Irving Washington

In 1811 a group of American traders built a fort at the mouth of the Columbia River, named Fort Astoria in honor of its financier, John Jacob Astor. Envisioned as the spur of a fur-trading empire, by 1813 the project was a business failure and the fort was surrendered to the British. But in its short life Astoria rendered incalculable benefits to public understanding of the Great Northwest.

Knickerbocker's History of New York is a satire on self-important local history and contemporary politics. Prior to its publication, Irving started a hoax akin to today's viral marketing campaigns; he placed a series of missing person adverts in New York newspapers seeking information on Diedrich Knickerbocker, a crusty Dutch historian who had allegedly gone missing from his hotel in New York City.

"Old Christmas" is a collection of five Christmas "sketches" by Washington Irving from his famous Sketch Book. It describes Irving's experiences at the English country estate of Mr. Bracebridge during the "coaching days" of the early 19th century, focusing on the sights, sounds, smells and traditions of "Old" Christmas. In spirit it hearkens back to the Middle Ages -- before the "peasants" had learned to read newspapers or were talking politics at the local pub, when manner lords opened their halls for the local folk to feast in a show of gratitude, under the watchful stare of painted ancient family crusaders and armored statues.

Tales of the Alhambra is a collection of essays, verbal sketches, and stories by Washington Irving. Shortly after completing a biography of Christopher Columbus in 1828, Washington Irving travelled from Madrid, where he had been staying, to Granada, Spain. At first sight, he described it as "a most picturesque and beautiful city, situated in one of the loveliest landscapes that I have ever seen." Irving was preparing a book called A Chronicle of the Conquest of Granada, a history of the years 1478-1492, and was continuing his research on the topic. He immediately asked the then-governor of the historic Alhambra Palace as well as the archbishop of Granada for access to the palace, which was granted because of Irving's celebrity status. Aided by a 35-year-old guide named Mateo Ximenes, Irving was inspired by his experience to write Tales of the Alhambra. The book combines description, myth and narrations of real historical events, even up through the destruction of some of the palace's towers by the French under Count Sebastiani in 1812, and the further damage caused by an earthquake in 1821. Throughout his trip, Washington filled his notebooks and journals with descriptions and observations though he did not believe his writing would ever do it justice. He wrote, "How unworthy is my scribbling of the place." Irving continued to travel through Spain until he was appointed as secretary of legation at the United States Embassy in London, serving under the incoming minister Louis McLane.

Parmi les divers objets qui piquent la curiosit d'un voyageur, j'avais depuis longtemps le plus vif d sir de recueillir quelques anecdotes sur la vie des gens de lettres; et me trouvant Londres, un des endroits les plus renomm s pour la publication des livres, j' tais extr mement curieux de conna tre l'esp ce d'animaux qui les produit. Le hasard me mit heureusement en relation avec un litt rateur nomm Buckthorne, personnage qui habitait depuis longtemps la m tropole, et qui pouvait me tracer l'histoire naturelle de tous les animaux tranges que l'on rencontre dans cette vaste for t. Il s'empressa de me communiquer quelques renseignements utiles sur l'objet de mes recherches.

Je suis peintre d'histoire, et j'ai pass quelque temps dans la famille d'un prince tranger, sa maison de campagne, situ e quinze milles de Rome, au milieu des paysages les plus int ressants de l'Italie. La villa s' l ve sur les hauteurs de l'ancien Tusculum. Dans le voisinage on voit les ruines des maisons de campagne de Cic ron, de Sylla, de Lucullus, de Rufin, et d'autres fameux Romains, qui venaient l se reposer de leurs travaux, au sein d'un doux et d licieux loisir.

Rip est mieux connu du grand public que ne l'est son auteur. On regarde souvent son histoire comme une v ritable l gende, oubliant qu'elle est sortie, non de l'imagination populaire, mais de la fantaisie du conteur am ricain Washington Irving. Il est vrai que celui-ci, loin d'avoir jamais revendiqu l'honneur de sa cr ation, se serait apparemment content de passer pour le simple chroniqueur d'une aventure de son temps, tr s r pandue parmi les descendants de ces braves Hollandais qui les premiers avaient colonis un certain territoire des tats-Unis.

Les histoires qu'on va lire m'ont t racont es par le m me individu aux nerfs irritables qui m'apprit l'anecdote romanesque du gros Monsieur, publi e dans le Ch teau de Brace- Bridge. Il est bien singulier qu'on s'obstine toujours me regarder comme le t moin de cette aventure, quand j'ai pris soin d'affirmer d'une mani re positive qu'on m'en a fait le r cit, et quand j'ai donn le signalement du narrateur. Je proteste que jamais rien de semblable n'est arriv en ma pr sence.

M. Buckthorne s' tait arr t la mort de son oncle et la perte de ses grandes esp rances, v nement qui formait, comme il le disait, une poque dans son histoire: ce ne fut qu'apr s un long intervalle et dans une disposition d'esprit assez s rieuse qu'il reprit sa narration passablement bigarr e.