Despite the important revolutionary effect that Cervantes’ Don Quixote had on literature on an universal level, there is much more to Spanish—and Latin American—literature than just the guy who was obsessed with windmills.
To begin with, I will honourably mention Chilean Isabel Allende, mostly known for writing The House of Spirits. However, she also has other beautiful pieces of work such as The Stories of Eva Luna. The latter includes 23 beautiful stories on the questions of love, morality, violence and sensuality.
Continuing with Latin American writers, I must talk about Gabriel García Márquez, who you might know for writing One Hundred Years of Solitude or Love in the Time of Cholera. However, he has some other incredible novels such as Of Love and Other Demons, a book that deals with an allegedly possessed little girl and her complex relation with the priest that is in charge of helping her. Márquez also wrote Chronicle of a Death Foretold, which recounts the story of a murder in a small village in the format of a chronicle from a journal.
Moving onto Spanish authors from the Iberian peninsula, we change the location to Granada, with Federico García Lorca. One of his most beautiful and renowned works are the trilogy of Blood Wedding, Yerma and The House of Bernarda Alba: three beautifully composed dramatic playwrights dealing with infertility, unrequited love, and infinite mourning. I cannot stress enough the effect these pieces will have on you; and if you have the chance to see any of their actual stage performances, do not think twice! What’s more: he not only wrote drama but broadened his horizons with poetry, with collections such as Poet in New York.
A slightly more ancient but yet indispensable author when talking about Spanish literature is the beloved creator of “volverán las oscuras golondrinas [the black swallows will return],” Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer. His rhymes and legends are widely known throughout the Spanish-speaking community. As a romantic who died from a disease known as the ‘romantic illness’ (tuberculosis), his poems were full of longing and intimacy. His legends, however, take a more gothic and spooky tone, touching upon themes of death, ghosts and impossible love. Some of my favourite ones are Maese Pérez the Organist, The Spirits’ Mountain, The Ray of Moonshine and The Emerald Eyes. To bring this to a close, I hope to have awoken some interest in you to explore Spanish literary pieces other than Don Quixote.
Photo by Marisa Garrido on Unsplash
