In this age of Western late capitalism, for which Walter Benjamin predicted the disappearance of storytelling, Telling Tales: Storytelling in Contemporary Spain, edited by Anne L. Walsh, bears witness to the continued necessity of storytelling in shaping personal, collective and (trans)national identities. The volume is an enthralling collection of sixteen top-class reflections on the roles of storytelling in contemporary Spain. [.] This volume, informed by rich theoretical frameworks, offers enormous intellectual value not only to scholars of Spanish literatures and cultural studies but also to all those who consider the art of storytelling as essential to what it means to be human and to the affirmation of empathetic solidarity and community.Professor Christine Arkinstall, The University of AucklandThis is a stimulating collection which manages to integrate essays on a wide variety of themes into a coherent volume. The overarching theme of storytelling - which might at first seem a little obvious for a collection of reflections on narrative genres - is particularly relevant at this point in Spanish history. [.

] Through close studies of particular films and works of literature, the volume explores themes as diverse as aging, death, gender, love, truth, fantasy, identity, and individual and collective memory. The exploration of these themes is stimulating even for readers unfamiliar with the wide range of texts and films under consideration. The contributors are drawn from across the world and represent a healthy combination of established and emerging scholars. It is nice to see female voices well represented in the volume, both in the works studied and the authors of the chapters themselves. In sum, this volume will make a substantial contribution to the field of Contemporary Spanish Studies.Professor Kathryn Crameri, Stevenson Chair of Hispanic Studies, University of Glasgow.