Sarah Walker examines the complex personality and creative process of Manuel de Falla, whose compositions are featured in this year's Proms season as part of the theme of music inspired by Spain. Working in the aftermath of Spain's defeat in the Spanish-American War, Falla was looked to as a nationalist voice in the country's cultural regeneration of the early 20th century. But while his love of Andalusian folk music and popular song found favour at home, his leanings towards Debussy and Stravinsky brought harsh criticism and by the end of the 1930s the combination of his Catholic faith and left-wing sympathies had forced him into exile.