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A thoughtful compilation of essays on twentieth-century representations of Spanish collective identity, Metaphors of Spain is a deep reflection on the way these representations were forged and transformed. The book traces the conflicting and changing understandings of the symbols, icons, and images that have conferred meaning to Spanish identity. In a chronological recounting, the authors examine how representations of Spain were shaped during the period of the Restoration, from fin de siècle Regenerationism during the Primo de Rivera dictatorship, the Republic, and the Franco dictatorial regime. The authors also analyze the democratic period, reporting the difficulties encountered in redefining or breaking with some representations of Spain inherited from Franco’s dictatorship. In the first of the twelve essays in the collection, Álvarez Junco introduces Spanish history and the essences of the nation from the perspectives of influential historians of various traditions. The second chapter by Moreno-Luzón and Núñez Seixas focuses on two contested but resilient symbols of the nation: the rojigualda flag and the anthem. The authors revise the official and social uses of these symbols as well as the controversy they raise in sub-state nationalisms. Chapters Three and Four reflect on two opposing metaphors of Spain: one successful, the monarchy; the other unsuccessful, the republic. Duarte explains that the republic is a metaphor for a Spain that could have succeeded and changed the course of Spanish history. Its failure contributed to forging its myth, and even today it remains very present in the collective imaginary of many Spaniards. In “The …