Latin Grammar (ca. 1486) by Antonio de NebrijaOriginal Source: Spanish National Library
Now that handwriting seems to have been banished by the keyboard of computers or cell phones, it may come as a surprise to think that books used to be written with pen and ink.
Spanish Grammar (1492) by Antonio de NebrijaOriginal Source: Spanish National Library
Far from the simplicity of most typefaces with which we now write on a screen, people once nurtured calligraphy and prized the quality of good paper or the beauty of a good layout.
Latin Grammar (ca. 1486) by Antonio de NebrijaOriginal Source: Spanish National Library
We could say that this is where the graphic design profession, which is currently so in demand, comes from.
National Library of Spain (14-03-2022)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija
Without the need to travel back in time, thanks to the National Library of Spain we can recover and appreciate some of the examples of handwriting by great authors of Spanish literature, with samples of the best dialogues between illustration and letters.
Poema del Mio CidOriginal Source: The National Library of Spain
The Poem of the Cid'
The manuscript of 'The Poem of the Cid' is preserved in a copy from the 14th century that refers to an earlier original, prior to 1207. This is the most significant work of medieval Spanish literature and the oldest epic poem ever written in Spanish.
The anonymous poem narrates the achievements and difficulties of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, an exiled nobleman who lived in the second half of the 11th century. The manuscript was copied by Per Abad, but it lacks the initial pages and underwent various corrections up to the 20th century.
Auto de los Reyes MagosOriginal Source: The National Library of Spain
Play of the Three Wise Men'
This anonymous work describes in its 147 verses a dramatic dialogue among the Three Wise Men as they follow the star to Bethlehem in order to visit King Herod.
"God the creator, what a marvel!
I do not know which star this is.
Now I have seen it."
The work is a sample of liturgical drama, which was performed in churches after mass. The verses of the play are copied at the end of a liturgical codex that comes from the Cathedral Council of Toledo. It dates back to the 12th century.
Historia de las Indias de Nueva España e islas de Tierra Firme by Diego DuránOriginal Source: The National Library of Spain
History of the Indies of New Spain and the Mainland Islands by Diego Durán (1579)
In this manuscript, the Seville-born Dominican friar Diego Durán narrates the social and political organization of Mexico, from its origins to the time of Hernán Cortés.
The text is based on oral sources, pre-Hispanic codices, and 16th-century Spanish chronicles. The illustrations are 117 miniatures that are interspersed in the text, all of them drawn with a thick pen and striking colors.
Trafalgar by Benito Pérez GaldósOriginal Source: The National Library of Spain
Trafalgar' (1873) by Benito Pérez Galdós
Benito Pérez Galdós (1843-1920) is a leading figure of the contemporary Spanish novel. The National Library of Spain preserves more than a dozen Galdós manuscripts, written in pencil, with the originals of works such as Trafalgar, The Court of Carlos IV, Mrs. Perfect, and The Disinherited.
Trafalgar is the first novel of the 'National Episodes': "Before relating the important events of which I have been an eyewitness, I may be allowed..." read its first lines.
Las nanas infantiles (1928) by Federico García LorcaOriginal Source: The National Library of Spain
On Lullabies' (1928) by Federico García Lorca
Federico García Lorca (1898-1936) gave a lecture on children's lullabies at the Student Residence in 1928. In 1930, he repeated this lecture in Havana and at Vassar College in New York.
In this manuscript, we can see the poet's corrections and deletions compared to the first version, as well as his typed version.
"In this lecture I will not, as in former ones, try to define things, but merely emphasize; I wish only to suggest (...) To disturb somnolent birds."
Content curation: Aina Arbona
Graphic Editor: Carmen García
Consulting and review: Lola Pons (Universidad de Sevilla)
