Learn about the Spaniards in Spanish. The fan (el abanico) has always been a very personal item for Spanish women. Ladies used it to showcase their elegance or as a means of flirtation. In the hands of a flamenco singer, the fan expresses both joy and dramatic pain. It serves its original purpose when waved back and forth, providing relief from sultry heat to its owner. The word "fan" is also used in a figurative sense. A range of possibilities, for example, can be offered by the attractions of a holiday destination or the cultural offerings of a city, or the themes of a book. This book shares 35 short stories about some things that seem "typically Spanish" to Germans, such as bullfighting, paella, Carmen, and also about some lesser-known or completely unfamiliar topics. Mercedes Matteo Sanz is the author.