Discover new books on Goodreads

See if your friends have read any of María Luisa Bombal's books

more photos (4)

María Luisa Bombal’s Followers (361)

María Luisa Bombal

Born

in Viña del Mar, Chile

June 08, 1910

Died

May 06, 1980

Genre

Literature & Fiction

edit data

Maria Luisa Bombal was one of the first Spanish American novelists to break away from the realist tradition in fiction and to write in a highly individual and personal style, stressing irrational and subconscious themes. During the 1930s when most of her fellow writers were turning out works emphasizing social conflict, Bombal turned inwardly for her inspiration and produced several works of remarkable artistic quality. She incorporated the secret inner world of her women protagonists into the mainstream of her novels. In this respect she may be regarded as a precursor of the later Boom writers of the 1960s and 1970s in Latin America. And she accomplished this in a prose charged with poetic vibration, filled with a sense of imminent tragedy Maria Luisa Bombal was one of the first Spanish American novelists to break away from the realist tradition in fiction and to write in a highly individual and personal style, stressing irrational and subconscious themes. During the 1930s when most of her fellow writers were turning out works emphasizing social conflict, Bombal turned inwardly for her inspiration and produced several works of remarkable artistic quality. She incorporated the secret inner world of her women protagonists into the mainstream of her novels. In this respect she may be regarded as a precursor of the later Boom writers of the 1960s and 1970s in Latin America. And she accomplished this in a prose charged with poetic vibration, filled with a sense of imminent tragedy, a melancholy atmosphere in which the factors of time and death play sombre roles.

In both her novels the reader sees almost everything through the eyes or sensations of the protagonist, who feels things deeply. The story line is relegated to a lesser role, particularly in The House of Mist. Poetry seems to flow from this crystaline prose, and Bombal uses repeated symbolic images (such as mist, rain, and wind) with good effect and in an elegant simple style. The heroine of The House of Mist lives most of the time in a dream world of her own fashioning, far from the reality of her unhappy marriage. In The Shrouded Woman the protagonist lies dead in her coffin, viewing the chief mourners who come by to see her one by one, reliving her love affairs and family relationships with a final clarity and futile wisdom. In "The Tree," her most famous story, the reader encounters not only a deep psychological analysis of a woman, but also an impressive technique of point counterpoint. While Brígida listens to a concert, her life and its tragedy unfold, evoked by the power of music.

During most of her life Bombal did not achieve the fame she deserved, although in her last years the Chilean government granted her a stipend. With the keen interest in the feminist movement in later years, her works were read and commented on more widely. ...more

Combine Editions
María Luisa Bombal’s books

Average rating: 3.99 · 14,500 ratings · 1,983 reviews · 39 distinct works • Similar authors

	La amortajada 4.03 avg rating — 5,124 ratings — published 1938 — 14 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	La última niebla 3.89 avg rating — 3,095 ratings — 26 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	La última niebla / La amortajada 4.01 avg rating — 2,447 ratings — published 1934 — 25 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	El árbol by María Luisa Bombal, Alejandra Acosta (ilustrator ) 4.15 avg rating — 1,052 ratings — published 1931 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	House of Mist 3.90 avg rating — 473 ratings — published 1947 — 20 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Obras completas 4.27 avg rating — 349 ratings — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	New Islands and Other Stories by María Luisa Bombal, Jorge Luis Borges (Foreword) 3.75 avg rating — 218 ratings — published 1939 — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	La última niebla / El árbol 3.91 avg rating — 205 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Obras completas, t. 1 4.14 avg rating — 175 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Obras completas, t. 2 4.08 avg rating — 135 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by María Luisa Bombal…

Quotes by María Luisa Bombal (?)

“Y puede, puede así, que las muertes no sean todas iguales. Puede que hasta después de la muerte, todos sigamos distintos caminos.”
― Maria Luisa Bombal, La amortajada

24 likes

“Es muy posible desear morir, cuando se ama demasiado la vida”
― Maria Luisa Bombal

tags: la-última-niebla

12 likes

“Para ser inteligente, hay que empezar desde chica.

To be intelligent, one must start young.”
― Maria Luisa Bombal

9 likes

See all María Luisa Bombal's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Challenge: 50 Books: Adri's 50 for 2010	54	250	Feb 21, 2011 09:10PM
500 Great Books B...: Translated into English	2	580	Aug 01, 2014 02:16PM
500 Great Books B...: Decades, Centuries, and Millenia	8	414	Dec 06, 2014 09:46PM
500 Great Books B...: Underread 500 GBBW	3	164	Dec 10, 2014 01:00PM
What's the Name o...: Between the Wars fiction, in translation	6	29	Nov 08, 2018 11:34AM
Around the World ...: Who Are Your Favorite Women Authors in Translation?	13	169	Jan 03, 2021 03:59AM

More…

María Luisa Bombal’s Followers (361)

María Luisa Bombal

Combine EditionsMaría Luisa Bombal’s books

Topics Mentioning This Author

Combine Editions
María Luisa Bombal’s books