Spanish literature has given the world the figures of Don Quixote and Don Juan, and is responsible for the "invention" of the novel in the 16th century. The medieval period produced literature in Castilian, Catalan, Galician, Latin, Arabic, and Hebrew, and today there is a flourishing literature in Catalan, Galician, and Basque as well as in Castilian--the language that has became known as "Spanish." Moreover, a multilayered history of exile has produced a transnational literary output, while writers in Spain have engaged with European cultural trends. This Very Short Introduction explores...