Perception of the urban space of Tangier in the Spanish novels of the 21st century

Abstract

The article presents an analysis of the perception of Tangier's urban space that contemporary Spanish literature projects in the first two decades of the 21st century. The North African city, in the last 20 years, exerts a strong attraction as a stage for novels for various reasons, including its geostrategic condition (border, port, crossroads), its history (especially, time of the International Statute), its economic-commercial values (Free Zones, Port Tangier-Med) and socio-cultural conditions (door of African immigration, coexistence of cultures). The study whose method lies in the detection and priority of the geographical elements perceived in the urban space in the Spanish novels of the 21st century has led to the elaboration of perception maps: of points (nodes and milestones), of lines (paths) and of areas (neighborhoods and borders). The literary perception of the urban scene describes a reality associated with characteristic and emblematic elements.