary artists who expressed their deep love for the capital through their books
