Galicia Tourist Guide 2018

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Language and literature

In Galicia , in addition to Spanish, we speak Galician. Both languages are official , so you won't have any problem communicating with people throughout the region, as the majo- rity of the population is bilingual. Galician is a Romance language sim- ilar to Portuguese that was very im- portant during theMiddle Ages, since it was used in troubadour poetry. King Alfonso X, The Wise , wrote his much-celebrated Cantigas de Santa María in this language. During your visit, you will learn words that are difficult to translate to other languages, such as riquiño ,

enxebre , ruliña , aloumiñar and toxo . When you hear them, you will note Galician's peculiar cadence and soft sound . Throughout Galicia's extensive liter- ary tradition , women have played an important role. You can revel in the verses penned by Rosalía de Castro or the lucidproseof EmiliaPardoBazán , who wrote stories about 19th century society. Both women are a point of reference for Spanish literature. There are a number of award-winning writers born inGalicia, such as Camilo José Cela , whowon a Nobel Prize and wrote beloved books such as The Hive

and The Family of Pascual Duarte . Other names of note include Valle- Inclán (4), Eduardo Blanco Amor , Ál- varo Cunqueiro , Alfonso Daniel Rod- ríguez Castelao , Gonzalo Torrente Ballester and Manuel Rivas . If you want to learn more about the lives of these intellectuals, visit the homes where they lived, or explore their exhibits, be sure to visit the Fundación Camilo José Cela (2), the Casa Museo Emilia Pardo Bazán (3), the Fundación Rosalía de Castro (5 and 6) or the Fundación Gonzalo Torrente Ballester (1), where their libraries and the first edition of their books are kept.

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