The first picaresque novel, and one of the gems of Spanish literature. A brief, simply told tale of a rogue's adventures and misadventures — full of laconic cynicism and spiced with puns and wordplay. Introduction, Notes, and new English translation by Stanley Appelbaum.
The beginning of the golden age of Spanish literature and the particular socio-political circumstances of early 16th century Spain made fertile ground for the emergence of the picaresque novel, an early form of the first-person narrative novel relating the adventures of a rogue or lowborn traveler (Spanish picaro) as he drifts through the Spanish countryside from one social milieu to another in an effort to survive. Influenced largely by the medieval tradition of the fabliaux and by the early Italian Renaissance, and structured upon a foundation of anecdotes, proverbs, popular beliefs, and folk tales, the picaro's discourse becomes a satirical survey of the hypocrisies and corruptions of society. The picaresque novel is exemplified by the prototypical and anonymously written Lazarillo de Tormes, published in 1554, in which the poor boy Lazaro describes his services under seven successive lay and clerical masters, each of whom hides a dubious character beneath a mask of hypocrisy. So piercing are its deliberate social criticisms, irreverent wit, anticlerical attitude and string of mischievous misadventures that Lazarillo was an entry in the 1559 Index of Prohibited Books. For the modern reader, the choice of characters and the backdrop for Lazarillo de Tormes reveal the heart of Spain's national dilemma after the crucial events of the 1520s. This dual-language, annotated critical edition of Lazarillo de Tormes presents the complete text of the novel in both English and Spanish. The translation attempts to capture in modern English not only the meaning of the historical text, but also the qualities of its original style.
The beginning of the golden age of Spanish literature and the particular socio-political circumstances of early 16th century Spain made fertile ground for the emergence of the picaresque novel, an early form of the first-person narrative novel relating the adventures of a rogue or lowborn traveler (Spanish picaro) as he drifts through the Spanish countryside from one social milieu to another in an effort to survive. Influenced largely by the medieval tradition of the fabliaux and by the early Italian Renaissance, and structured upon a foundation of anecdotes, proverbs, popular beliefs, and folk tales, the picaro's discourse becomes a satirical survey of the hypocrisies and corruptions of society. The picaresque novel is exemplified by the prototypical and anonymously written Lazarillo de Tormes, published in 1554, in which the poor boy Lazaro describes his services under seven successive lay and clerical masters, each of whom hides a dubious character beneath a mask of hypocrisy. So piercing are its deliberate social criticisms, irreverent wit, anticlerical attitude and string of mischievous misadventures that Lazarillo was an entry in the 1559 Index of Prohibited Books. For the modern reader, the choice of characters and the backdrop for Lazarillo de Tormes reveal the heart of Spain's national dilemma after the crucial events of the 1520s. This dual-language, annotated critical edition of Lazarillo de Tormes presents the complete text of the novel in both English and Spanish. The translation attempts to capture in modern English not only the meaning of the historical text, but also the qualities of its original style.
In 1554, Lazarillo de Tormes, a slim, unassuming little volume, unsigned by the author, made its first published appearance in the bookstalls of several important mercantile centers in Spain and the Netherlands. Since then, as narratives of pícaros—and pícaras—continued to follow in the footsteps of Lázaro's fictional life, picaresque literature developed into a major genre in literary studies that remains popular to this day. Yet the genre's definition is anything but simple, as the diversity of this volume demonstrates. Part 1, "Materials," reviews editions and translations of Lazarillo and other picaresque works, as well as the critical and historical resources related to them. The essays in part 2, "Approaches," explore the picaresque's place in language and literature classrooms of all levels. Some contributors contextualize Lazarillo in the early modern Spanish culture it satirizes, investigating the role of the church and the marginalization of Muslims and Jews. Others pair Lazarillo with Alemán's Guzmán de Alfarache or Quevedo's Buscón to concentrate on the genre's literary aspects. A cluster of essays focuses on teaching the picaresque (including the female picaresque) to nonspecialist students in interdisciplinary courses. The volume concludes with a section devoted to the picaresque novel's influence on other literary traditions, from early modern autobiographies, such as Teresa of Ávila's Libro de la vida, to post-Spanish Civil War texts to twentieth-century Latin American novels and 1950s American beat narratives.
The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes is a Spanish novella, published anonymously because of its anticlerical content. L�zaro is a boy of humble origins from Salamanca. After his stepfather is accused of thievery, his mother asks a wily blind beggar to take on Lazarillo (little L�zaro) as his apprentice. L�zaro develops his cunning while serving the blind beggar and several other masters, while also learning to take on his father's practice.Besides its importance in the Spanish literature of the Golden Age, Lazarillo de Tormes is credited with founding a literary genre, the picaresque novel, from the Spanish word p�caro, meaning "rogue" or "rascal." In novels of this type, the adventures of the p�caro expose injustice while amusing the reader. Its influence extends to twentieth century novels, dramas and films featuring the "anti-hero".
Delightful stories, other material based on works of Don Juan Manuel, Luis Taboada, Ricardo Palma, other noted writers. Complete faithful English translations on facing pages. Exercises.
Anonymously published in 1554, Lazarillo de Tormes remains a centerpiece of Renaissance literature and arguably the most popular example of the picaresque novel. This Norton Critical Edition is based on Ilan Stavans’ new translation, which accurately captures the verve of the original. The Norton Critical Edition also includes: An introduction and explanatory annotations by Ilan Stavans. Contextual materials highlighting the novella’s strong anticlerical views and its affinities with Don Quixote in depictions of social hierarchy in Renaissance Spain, as well as excerpts from Juan de Luna’s Lazarillo sequel. Eight critical studies, by David Gitlitz, Jane W. Albrecht, Louis C. Pérez, Edward H. Friedman, Howard Mancing, T. Anthony Perry, Gabriel H. Lovett, and E. Herman Hespelt. A Selected Bibliography.
A reader for intermediate Spanish students, Lazarillo de Tormes is a classic picaresque novel that introduces students to a panorama of Spanish history, customs, and traditions of the 1500s. An audiocassette helps students enjoy one of the masterpieces of Spanish literature. The reader is softcover, 6 × 9 , and 64 pages in length.
The Lazarillo de Tormes appeared for the first time in 1554, although there are a couple of versions that could well have appeared in 1552 and 1553 respectively. The work is classified as a picaresque novel, and is today one of the great classics of Spanish literature. It narrates the adventures of Lázaro de Tormes, from his childhood to his marriage. It is written and narrated in the first person as a satire and criticism of the society of the time, particularly the Church and the clerics, which is why the Holy Inquisition prohibited its circulation until the 19th century, when a full publication appeared again. . Although its author is unknown, over time the authorship has been attributed to some characters such as Diego Hurtardo de Mendoza and Fray Juan de Ortega, among others.