Description
Book SynopsisCalila: The Later Novels of Carmen Martín Gaite explores the last six novels by Spain´s most honored contemporary woman writer. Its scholarship is enriched by the voice of Calila herself—as Brown called Martín Gaite, who was a dear friend—as they conversed and exchanged letters during the composition of the novels. The book opens with an introduction to Martín Gaite´s life and literature and ends with a consideration of her legacy. Each central chapter analyzes a later novel in its historical, biographical, and critical contexts. From the young adult fantasy
Caperucita en Manhattan (Red Riding Hood in Manhattan) to the post-Transition epistolary masterpiece
Nubosidad variable (Variable Cloud), the Transition-era saga
La Reina de las Nieves (The Farewell Angel), the Proustian reminiscence
Lo raro es vivir (Living’s the Strange Thing), the narrative tapestry
Irse de casa (Leaving Home), and the memoir of family secrets
Los parentescos (Family Relations), these fascinating novels evoke themes that resonate today.
Trade Review"
Calila: The Later Novels of Carmen Martin Gaite is a fascinating window into the life and later works of one of the most eminent Spanish novelists of all times. Joan L. Brown combines relevant history, original analysis and personal anecdotes from 'Calila’s' personal letters into a compelling and delightful rendition." -- María-Luisa Guardiola * editor of the Royal Spanish Academy's critical edition of Antonio García Gutiérrez's El trovador *
"Martín Gaite’s works are now studied all around the world, especially in further education establishments. More and more students are researching her latest novels and
Calila will be an indispensable read as Brown combines the critical study of the author’s texts, with their socio-historical background, and a personal view of the process of writing." -- Maria-José Blanco * author of Life-writing in Carmen Martín Gaite’s Cuadernos de todo and her Novels of the 1990s *
"As I read
Calila: The Later Novels of Carmen Martín Gaite, I had to battle the temptation to put the volume aside in order to re-read the novels that Brown analyzes in the book. There can hardly be a greater testament to a literary critic’s skill than her capacity to communicate to the reader her love and enthusiasm for the texts she analyzes. Brown’s central argument in
Calila is that Martín Gaite’s novels of the 1990s deserve to be read, and the book will, without a doubt, bring new and returning readers and inspire renewed critical interest in the writer’s later work." * Hispania *
"This insightful monograph on Martín Gaite’s final six novels is part-literary criticism and part-personal anecdote based on the extended friendship between the author and Brown who draws from a variety of scholarly sources, personal correspondence and photographs to provide readings of her works." * Anales de la literatura española contemporánea *
"
Calila: The Later Novels of Carmen Martin Gaite is a fascinating window into the life and later works of one of the most eminent Spanish novelists of all times. Joan L. Brown combines relevant history, original analysis and personal anecdotes from 'Calila’s' personal letters into a compelling and delightful rendition." -- María-Luisa Guardiola * editor of the Royal Spanish Academy's critical edition of Antonio García Gutiérrez's El trovador *
"Martín Gaite’s works are now studied all around the world, especially in further education establishments. More and more students are researching her latest novels and
Calila will be an indispensable read as Brown combines the critical study of the author’s texts, with their socio-historical background, and a personal view of the process of writing." -- Maria-José Blanco * author of Life-writing in Carmen Martín Gaite’s Cuadernos de todo and her Novels of the 1990s *
"As I read
Calila: The Later Novels of Carmen Martín Gaite, I had to battle the temptation to put the volume aside in order to re-read the novels that Brown analyzes in the book. There can hardly be a greater testament to a literary critic’s skill than her capacity to communicate to the reader her love and enthusiasm for the texts she analyzes. Brown’s central argument in
Calila is that Martín Gaite’s novels of the 1990s deserve to be read, and the book will, without a doubt, bring new and returning readers and inspire renewed critical interest in the writer’s later work." * Hispania *
"This insightful monograph on Martín Gaite’s final six novels is part-literary criticism and part-personal anecdote based on the extended friendship between the author and Brown who draws from a variety of scholarly sources, personal correspondence and photographs to provide readings of her works." * Anales de la literatura española contemporánea *
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations
Introduction: Calila and Her Later Novels
1 Backstory: Carmen Martín Gaite’s Earlier Life and Literature
2
Caperucita en Manhattan: A Young Adult Novel of Recovery
3
Nubosidad variable: Contemporary Feminism in Post-Transition Spain
4
La Reina de las Nieves: Rewriting a Tragedy of Spain’s Transition
5
Lo raro es vivir: Existential Questions in Uncertain Times
6
Irse de casa: Back to the Future in Democratic Spain
7
Los parentheses: Fractured Families in the Twenty-First Century
Conclusion: The Later Novels and Martín Gaite’s Legacy
Notes
Works Cited
Index
