diff. authors, spanish literature, short stories, introduction to the authors ( )

I bought this dual-language book of Spanish Short Stories to brush up on my Spanish--and perhaps learn a little bit about Spanish literature. On one page is the original Spanish, and facing it the English translation. There are 13 tales, ranging from a contemporary of Chaucer (Don Juan Manuel) to still living writers at the time of the 1960 publication: Borges, Cela, Goytisolo. My least favorite stories were two of the earliest ones by Don Juan Manual and Cervantes of Don Quixote fame--both were way too misogynist for me to find amusing, even if reflecting their times. Manual's story may have been the inspiration for Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew according to the Foreword and featured a woman terrified into obedience. Cervantes happy ending featured a woman marrying her rapist to recoup her honor. The anonymous story bookended by each "Lazarillo de Tormes" I did find amusing--even it's humor was dark indeed; it was among the most memorable of the tales. Parma is from Peru; Unamuno is from Uruguay and Lynch and Borges from Argentinia--the rest are Spaniards.

There is only one woman author, Pardo Bazan, who the editor names along with Alarcon and Clarion (both also represented) as one of the "great trinity" of 19th century Spanish writers. For me her story, "The Revolver" was easily the standout in the anthology, as chilling as anything by Poe and with a twist worthy of de Maupassant. If I seek out more by any of the authors in the collection, Bazan would be at the top of my list. I was also charmed by stories by Alarcon ("The Stub-Book), Palma ("The Scorpion of Fray Gomez") and Lynch ("The Sorrel Colt"). The rest of the stories I didn't find all that remarkable--and I can't blame the translation having the Spanish right before me. I do love the concept of these dual language books, and the Forward, Introductions to the stories and the Notes gave all the context I could have asked for. ( )

Spanish Stories / Cuentos Espanoles is a reprint of a collection of Spanish Language stories from 1960 obviously intended for use in a classroom. It starts with El Conde Lucanor, Lazarillo and then Cervantes and then passes through Unamuno and Borges etc. 1 woman included though, which is unusual for similar collections from this time period. Her name was Emilia Pardo Bazon and she was the child prodigy of a nobleman. Her story, "The Revolver' would in modern times be the tale of an abusive husband. The theme was handled in a delicate and complex way, reminiscent of gothic horror.

Reading this collection makes me realize why Feminist Criticism came to be. Most of the stories seem to be talking among themselves about marriage and the proper roles for men and women. The one by Unamuno is quite twisted indeed.

As for the translation and notes, very helpful and easy to access. On the whole, this was an interesting collection and an enjoyable way to continue to develop Spanish language fluency. ( )

Spanish Annotated Classic