Spanish Literature

[Stewart]

Well, it all started with Cervantes and Don Quixote, didn't it? Didn't it?

Keeping to Spain, rather than other Spanish speaking nations, Spanish literature seems to be something I buy rather than read. I've got a few titles sitting on my shelves and, such as Carmen Laforet's Nada and Carlos Ruiz Zaf?n's The Shadow Of The Wind. I did get round to Quim Monz?'s The Enormity Of The Tragedy, though. Beyond that I'm clueless but I've noticed a rise in Spanish translations appearing in book stores - at least the ones I visit.

And Spain must have a wealth of literature waiting to be read. It's a huge country, the legacy of it's language can be heard all over the New World. And it's given us five Nobel laureates in Jos? Echegaray, Jacinto Benavente, Juan Ram?n Jim?nez, Vicente Aleixandre, and Camilo Jos? Cela.

Spanish writers, dramatists, poets: who's worth reading?

 

[B&b ex libris]

Wow you know more about Lit. from Spain that I do!
This is one of my all time Spanish favourites: El Maestro de Esgrima, or The Fencing Master by Arturo Perez Reverte. I read it in Spanish, it was a dream.

What has everyone else read? I too own The Shadow of the Wind, but haven't read it..and several others. Sometimes Spanish lit (from Spain) seems a little pompous to me, not showing weakness...a little like the nation. I grew up there, that is where I am from so I can say that. Does their pride get in the way of writers writing other sorts of literature? What do you think?

 

[saliotthomas]

I like Arturo Perez Reverte a lot,i only read Alatriste but i have the Fencing master,the painter of battle,nautical shart'sand queen of the south,waiting on my shelves.I guess i shall read them sometime soon.

 

[Heteronym]

Funny that, being just next to Spain, I have read almost nothing from this country. South American literature has fascinated me for years, but from Spain I've only got Antonio Mu?oz Molina's Nada del Outro Mundo, a short-story collection.

 

[Eric]

Given mention of the Monz?, I take it that Spanish literature covers that written in the country Spain, whether it is written in Castilian (i.e. Spanish), Catalan, Basque or Galician.

I know somewhat more about literature written in Catalan than I actually do about contemporary (or, at least, recent) literature written in Spanish. Names such as Monz?, Rodoreda, Gimferrer, Riera, Perucho, Viladot, Villalonga, Calders, and so on. See:

http://www.lletra.net/

I started Monz?'s Enormity book, in Peter Bush's translation. Had to break off to read something else I'm going to review, but I found the Monz? novel amusing enough. Well written at any rate.

The P?rez-Reverte covers are rather striking.

 

[B&b ex libris]

Funny that, being just next to Spain, I have read almost nothing from this country. South American literature has fascinated me for years, but from Spain I've only got Antonio Mu?oz Molina's Nada del Otro Mundo, a short-story collection.

I grew up in Spain, and Spanish Lit is what my university degree is in, and I still haven't read a lot as far as Literature from Spain! The trend right now is Latin America, since they were the underdog in history for so long, and right now in lit the popular nations are the ones that were taken advantage of, not the ones that tried to conquer everything. Spain being a conqueror nation has its really good books, but it is not what the media covers right now and therefore we don't know about them as much.

This could be just my impression though, what you do you all think?

 

[Heteronym]

This could be just my impression though, what you do you all think?

Maybe the South Americans just write better books

It looks to me like a step forward to recognise the quality of foreign literatures, or even the subcultures within cultures. The English world in the 20th century put on pedastals many writers - Hemingway, Miller, Mailer (Mailer?) - who I consider inferior to many writers who lived on the margins of the known world and who deserve more attention.

There are several Spanish writers that particularly interest me, like R?mon G?mez de la Serna, Pedro Antonio de Alarc?n, Camilo Jos? Cela, Vicente Blasco Iba?ez, but outside the Nobel Laureate, I have difficulty finding them in Portugal, for which reason I move on to more easily-acquired literature.

 

[Ya3rub]

I have'nt read any of spanish lit , but after all what i read here I'll take it into consideration .

 

[fausto]

Classic from the 19th century: Clar?n - La Regenta. Every country seems to have its Bovary: this is it.

Spanish literature is obssessed by the idea of generation. Hence the genration of 1898: Baroja, Unamuno, Valle-Incl?n and the great poet Antonio Machado (his main book being Campos de Castilla:
Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar. )
Hence the generation of 1927. Mostly avant-garde poets who either died or went into exile due to the Civil war. Garc?a Lorca is obviously its icon. Alberti and Cernuda are also well known.

If you like Bu?uel, you should read Ram?n G?mez de la Serna as his Grueguer?as ("A piano store looks like a funeral parlor for music" seemed to have a huge influence on him)

And then, it seems it stops. But it doesn't.

Stewart mentioned Camilo Jos? Cela, the Nobel-prize winner. He is the giant of the 20th century, a towering figure - he lived from 1915 to 2002. It's mainly due to the fact that he was probably the only great write not in exile under Franco although some of his work was banned. He was accused of having sympathies for the regime, but it seems a tad more complicated. Strange guy. Main books are generally considered to be La colmena and La familia de Pascal Duarte.

He also mentioned Carmen Laforet. Her Nada is right up there with Cela's early work.

In the 50's, a new wave of realism, with Miguel Delibes the most famous name -- he is still alive.

60's and 70's: Juan Benet, often referred to as Spain's Faulkner.

Among the living, two giants, one recognized as such in Spain, the other less so: Juan Goytisolo and Jul?an R?os.
Goytisolo wrote fictions on Spain under Franco, oppression of all types -- political, intellectual, sexual. Over the years, he developped a strong interest for the Islamic world and most specifically countries of the Maghreb. This transpires in his fiction too. He is a real leftist but even if you strongly dislike this aspect of his work, his superb writing and intricate constructions should make up for it. A true great.
R?os is often know as the Spanish Joyce. Reading Larva and its offshots, you'll see why. Punch-drunk by words. Amazing writer and amazing reader -- he published Arno Schmidt in Spain --, he is slowly getting more attention thanks two a few critic of the new generation. Major, major, major.

Other than that, gazillions of interesting contemporary writers. Enrique Vila-Matas is one of my favourites but you have to love novels written about books to like him, I guess. Very funny and witty.
Javier Mar?as is probably the closest thing to a living classic.
Javier Cercas has a few books translated and he is well worth checking out too.
If you like literary detective story, the true Spanish (Catalan) master was Manuel V?zquez Montalb?n.
And loads of others from all centuries (from Quevedo, G?ngora, Grac?an, Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina to Aza?a, Savater, Umbral, Pombo, Torrente Ballester).

Among the new generation, I have read and liked Ray Loriga (wrote a couple of Almodovar's movies), Javier Calvo and the lateste sensation Agust?n Fern?ndez Mallo. It's literature that appears lighter because it relies heavily on pop culture, but it's a take on it that's very different from that of, says, Douglas Coupland. It reaches unsuspected depth. Calvo is an excellent story-teller and in the book I read I couldn't help but marvel at how he manage to be so deceptively simple, both prose and content-wise. Fern?ndez Mallo is up to something quite different to anything I've ever read, I really liked it but need a reread to clarifiy my exact opinion.

I think prefering Latin American lit to Spanish lit is more a thing of not knowing than of quality. I don't see any real difference quality wise but it's true that they seem to be working on completely different levels.

Where is the thread on Argentinian literature, by the way?

 

[Stewart]

Where is the thread on Argentinian literature, by the way?

Waiting for someone to start it.

 

[Sybarite]

<snip>

Thanks for that, Fausto. It inspires me to investigate further.

 

[steffee]

I've read some Spanish Spanish literature (or fiction, at least). My favourite so far is La tesis de Nancy by Ram?n J Sender. Unfortunately, this isn't translated into English as yet, although the author's more prolific book Requiem por un campesino espa?ol, or Requiem for a Spanish Peasant, is.

I've read The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Z?fon in English and was unimpressed with it. It seemed overlong, in my opinion. I've since read the Spanish language text of The Prince of Mist (El pr?ncipe de la niebla) and found that to be good, although it's a young adult novel. Due to the young protagonist in The Shadow of the Wind, I'd have assumed that that too was a novel aimed at the adolescent reader, but the wikipedia entry proves it not to be.

A novel up there close with La tesis de Nancy by Ram?n J sender is Marianela by Benito P?rez Gald?s. Due to the book being written in 1878, I thought I wouldn't be too enamoured with it, but I'm finding the story and the descriptions to be wonderful (if a little beyond my current Spanish comprehension level). I'm going to attempt Fortunata and Jacinta next. Apparently, as the ever-so-reliable wiki entry informs me, a number of his works have been made into films, including a couple by Bu?uel. Sadly, only a few of his works are translated into English, as far as I can gather, which include Dona Perfecta and Mariucha.

Manuel V?zquez Montalb?n is another novelist whom I've read the Spanish versions of the text of. I've read Los mares del sur (Southern Seas) for a project for university and would classify the book as a simple crime story. Despite this, the book won the Planeta Award when it was first published, in 1979, and the author is a respected journalist. A number of the author's works have been translated into English.

Also for classes, I've read in both Spanish and English, a few of Federico Garc?a Lorca's plays - La zapatera prodigiosa (The Shoemaker's Wonderful Wife), Amor de Don Perlimlin con Belisa en su jard?n (The Love of Don Perlimpl?n and Belisa in his Garden) and Bodas de sangre (Blood Wedding). They are metatheatrical.

And with regards to Galician literature, I've read, in English: The Carpenter's Pencil by Mauel Rivas, which is quite a lovely love story, and the only novel I've read, with the remainder being short story collections - Things, by Alfonso R Castelao, which is a collection of stories that are almost fables, written in very simple language; and Them and Other Stories, by Xos? Luis M?ndez Ferr?n, which consists of stories portraying the suffering during the Franco period.

 

[Daniel del Real]

I know I shoul've read more authors from Spain since it is my mother tongue, but the thruth is I haven't. There are a few good ones I'd like to recommend anyways.
If you like classic theatre, Spain has great writers in Lope de Vega, Calder?n de la Barca and Jos? Zorrilla. Plays like Fuente Ovejuna, La Vida es Sue?o and Don Juan Tenorio are very interesting. In the 20th century they also have to amazing representatives in Antonio Buero Vallejo and Miguel Mihura. Tres Sombreros de Copa is an hilariouse play with a mix of comedy and absurd.
In poetry, Garc?a Lorca is definitely the best exponent. His plays are also very good. I would recommend Romancero Gitano a great collection of poems dealing about spanish roots with gypsies. In plays La Casa de Bernarda Alba is a great selection too.
No doubt Camilo Jos? Cela is the best novelist Spain have since Cervantes. However it's always worthy to take a look to Miguel de Unamuno, La T?a Tula and Ram?n del Valle Incl?n, Tirando Banderas.
There are a lot of writers I've heard they're excellent but so far this is what I've read.

 

[Manuel76]

Only one problem with spanish literature: its best books have always been mostly poetry, and most of them impossible to translate. Literature as art against literature as entertainment. There is a poetry tradition which goes from the Arcipreste, Jorge Manrique and the romancero in the middle ages through Garcilaso, Gongora and Quevedo in the Golden Age to Machado, Lorca or Alberti in the XX century. I can?t imagine any of this poets translated into any other language.

In Spain the greatest novelist after Cervates is ussually considered P?rez Gald?s not Camilo Jos? Cela. Gald?s in Spain has the reputation of Balzac in France or Dickens in England. Greatest novel after Don Quijote is ussually considered La Regenta (if we don't take into account La Celestina which is half novel-half play).

Classic novels from the XIX and XX century I would strongly recommend:

- Fortunata y Jacinta and Misericordia by Gald?s
- La Regenta by Alas Clar?n
- Tirano Banderas and La corte d los milagros by Valle-Incl?n
- Cinco horas con Mario by Delibes
- La saga/Fuga de J.B. by Torrente Ballester

But even in the XX century there's always been a preference for other genres, and some of our best prose writers in the XX century never wrote a real novel: like Azor?n or Cernuda. Valle-Incl?n is better known for his plays than for his novels and probably his best work was Luces de Bohemia.

Great classics from the XXth century: Antonio Machado, Juan Ram?n Jimenez, Rafael Alberti, Garc?a Lorca, Jorge Guill?n, Damaso Alonso, Pedro Salinas, Luis Ceruda, Jos? Hierro...all of them poets.

 

[Omo]

I haven't read much Spanish literature, but Calder?n has always been a favourite of mine. I also enjoyed the works by Lope de Vega.
As for contemporary literature, has Rafael Chirbes been mentioned yet?

 

[Daniel del Real]

I haven't read much Spanish literature, but Calder?n has always been a favourite of mine. I also enjoyed the works by Lope de Vega.
As for contemporary literature, has Rafael Chirbes been mentioned yet?

Haven't heard about him before. I'll take a look and if you want to speak about him, please do.
Right now Spain has two of the best 5 novelists in Spanish language:
Enrique Vila-Matas and Javier Mar?as.

 

[LRiley]

There are two great books by the 19th century novelist Benito Perez Galdos--one is massive--Fortunata and Jacinta--it's comparable to the better works of Emile Zola--only Perez Galdos has a much stronger comic touch. The other that I really like is much shorter is Nazarin--it's about a catholic priest who decides to go out on the road like Jesus did--and he's followed around by two devoted prostitutes. Basically it's a reworking of the Jesus myth updated to the 19th century--one in which the more secular than not author uses to point out the hyprocisies of the present day church and it's most ardent well to do followers.

Another 19th century who I've only read once but was impressed by was Emilia Pardo Bazan--that book was The House of the Ulloas.

Moving into the 20th century and everyone has holes--Marias being one of mine--the writers and/or books I like best are Camilo Jose Cela particularly San Camilo 1936--the subject matter being a young man trying to come to a decision on which side to choose in the opening stages of the Spanish Civil war--The Hive, Mazurka for two dead men (again about the Spanish Civil war) and Christ vs. Arizona--a retelling of the shootout at the OK corral.

Miguel Delibes is an excellent writer as well. Favorites of mine are The Stuff of heroes (again about the Spanish Civil war--I know it's getting redundant) and Five hours with Mario--the story revolving around the corpse of the recently deceased aforementioned Mario--his wife staying up all night to hector and nag him about his non-conformism which made her life a misery during the years of Franco's dictatorship.

For crime novels--Manuel Vazquez Montalban is pretty good. He also wrote a novel about an obscure Spanish Civil war Basque refugee who ran afoul of the Dominican dictator Trujillo who had him kidnapped, drugged and flown back to the D.R. where he was tortured and murdered--that's based on a real event and the book is titled Galindez. As for the crime novels--Pepe Carvalhao the ex-communist, ex-CIA, ex-prison felon private detective who burns books by pretentious authors in his fireplace to keep warm on cold nights--the best IMO is The Buenos Aires Quintet.

Arturo Perez-Reverte's The Club Dumas is a great book. I like Queen of the South as well--most everything he writes is at least good but those are his highlights for me.

The Galician writer Manuel Rivas has two great--but kind of short novels--The Carpenter's pencil--(the Spanish Civil War again a major part of the theme). His 'In the wilderness' reimagines deceased people from that era as an assortment of animals both wild and domestic. It's a fun book and I at least thought very unique.

Luis Martin Santos only wrote one novel--Time of Silence--he died in an automoblie in the middle of writing his second. A lot of people consider that a major work.

Another fine effort would be Juan Marse's The Fallen which divides it's time between a gang of poor Barcelona kids--mostly from families of questionable political backgrounds and a smaller group of leftover communist insurgents carrying on guerilla activities. It's mostly about the adventures of the kids though.

The Catalan speaking writer Joan (or Juan) Perucho has a part swashbuckling/part Vampire horror novel called Natural History which is set during the times of the 19th century Carlist war. I would definitely recommend it.

Carmen Martin Gaite is another fine writer--The Back room is excellent--even better is Behind the Curtains.

Another Galician writer--Julian Rios whose Loves that bind takes famous fictional female characters and rewrites their histories through the eyes of a former lover. Part of the fun is figuring out the books and the characters--sometimes pretty easy--sometimes not. There are 26 chapters for each letter of the alphabet--to give an idea A is for Proust's Albertine, B for Musil's Bonadea, C for Beckett's Celia (Murphy).

Other books I'd recommend highly (I'm getting tired) Juan Goytisolo's Marks of Identity, Ramon Sender's Seven Red Sundays, Javier Cercas's Soldiers of Salamis--for those Bolano fans out there--Bolano is a character in this book. Enrique Vil Matos's Bartleby and Co.

 

[Manuel76]

I didn't like Se?as de Identidad (marks of Identity), great technic but hollow and false. I really prefer Don Julian and Juan sin Tierra, two great books by Juan Goytisolo, great writer but intolerable person.

 

[Daniel del Real]

I didn't like Se?as de Identidad (marks of Identity), great technic but hollow and false. I really prefer Don Julian and Juan sin Tierra, two great books by Juan Goytisolo, great writer but intolerable person.

Reivindicac??n del Conde Don Julian is a book I just wasn't able to get through and I tried twice. Impenetrable, I don't see what's the purpose of the first pages. Punctuation makes it even more difficult.
Could you tell me what's so great about this book, cuz I just wasn't able to get it, and he is a writer I really want to check.
Please tell me an advise on how to approach to Goytisolo.

 

[Manuel76]

Daniel, I'll try to send you a message with some impressions about Goytisolo's trilogy. My favorite one was Juan sin Tierra, the third an most radical.

It's impossible for me to do so if not in my native language, I hope you understand, so it's better a private message.

Only to say that "what's so great" about it, from my point of view is precisely its style, and well Goytisolo is really intelligent (as much as intolerant and false) and extremelly funny. But I think in the 70s in Spain only Torrente Ballester could write better than him.

Punctuation is allright for me, it makes easier to follow the thread. Regarding the plot: Don Julian and Juan sin Tierra remembered me some literary tradition fom the middle ages, the mester de juglaria and especially a famous Spanish book: Libro de Buen Amor from Arcipreste de Hita, he leads us jumping from one subject to another, you see hou little by little a thing becomes its opposite, or a character becomes another character, or a movie-hero as in teh beggining of Don Julian...the only reason is to create new funny "vi?etas" to laugh and be cruel with all he dislikes (pretty much everything).


The trilogy are the only works by Goytisolo I read, so I can't talk about his more recent work.