Someone – a person who was clearly as entranced by the magic of La Herradura as I am – once said: “La Herradura will either lure you in or spit you out.”

Over the years I’ve been living here, I’ve seen how true this is, and I can certainly say with delight that my own experience was one of being ‘lured in’ rather than the alternative.

I am a Dutch artist and writer who fell in love with La Herradura the first time I came here in 2004. I even met and married a Spanish man from the village in 2014.

Over the years, I’ve become increasingly aware of La Herradura’s power to attract interesting characters – for its size, the village seems to draw more than its fair share of musicians, painters, writers and other creative people. Through talking to local people, I’ve discovered that this has
always been the case and this has so intrigued me, that I’ve decided to find out why.

There already exist various books and video films about La Herradura but most of them are in the Spanish language. I am convinced that a book with a slightly different approach i.e. onenwhich not only shows the history, evolution and description of the village, but also looks at the reasons why so many artists have found their way to La Herradura and what inspires them to do what they do – will make for a very interesting read. Such a unique combination of historical, cultural and human interest stories will also, I’m sure, help to attract new visitors to the village.

The result is a book that is now published both in English – ‘Reflections from La Herradura’ – and in Spanish – ‘Reflejos del Paisaje Humano de La Herradura’. La Herradura Reflections is not a guide book, but as you read the stories of La Herradura’s artists and other ‘colourful’ people, you will not only find out what drives them, but also learn about La Herradura’s history, its evolution and hopes for the future as well as discover its secrets and hidden places.

For the cover I used an oil painting made especially for this book, depicting a flamenco dancer, the shape of a horseshoe (Herradura) and a white village.

I believe La Herradura has the potential to be one of Andalucia’s cultural hotspots and deserves to be better known. It is a great example of a village where different nationalities live together peacefully and where cultural happenings are encouraged and applauded.

The launch of the book(s) will take place on Sunday, 17 April 2016 at 17.00 in La Cochera on the seafront in La Herradura. For more information or for an interview please contact me via: renate@renatevannijen.com or by telephone 655 211 276. Renate van Nijen www.renatevannijen.com