Discover the Brilliance of Álvaro Cunqueiro’s “Fables and Legends of the Sea”

A Life Born by the Seashore

In a life shaped by the ebb and flow of the sea, destiny has woven a narrative as fluid and deep as the ocean itself. From my birth on the seashore, my journey—dubbed “Just the Sea”—has navigated me through diverse landscapes, yet it is Madrid where I find myself anchored today. This city, far from the coast but close to my heart, has become a serendipitous haven, connecting me to the world through my enduring passion: the sea.

Anchored in Madrid

It’s been a while since my life decided to take a maritime course, sailing on solid ground. As my parents tell it, my life was “literally” born by the seashore. But I won’t delve into more details.

This journey, which I called as Just the Sea five years ago, insists on keeping me anchored inland for some time now. I equally love the place chosen by destiny to moor my steps: Madrid.

The Guiding Thread: Passion for the Sea

By giving a name and flag to my journey, it’s easy for anyone, whether known or unknown, to identify it from afar, connect with me, or share any work, event, or person related to my passion—the guiding thread of my life: the sea. This makes my journey easier and happier.

Discovering “Fables and Legends of the Sea”

Last month, my versatile friend Pepe Escudero, after the presentation of his highly recommended Spanish edition of “The Manual of Prudence and Art of Prudence, the vital advice of Baltasar Gracián” at Panta Rhei bookstore in Madrid, insisted that I “had to read” a book that I would undoubtedly love.

 

That book turned out to be “Fables and Legends of the Sea” by Álvaro Cunqueiro. Beautiful, brilliant, and magical. Essential for lovers of the sea and literature; just one of those variables is enough to thoroughly enjoy this work.

I can’t fathom why I hadn’t read it before. I was born in Vigo, where Álvaro Cunqueiro was a key figure for years, serving as the director of Faro de Vigo journal from 1965 to 1970, and with a public hospital in the city bearing his name. As Néstor Luján mentions in the edition I acquired from Editorial Tusquets, “Álvaro Cunqueiro has been the first of our great fabulists and can be placed alongside his admired Lord Dunsany, Jorge Luis Borges, Italo Calvino, and Joan Perucho.”

Enjoy the video featuring 20 poetic expressions for “a-mar,” where the beauty of love (“amar”) merges with the vastness of the sea (“mar”).

Embracing the Right Timing

Things arrive at the right time. We embrace them if they belong to us and let them pass if they don’t. I leave the recommendation of this book here for anyone who now deserves to discover or perhaps rediscover it.

Just as the tides bring treasures to shore at precisely the right moment, so too does literature find us when we are ready to embrace its depths. Álvaro Cunqueiro’s “Fables and Legends of the Sea” arrived as a revelation, weaving tales that resonate with the essence of my maritime spirit. As I share this newfound gem with you, I invite you to embark on your own voyage of discovery, where the sea meets literature and every page carries the whisper of waves.

Thank you for joining me on this journey.

A salty hug,

Angela Lago

Founder of Sea Jewelry and Just the Sea