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Literature

Cervantes Institute headquarters.

Madrid has been one of the great centers of Spanish literature. In this city were bornsome of the best writers of the Spanish Golden Century, including: Lope de Vega (  Fuenteovejuna, The Dog in the Manger , The Knight of Olmedo), who reformed theSpanish theater, a work continued by Calderon de la Barca (Life is a Dream), Franciscode Quevedo, Spanish nobleman and writer famous for his satires, which criticized the

Spanish society of his time, and author of ´El Buscón. And finally, Tirso de Molina, who created the famous character Don Juan. In addition, Cervantes and Góngora alsolived in the city, although they were not born there. The homes of Lope de Vega,Quevedo, Gongora and Cervantes are still preserved, and they are all in the Barrio de lasLetras (Letters Neigtbourhood).

Other writers born in Madrid in later centuries have been Leandro Fernandez deMoratín, Mariano José de Larra, Jose de Echegaray (Nobel Prize in Literature), RamónGómez de la Serna, Dámaso Alonso, Enrique Jardiel Poncela and Pedro Salinas.

The "Barrio de las Letras" (Neighborhood of Letters) owes its name to the intense

literary activity developed over the 16th and 17th centuries. In this area they settledsome of the most prominent writers of the Spanish Golden Age, as Lope de Vega, Quevedo or Góngora, and the theatres of Cruz and Príncipe, two of the major comedytheaters of that time. At number 87 Calle de Atocha, one of the ways that limit theneighborhood, was the printing of Juan Cuesta, where the first edition of the first part of Don Quixote (1604) was published, considered the work summit of literature inSpanish. Most of the literary routes are articulated along the Barrio de las Letras, whereyou can find scenarios of novels of the Siglo de Oro and more recent works like"Bohemian Lights".

Madrid is home to the Royal Academy of Spanish Language, internationally important

cultural institution dedicated to language planning by enacting legislation aimed at promoting linguistic unity within and among the several Hispanic states; ensure a

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common linguistic standard, in accordance with its founding statutes "to ensure that thechanges undergone [by the language] [...] not break the essential unity that keeps all theHispanic. ".[99]

Madrid is also home to another internationally cultural institution, the Instituto

Cervantes, whose task is the promotion and teaching of Spanish language as well as thedissemination of the culture of Spain and Latin America. ...

The National Library of Spain is a major public library, the largest in Spain. Thelibrary's collection consists of more than 26,000,000 items including 15,000,000 booksand other printed materials, 30,000 manuscripts, 143,000 newspapers and serials,4,500,000 graphic materials, 510,000 music scores, 500,000 maps, 600,000 soundrecording, 90,000 audiovisuals, 90,000 electronic documents, more than 500,000microforms, etc.".[100]

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Commemorative plaque of the 1st edition of Don Quixote.

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Plaza de Santa Ana, Barrio de las Letras

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 National Library of Spain

Nightlife

The nightlife in Madrid is one of the city's main attractions. Tapas bars, cocktail bars,clubs, jazz lounges, live music venues, flamenco theatres and establishments of all kindscater to all. Every night, venues pertaining to the Live Music Venues Association La

 Noche en Vivo host a wide range of live music shows. Everything from acclaimed toup-and-coming artists, singer-songwriters to rock bands, jazz concerts or electronic

music sessions to enjoy music at its best.

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 Nightlife and young cultural awakening flourished after the death of  Franco, especiallyduring the 80s while Madrid's mayor Enrique Tierno Galván (PSOE) was in office, atthis time is well-known the cultural movement called La Movida and it initiallygathered around Plaza del Dos de Mayo. Nowadays, the Malasaña area is known for itsalternative scene.

Some of the most popular night destinations include the neighbourhoods of Bilbao,Tribunal, Atocha, Alonso Martínez or Moncloa, together with Puerta del Sol area(including Ópera and Gran Vía, both adjacent to the popular square) and Huertas( Barrio de las Letras), destinations which are also filled with tourists day and night. Thedistrict of Chueca has also become a hot spot in the Madrilenian nightlife, especially for the gay population. Chueca is popularly known as the gay quarter, comparable to TheCastro district in San Francisco.

What is also popular is the practice of meeting in parks or streets with friends anddrinking alcohol together (this is called botellón, from botella, 'bottle'), but in recent

years, drinking in the street is punished with a fine and now young madrileños drink together all around the city instead of in better-known places.

Usually in Madrid people do not go out until later in the evening, and do not returnhome until early in the morning. A typical evening out could not start before 12:30 AMand end at 6:30 AM.