Spanish modern writers and their works. Contemporary Spanish-language writers
It is a great joy when the thoughts of your loved ones are in tune with your own. But an even greater pleasure for me is the moment of recognizing myself in books. It doesn’t matter how many years ago they were written, for you it is relevant now, at this moment. Therefore, I see one of the main values of literature as its timelessness, as if it serves as proof of its nonlinearity. For me, Unamuno, Cortazar and Galeano are equally relevant - three centuries - the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first go hand in hand.
When I first read one of the shortest and most famous micro-stories* ( microrelatos) on Spanish, then I didn’t understand anything. Or rather, I understood the text perfectly, but I couldn’t understand why these 7 words are so popular? Why are they quoted all over the world, dedicated to them scientific works, and how did they magically inspire so many people to create something important?
Manuel Rivas' thoughts on what happens to men
Autorretrato sin mí. Parte 2. El niño interior.
Autorretrato sin mí. Horas de serenidad
Juan José Millas - inventor of a new literary genre
Talk to the dog, or better yet, read Antonio Gala
Yesterday before going to bed, I read the dialogues of Antonio Gala with his dog Troilo, collected in a single book “ Charles con Troylo” and enjoyed the beauty of the style, the power and precision of his words, the depth of his themes and the ability to show us the beauty of things through the prism of his gaze. He does it so skillfully that after reading, part of this beauty, depth and contemplative silence remains with us.
Spanish is one of the most widely used languages in the world, and the official language of international organizations. This article lists some of the world famous spanish writers.
Spanish literature includes prose, novels, and poetry. Many countries were Spanish colonies. Thus, Spanish literature is very diverse due to historical and geographical heterogeneity. Below are some famous writers Spanish origin who have left their mark on the world through their works.
Miguel Hernandez (1910-1942).
Miguel Hernandez was a poet and playwright whose poems reflected the beauty of his native country of Spain. He was born in peasant family and didn't have special education. However, he was an avid reader of classical poetry and prose written by Miguel de Cervantes, Góngora, Ruben Dario, and Rafael Alberti. To pursue a career in literature, he decided to go to Madrid in 1931. In 1933, at the age of 23, his first book of poetry, The Moon Connoisseur, was published. The language and style of his poems reflected the style of his favorite authors. In 1936, he published a series of poems entitled "The Unquenchable Ray." By this time he was recognized in literary circles.
Camilo José Cela (1916-2002).
Camilo José Cela was born on May 11, 1916, in Galicia, northwestern Spain. His mother was English by birth and his father was Spanish. He belonged to the upper middle class with aristocratic roots. Camilo was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his literary work in 1989. Although he studied medicine, his main interest lay in literature. In 1942 he published his first literary work known as the "Pascual Duarte Family". This work brought him instant fame, and he devoted his time entirely to literature.
Arturo Perez Reverte (1951).
Arturo Pérez Reverte is one of the modern Spanish writers who has written many novels in English language. Arturo began his career as a journalist and war correspondent in African countries for the Pueblo national newspaper. He also worked as a war correspondent for Spanish national television. Many of his novels have been filmed. Between 1996 and 1999, he wrote an acclaimed series of novels based on fictional character Captain Alatriste. Some of it famous novels include "The Fencing Teacher", "The Seville Communion", "The Hussars" and "The Dumas Club".
And with Abel Allende (1942)
Although Isabel Allende was born in Lima, Peru, she was raised in Chile. She currently resides in California, after being forced to leave Chile in 1973. Allende is one of the most famous contemporary literary figures from Latin America. She is the niece of the late Chilean President Salvador Allende. As an author, she writes like this pressing issues like social and political conditions in Chile. One of her books, The House of the Spirits, was made into a film. This book is a saga about three generations of the Trueba family. Her other works include: "Love and Darkness", "The Never-ending Plan", "Aphrodite", "Paula" and others.
Mario Vargas Llosa (1936).
Mario Vargas Llosa is one of the greatest modern writers of all time, who is the author of many articles, essays, plays and novels. He was born in Peru on March 28, 1936. Many of his works have been translated into various languages. He was awarded many literary prizes for his works. His famous works include: "The City and the Dogs", " Green house" and "Conversation in the Cathedral."
All these famous Spanish writers have left their mark on the world. They proved that the power of words cannot be underestimated.
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I bring to your attention the second issue of the “Magnificent Five” column. I continue the topic of literature and this time I will turn to the country of my scientific interest - Spain. The Spanish literary tradition is very rich and original, however, in the context of world literature, the names and works of Spanish authors are somewhat lost against the background of Russian, Anglo-American, German and French literature. It is precisely the lack of fame of many worthy authors that prompts me to turn to this topic. To what extent the tradition of a particular country is represented in world culture, and why this happens is an interesting question, and I have already addressed it in one of my articles (
There is one outstanding Spanish author whose name is known to everyone. He became a kind of symbol not only of all Spanish literature, but also of the culture of this country, an exponent of “Spanishness”. We are, of course, talking about Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, the creator of Don Quixote, who became " eternally"of world literature and a "typically Spanish" hero. Of course, in the history of Spanish literature there are also such world-famous famous names, such as Garcia Lorca and Lope de Vega. However, the authors named were poets and playwrights. I want to draw attention to Spanish prose writers. Of course, the authors listed below were not limited to prose and many of them wrote poetry and plays, but still the most significant and famous part of them creative heritage composed prose works. The selection includes outstanding Spanish writers other than Cervantes, who to one degree or another can be classified as “classics of Spanish literature”, and whose works have been translated into Russian.
Miguel de Unamuno (1864 - 1936)
The Spaniards themselves and experts in Spain joke that in the history of Spanish literature there are two great Miguel “Miguel de Unamuno and Miguel de Una Mano” De Una Mano - translated from Spanish means “one-armed”, an allusion to the same Cervantes, who, as we know, lost hand in the battle of Lepanto. The parallel with Cervantes here is not accidental, and it’s not just a matter of wordplay. Miguel Unamuno left his mark not only as a prose writer, but also as a philosopher. In his work, he often turned to the great Spanish image - Don Quixote. He is known to connoisseurs of Spanish literature and philosophy as “the most important Quixote,” one of the outstanding interpreters of the great image that made “Quixote” a Spanish religion and Don Quixote the Spanish Christ. The philosopher depicted the national and ideological crisis of Spain as “The Path to the Tomb of Don Quixote.” Unamuno also wrote an adaptation of the novel by the great Cervantes, “The Life of Don Quixote and Sancho, Told and Interpreted by Miguel Unamuno.” Of Unamuno's philosophical works, the most famous is his essay “On tragic feeling life", where he expresses ideas close to emerging existentialism. The thinker considered the “progenitor of existentialism,” Søren Kierkegaard, is called by Unamuno “mi hermano dines” (my Danish brother).
Unamuno’s work is not limited to the adaptation of the image of Don Quixote and philosophical works; he left a fairly large literary heritage. His main works: “The Fog”, “Avel Sanchez”, “Peace Among War”, “Love and Pedagogy”, in which Unamuno’s philosophical ideas take on literary form. Literature lovers often draw parallels between national literary traditions. The parallel with Russian literature allows us to recall another spiritual hermano of Miguel - hermano Teodoro (brother Fedor). Certainly, we're talking about about Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. With some degree of convention, Unamuno can be called the “Spanish Dostoevsky.” Many philosophers and literary scholars see parallels in the work and ideas of these two thinkers.
Ramon Maria del Valle Inclan (1866 - 1936)
Ramon Maria del Valle Inclan is a contemporary of Unamuno and his colleague in the “Generation of ’98” This is a phenomenon in Spanish literature turn of the XIX century- XX centuries, which is worth writing about separately. Authors belonging to a generation were united by a sense of the “acute historical crisis” of Spain. If, again, we try to describe Valle-Inclan’s work through parallels with Russian literature, we will get an explosive mixture. His books are something between M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin and D.N. Mamin-Sibiryak (and I note that all three have double surnames). The language of Valle-Inclan's works cannot leave anyone indifferent; he wrote very figuratively. This author is an excellent stylist and in this he is similar to Mamin-Sibiryak. To translate Valya’s works into Russian, you need to have considerable talent, so one cannot fail to note the translators of his novels and stories into Russian, who perfectly conveyed the “authentic” style of the author. With the second named Russian writer, Valle-Inclana, again very conditionally, has in common the satirical orientation of his works. His satire is not direct, but very witty, one might even say subtle. Don Ramon himself called his works “esperpento” and is considered the founder of this unique phenomenon of Spanish literature. This word translates as “nonsense.” In the works of Valle-Inclan there is a certain “grotesqueness”, “a combination of the incongruous”. With all this, the works are very cinematic, they have a lot of dialogue and quite “cinematic” images. The author had a great influence on the formation of the traditions of Spanish cinema, best samples which will seem to the average viewer of the era popular culture, to put it mildly, peculiar. He was the favorite writer of the great cinematographer L. Buñuel, whose films were distinguished by grotesquerie, improvisation and creative flight. This is typical for all Spanish cinema, remember at least relatively modern film“Sad Ballad for Trumpet” by Alex de la Iglesia. And the roots of this approach to creativity grow from prose recognized classic Spanish literature - Ramon Valle-Inclana. His most significant works, translated into Russian: the cycle “Carlist Wars”, “The Color of Holiness”, “Tyrant Banderas”.
Benito Perez Galdos (1843 - 1920)
Perhaps, main classic Spanish literature of the 19th century century. And here again there will be a parallel. Perez Galdos is neither more nor less than the Spanish Leo Tolstoy. It is worth noting that these two authors are contemporaries who lived long life and those who worked with different sides Europe". His “National Episodes”, consisting of a cycle of works, only some of which have been translated into Russian, is a whole panorama of Spanish life and Spanish history, comparable in scope to Lev Nikolaevich’s “War and Peace”. Don Benito wrote more than 20 novels, the events described in them cover almost an entire century of Spanish history, from the invasion of Napoleon (the novel "Trafalgar", for which he received comparison with Tolstoy) to the 70s of the 19th century, when Spain was proclaimed republic. His novels “Dona Perfecta” and “Tristana” are also worthy of attention. Perez Galdos - a classic of Spanish critical realism, a true example of Spanish prose at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Juan Valera (1824 - 1905)
It just so happens that after the “golden age” of Cervantes, the next dawn of Spanish culture happened in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries, and almost all participants in this selection are representatives of the same era. The next one is Juan Valera, who, together with Perez Galdos, is one of the founders and main representatives of “classical realism”, also has a “Russian brother”. Western European critics, drawing a very conditional parallel, call Juan Valera the “Spanish Turgenev,” noting that in the “breadth of presentation” of social problems, Valera is inferior to the great Russian author; his work is more focused on personal experiences. However, the Spanish and Russian classics have in common “deep psychologism” and “poetic prose.” The main book of Juan Valera is considered to be the novel “Pepita Jimenez”. Valera wrote it during the years of the “democratic six years” and the establishment of the first republic, when “the radical revolution set in motion and unsettled everything in Spain.” Historical context, of course, left its mark on the author’s work, was reflected in the images of the heroes, giving the book a light “didactic load”, which Valera himself, however, denied.
Camilo Jose Cela
Camilo José Cela (1916 - 2002) is the only representative of 20th-century Spanish literature in our selection and the only prose writer from Spain to be awarded the Nobel Prize (received in 1989). For the sake of fairness, it is worth saying that in the history of Spanish literature there are 5 Nobel laureates, but all the rest received the prize for their poetic creations. José Cela is an innovator who became a classic, a man who reflected in his work the originality of both Spanish and all modern Spanish-language literature. His work in many ways became a “new milestone” in the development of the tradition laid down by Valle-Inclan, inscribed in the context literary era new century. José Cela expressed “Spanish irrationality” in literature, characteristic feature Spanish culture, called “lo espa ñol”, which was reflected in cinema by Buñuel, and in painting by Salvador Dali. The direction of his work is defined as “tragedy,” characterized by an appeal to the “dark side of man,” grotesque and deliberate rudeness. Sela caught and reworked in Spanish the latest trends in European literary process, for the sake of semantic and emotional load, he left the plot minor role, abandoned classical storytelling in the spirit of realism. One of his main works is considered to be “The Beehive”. The author does not focus on such important details for realism as “time” and “location”, giving these categories some new, metaphorical meaning, thereby showing the “universality” of the stories he tells. The novel "The Beehive" is densely populated with characters, which corresponds to the title. This is a very peculiar image of the “ebullience of life”, behind which the tragedy of each specific fate is hidden. Also known are such works by the author as “The Family of Pascal Duarte” - the first work of the writer, published in 1942, and “Mazurka for Two Dead Men”, which became one of the later. “Mazurka” was written after the fall of Frank’s dictatorship, which accounted for a significant part of the author’s creative career. In the mid-70s, after the death of the dictator, seeing the crisis of the national literary tradition, succumbing to the mass trends of “open” Europe, José Cela remarked: “It’s an amazing thing, but under Franco we wrote better than now.”
Bonus— the selection did not include Miguel Delibes, certainly a worthy Spanish author, “ modern classic", whose name is given to the library at the Moscow branch of the Cervantes Institute. However, I would like to remind you that my selections are of an informative nature and are not aimed at identifying “the best of the best.” I already wrote about the “third Miguel”, Delibes and his novel “The Heretic”, in one of the previous articles, reflecting characteristics the work of this author in the context of Spanish literature. In this article, I did not consider it necessary to repeat myself, drawing the reader’s attention to other worthy names.
Director of the Moscow Cervantes Institute Abel Murcia Soriano - about the cross Year of Culture and the unity of the Spanish world
Interview: Mikhail Vizel
Photo: Cervantes Institute in Moscow
This year, the cross Year of Culture of Spain and Russia coincided with the Year of Literature in Russia. What does this mean for you? Did you take this into account when planning this year?
Of course, we take this coincidence into account. To be precise, the year is called “The Year of the Spanish Language and Literature in Spanish in Russia.” But we do not interpret language and literature in a narrow sense. We are talking about all those products that a language can generate, not only literary ones. For example, music - we will have music events. Music, like any kind creative activity person, becomes a reason for discussing it in language, a reason for speaking - and in this sense it also interests us. Both cinema and painting are all discussed in language; they force us to speak in language. And all this, of course, is language, but not literature in the narrow sense.
As for literature in the narrow sense, we want to invite and will ensure the presence here in Moscow of Spanish-speaking authors writing in Spanish. Here I would like to note that the term “Spanish-speaking” is often interpreted as formal, but in our case this is absolutely not the case. I mean precisely the diversity of literature that exists in Spanish. Of course, when we talk about world literature and about those traditions, about those relationships that exist in world literature, we understand that every work, be it Goethe, Baudelaire or Dostoevsky, translated into another language, becomes part of this language, and this happens inevitably. But when Spanish-speaking cultures come into contact, this happens much more intensely and quickly. And we don’t think in terms of “disunity,” for example, Borges is Argentinean, or Marquez is Colombian, or Octavio Paz is Mexican. These people feed their creativity from one stream, from the Spanish language, for us this is Spanish-language literature. And they enrich themselves, using in their creativity everything that Spanish-language literature and world literature, of course, also gives them. Language becomes the source, the connection that is formed between them and the whole world. And in this sense, for us they are the Spanish language.
It must be said that there are also official frameworks for this year. The official opening is April 27. And, of course, there are some events that we have already planned and placed in their places, but there is also something special in our plans. We are talking about events that we are going to devote not so much directly to those who create literary language, but also to translators who become those bridges and connecting links that ensure the unimpeded flow of language. And for us, a particularly important event will be the publication of a collection of short stories in Spanish. There are over a hundred short stories that cover historical period from Ruben Dario to the very recent years. In Spanish, this anthology is a tribute to the popularity short story, because it has a big tradition in the Spanish-speaking world. But we made this publication in such a way that each of these short stories is translated by a separate translator. Thus, this book becomes a guide not only to the Spanish-language world of short stories, but also to the world of modern translators. And we want with this publication not only to honor the profession, but also to emphasize the value of what translators do, because the general public never thinks about them, they remain in the shadows, because people say “I read Goethe,” and yet they don’t say “I read the translations of so-and-so.”
They speak Russian.
This is true. In some countries this happens, but only when it comes to some large figures, but this is not true for everyone, and not in all countries. There is one interesting detail. When we say that we will publish a book in which different translators will participate, everyone gets this strange expression on their face. And it doesn’t occur to anyone that in the original there are more than a hundred authors, and each of them has his own style. And it doesn’t occur to anyone that by distributing these hundred-plus stories among a hundred translators, we are giving a voice to these translators. We are doing what was already created in the original, we are allowing a hundred people to find their voice by translating all these literary works. Ruben Dario didn't write like Julio Cortazar. Therefore, it’s okay if Ruben Dario is translated by one translator, and Julio Cortazar by another.
The most famous modern Spanish writers are, after all, Latin Americans: Borges, García Márquez, Cortázar... Do the Spaniards, who are Spaniards, have no jealousy towards the former colonies that have come out ahead in terms of literary fame?
Such a question may arise if we do not take into account the fact that I emphasized at the beginning of our conversation: we do not share this single field, and therefore nothing like this arises in this single field. This is a point of view that I and the entire Instituto Cervantes share. Perhaps it will become more clear to you if I invite you to imagine that we are talking about someone, that these are St. Petersburg, Moscow or Kazan writers, without betraying the fact that they write in the same language. Moreover, in Lately In Spain, writers appeared who have weight in the Spanish-speaking world - these are Zafon, Eduardo Mendoza, and Vila-Matas. And maybe even to some extent this situation is being equalized, but in fact I would not like to talk in this way, because Spanish-language literature is united. The publishing world that produces these books stands on two legs - one in Spain, the other in the New World. And a lot Latin American writers who live in Spain publish here, and there are also many Spanish writers who reside in this interoceanic space between the New and Old Worlds, and they also publish.
And the idea from which your question could arise is more likely typical of the situation when we divide countries according to political considerations. But in literary world the essence is one. Symptomatically, the largest book fair in the Spanish-speaking world takes place in Guadalajara in Mexico, and there is no more important event for us than this fair. The largest poetry festival in the Spanish-speaking world is in the city of Medellin in Colombia. In economic terms, the largest awards so far are issued in Spain. All this together gives a unified vision of the literary space. The awards that are given out in Spain are absolutely open, except, of course, for the State Prize, because, as the name suggests, it is given to those who live in Spain.
More than five hundred million people speak Spanish in twenty countries, and perhaps those who live in a single language space find it more difficult to imagine that there could be such a single language space in different countries. Let me give an example of the activities of translators. I am a translator myself Polish literature into Spanish, and the product of my labor, that is, my translations, were published in three different countries - Mexico, Venezuela and Spain. And you can find them in other magazines, for example, in Colombian, Argentinean ones - but they were made by me, this is my translation, a citizen of the Kingdom of Spain. Selma Ansira, one of the best translators of Russian literature, is Mexican, but her translations are published in Spain. The cultural adviser of the Colombian embassy, Ruben Dario Flores, translated Bukharin at the request of a Spanish publishing house. He is Colombian, but also translates Pushkin, Akhmatova...
One can only envy! Alas, Russian authors, translators and publishers from the countries of the former USSR cannot boast of such unity... But let’s now turn to opposite side this cross year. So you list those Spanish-language authors who are well known in Russia, and which Russian authors, besides Dostoevsky, are well known in Spain?
The presence of Russian literature in the Spanish-speaking world has a strange character that does not correspond to its real value. And here there are also differences depending on the country. Until 1936, it was published quite well, and it could have been small editions and some small things, but there were many publishing houses that dealt with this. And from 1939 to 1975, for obvious reasons, everything was limited to the publication of classics. And here it should be noted that many classics that are published in Spain are translated not from Russian, but from other languages, because during this period there were no departments of Slavic languages in Spain. And, of course, this changed radically, but gradually: contacts began to be established, specialists appeared. And in this sense, the New World and Latin America did not stop. , which published many translations of the most different writers and poets.
In general, these kinds of questions are quite sensitive, and here’s why. For example, Bukharin, which lies on my table, I learned that it was published and had good reviews from critics from Ruben Dario, who translated it and who brought it to me. I don't have the complete picture. Most likely, those specialists who monitor these topics have a complete picture, and even then its completeness is not absolute.
Our Vladimir Mayakovsky is incredibly popular in Italy for the reason that he is a futurist, and this important topic for Italians. Do you have any Russian writer who is more important to you than others?
In Spain at a certain moment very important role Pasternak played. If not important, then at least he was known, he was well known.
Was this in the 60s or later?
Late 70s, early 80s. And, of course, I followed what was coming out, and sometimes looked if something interested me. Therefore, I can talk about myself and about those books that had a certain impact on me. And among them, first of all, “The Master and Margarita” and, perhaps, Zamyatin’s novel “We” come to mind. And among the works of Dostoevsky, less famous than “Crime and Punishment,” for example, “The Gambler,” but this is my personal history with Russian literature, and I have no idea whether there are people besides me for whom these books are of particular interest and importance.
The image of foreign literature in another culture in the form of its translations is very fragmented and incomplete. It is all the more important what we do - we try to return or give special value to the work of the translator, because ultimately this image depends on him, and on his activity depends how complete the idea of the literature of another culture, another language will be. I mentioned our collection of short stories, but among other things, we are currently developing a project with the Center for Linguistic Research of World Poetry of the Academy of Sciences. These will be meetings and seminars for both Spanish speakers and Russian poets. I don’t know what exactly will come of this, but everything we do within this cross-year will be aimed precisely at giving special importance to translation, because, ultimately, the image of literature depends on this. My first attempt to read Lermontov - I don’t even remember what language I read him in, Spanish or French - ended in failure, since the translation was terrible. Therefore, my story with Lermontov did not work out.
On the other hand, people are drawn to the familiar; it is very difficult for them to introduce something new. No matter what we do, no matter how hard we try, the first names that come to mind when hearing the words “Russian literature” are still Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Tolstoy. But no one talks about Blok, for example. Why? Despite the fact that it has been translated. That is, this is a problem that always arises. But despite it, it is very important to do the work that we do, precisely so that the work of translators is properly assessed, and so that this image of foreign literature is created and strives for completeness.
Which Spanish writers are you going to bring this year and when?
We don't know yet. Inviting a writer is a multifaceted endeavor because there are three important aspects when deciding who to invite. For example, we are wondering if it is possible to invite a writer who has not yet been translated. We invite not a person, but an author. On the other hand, if we decide to invite an already translated writer, then we need to look at how well-known he is, how well-known his translations are - because if they are already known, then why do we need our institutional help? If the author is not yet known, you can contact the same journal “Foreign Literature” and arrange for them to publish some of his works two months before the author’s arrival. That is, this is a whole strategy and philosophy.
At Non/Fiction we are going to bring two co-authors of the popular youth novel series published by Alfaguara - Andreu Martin and Jaume Ribera. One of their books will be published by Samokat, and we are planning a joint presentation at a book exhibition. In addition to Spanish writers, several authors from Latin America will come to Non/Fiction, perhaps the Mexican Flavio Gonzalez Meglio, the Paraguayan Juan Manuel Marcos, there are several other interesting candidates - we are preparing this program with the Latin American embassies. Interesting project conceived at the central office of our Instituto Cervantes - this is the “Week of Literature in Spanish”. A group of Spanish writers, 7–10 people, goes to one of the cities, and a specific topic is chosen. In Rome it was “humor”, in Munich “the image of the other”, in Paris “aggression”, in Naples - “many faces”, writers from the country where the week takes place are invited, and in a variety of formats ( round tables, readings, discussions, meetings with a variety of audiences) is being discussed given topic. We are planning something similar in Moscow.
What about Arturo Perez-Reverte? It seems that this is the most famous of the modern Spanish, that is, writers living in Spain. Why not bring him?
The Instituto Cervantes does not carry Perez-Reverte. There are a number of authors who do not travel at the expense government agencies, at the expense of budget money. They just don't need that help. It is their decision not to travel at state expense, not ours - we would take them. In general, the world of translated literature is full of surprises. I’m recently in Moscow, I still don’t know very well what has been translated over the years, but what I saw now among the translations of Spanish literature into Russian surprised me very pleasantly. There were authors whom I did not even expect to be translated, but they were published. For example, the young and very promising Mexican author Martin Solares. In personal correspondence with him, I found out that a book was being published in Russia - I didn’t expect that you here would figure out so quickly that he was good. First prize to them. García Márquez in Colombia was given to the Argentine writer Guillermo Martínez - a very interesting author, despite the fact that he is a mathematician by profession. He won a prize for his short stories, but his novel “Unnoticed Murders” was translated into Russian.
I was completely amazed by the novel by the Chilean author Letelier “Fata Morgana of Love with Orchestra”. I realized that I know absolutely nothing about amazing country Chile! But this is also part of the Spanish world.
Yes, and this is very interesting - a whole kaleidoscope of authors who are published here in Russia. This is the reality of our Spanish-speaking world. At the same time, Spaniards, Chileans, and Argentines are being transferred to Russia - and this also enriches this single space.
I can only express my admiration for how everything is happening harmoniously with you. I don’t even know who to compare with.
It still seems to me that this is something not man-made, but organic. That is, this situation developed naturally. If we imagine a reader who enters Spanish book Shop and everything appears before him literary diversity- although of course, in a Spanish store there will be a larger selection of Spanish authors - but, nevertheless, he reaches out to a book that attracted him by the title or perhaps the cover, and he most likely does not think about where it comes from the author who wrote this book is from Madrid or Cusco. This is the reality of Spanish-language literature.
GodLiterature.RF thanks Anna Shkolnik and Tatyana Pigareva () for their help in organizing the interview, as well as Sofia Sno for her help in preparing the material.
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In early 1977, Spain abolished the women's censorship that had existed during Franco's reign. It took Spain about 10 years for readers and writers to fully adapt to the newfound freedom and appreciate the genre of the novel. Translated and Latin American literature, represented by Gabriel García Márquez and Miguel Ángel Asturias, developed a huge Spanish interest in quality works.
The government noticed the desire of the people and decided to take advantage of this to speed up the restoration of the culture of the nation, because artistic word capable of a lot. And now active support for promising and talented authors has begun. Many large publishing houses began to provide assistance to the state. All these factors contributed to the development of Spanish literature and provoked the emergence of new talented authors.
By 1980 domestic literature became widespread. People read prose, both in transport and at any time free time. Various writers worked in different genres, but the novel remained in first place. The new generation of writers received the appropriate name “new storytellers” (Los novismos narradores).
The most prominent representatives of this time
Manuel Vazquez Montalban
Photo: Portrait of the writer Manuel Vázquez Montalbán The most famous author who worked in the detective genre. It belongs to him legendary detective Carvalho, who became central character many of his works, including Murder at the Central Committee (Asesinato en el Comite Central, 1981). He also wrote some thrillers that have become widespread among Spanish readers.
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Photo: Book by writer Javier Marias “ White heart»
The writer adhered to the thriller genre and most often chose Madrid, Lisbon and even New York as the place for the events taking place in the book. The most popular among readers was his first novel, “Winter in Lisbon” (El invierno en Lisboa, 1987). The touching wartime love story “Sefarad” (Sefarad, 2001) also became equally popular.
Javier Marias
The most important novelist in Spain, who began his literary activity back in the 1970s in the style of the “new novel”. But his fame and popularity were brought to him by works written in the genre psychological novel. A striking example of such literature can be considered “White Heart” (Corazon tan blanco, 1992).
Arturo Perez-Reverte
A prominent representative of modern writers who writes historical thrillers. He is the author of a world-famous series of novels about the desperate mercenary Captain Diego Alatriste. No less famous is the work “Corsairs of the Levant” (Corsarios de Levante, 2006).
Carlos Ruiz Zafon
It was this author’s book that launched the Spanish thriller commercially. The work “The Shadow of the Wind” (La sombra del viento, 2001) became a major world event in publishing.
Photo: The role of women in Spanish literature Today in Spain in literature equal amount, both women and men. And this is a great achievement, because until 1970, representatives of the fair sex were not allowed into literature. Prominent representatives were Carmen Laforet and Ana Maria Matute.
But highest value and the works of Carmen Martin Gaite gained popularity. She gave a lot interesting works. Among her magnificent works it is worth highlighting:
- “Behind the Curtains” (Entre Visillos, 1958);
- "The Snow Queen" (La Reina de las Nieves, 1994).
After 1970 new wave was headed by Esther Tusquets, who revealed in her works the theme of a simple woman and a housewife. And in the mid-1980s, women took leading positions. The leading novelist of this period was Montserrat Roig, who became best known for her novel La hora violeta (1980).
New "Generation X"
By the mid-1990s, there were few writers left who remembered Hard times Franco's reign. Some were too young, and others were not born at all. They began to work in a new direction - “dirty realism”. Their works took inspiration from the new youth movement, they reflect in their works modern world big cities, filled with sex, drugs and alcohol.
One of bright works This time was the novel by José Angel Mañas “Stories from Kronen” (Historias del Kronen, 1994). Violetta Hernando’s novel “The Dead or Something Better” (Muertos o algo major, 1996) gained no less popularity. And Ray Lorita presented her user with the story of a drug dealer who wanders around his world in the novel “Tokio ya no nos quiere” (Tokio ya no nos quiere, 1999).
Features of regional literature
Gradually there was a revival of culture and Spanish regions. This contributed to the fact that more and more provincial flavor began to appear in the works of contemporary writers of that time. Many of these writers presented their works in their native dialects, which after translation gained wide popularity.
One of the brightest prose writers of this time can be called the Basque writer Bernardo Achagu.
He left Spanish literature a huge number of works of various genres, but the most popular are the works in which he objectively paints a picture of the events taking place. Among the most striking and interesting creations are:
- The novel “A Lonely Man” (Gizona bere bakardadean, 1993);
- Novel “Lonely Woman” (Zeru horiek, 1996);
- Collection of stories "Obabakoak" (Obabakoak, 1988).
All of his works were written in Basque, but Achago often himself subsequently translated them into Spanish.
The most famous Catalan author of that time was Jesus Moncada, who depicted quite realistically the history and events of small towns of that time. No less popular was the Catalan prose writer Nuria Armat, who was glorified by the novel “The Country of the Soul” (El pais del alma, 1999).
How famous writer Galicia should be noted for Manuel Rivas, who glorified Galician literature, for example, with such a work as “The Carpenter’s Pencil” (O lapis do carpinteiro, 1998).
Features of modern Spanish poetry
Photo: Portrait of the poetess Ana Rosetti In the 1970s, poetry did not develop as rapidly as the genre of the novel, but it also entered a certain phase of prosperity. Modern poets do not forget about literary heritage, but at the same time they focus mainly on folk culture and a new way of life. There are no restrictions on the choice, but most give preference to studies of everyday ordinary life.
The best modern Spanish poets
- Pere Gimferrer. Most of all, this poet, who is a representative of the “newest” generation, became famous for his ability to use metaphor in his works. He, who began writing in the 1970s, presents all his works to the reader in Catalan.
- Jose Maria Alvarez. The poet, who began publishing during the Franco era, has presented a series of works that reflect deeply on music, fame and sex.
- Ana Rossetti. Refers to poetesses who sang feelings and desires in their works. Most of her poems are erotic in nature.
- Luis Garcia Montero. His works are dedicated to the bustle of the city and what happened to modern society liberation.
- Luis Alberto de Cuenca. A poet who devotes most of his works to the theme of the common man. He very originally and harmoniously combines the trends of modernity and classicism in his poems.