The Mysterious Disappearance of the Marquise of Loria

by José Donoso, Megan McDowell (translator)

Sensual and semi-fantastic, this erotic novel by José Donoso—for the first time in English—is a thrilling and unsettling exploration of identity via sexual desire


All of a sudden, Blanca Arias has it all. The daughter of middling Nicaraguan diplomats posted to Madrid, she marries, at the age of 19, the equally young and passionate Marquess of Loria, her darling Paquito, heir to one of the largest fortunes (and most august titles) in Spain. Paquito, as if on cue, dies of diphtheria, leaving his young widowed Marquise alone, free, and inconceivably rich.


Donoso’s luxurious and disturbing work details the sexual awakening of the Marquise of Loria as her white-gloved chauffeur shuttles her from tryst to tryst. But it’s not all Patek Phillipes and pink Blanca’s mother-in-law Casilda is scheming with her gang of sycophants to take back “their” fortune from this newly-minted Loria, and there’s no low they won’t sink to to get it. The mysterious presence of Luna, a Weimaraner pup who infiltrates Blanca’s chambers and hypnotizes her with his lunar gaze, twists this glittering elegy to the literary erotica of 1920s Madrid into something a psychological thriller and a profound investigation into the surfaces that the fortunate gild and polish to hide the darkness that lies beneath.


As exuberant as it is explicit—and elegantly translated into English for the first time by Megan McDowell—The Mysterious Disappearance of the Marquise of Loria—shows the Boom-era master Donoso in a lighter mode, and the result is irresistible.

Genres: Fiction, Spanish Literature, Latin American, 20th Century, Latin American Literature

116 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 4, 2025

About the author

From Wikipedia: José Manuel Donoso Yáñez (5 October 1924 – 7 December 1996), known as José Donoso, was a Chilean writer, journalist and professor. He lived most of his life in Chile, although he spent many years in self-imposed exile in Mexico, the United States and Spain. Although he had left his country in the sixties for personal reasons, after 1973 he said his exile was also a form of protest against the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. He returned to Chile in 1981 and lived there until his death.

Donoso is the author of a number of short stories and novels, which contributed greatly to the Latin American literary boom. His best known works include the novels Coronación (Coronation), El lugar sin límites (Hell Has No Limits) and El obsceno pájaro de la noche (The Obscene Bird of Night). His works deal with a number of themes, including sexuality, the duplicity of identity, psychology, and a sense of dark humor.

Reviews

[od1_40reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the author of ‘The Obscene Bird of Night’ and with quotes from César Aira, Mario Vargas Llosa, Luisa Valenzuela and Fernanda Melchor on the back cover, this one felt like a sure winner from the outset. And it certainly is spicy!

An erotic novella from Donoso, it might not be to everyone’s taste, but I thought it was a huge amount of fun, and everyone interprets books differently, right? So for me, this came across as a campy, kitsch, riot of a little tale that could easily translate to an Almodóvar movie. Fan’s of ‘The White Lotus’ I reckon might also love it.

Almodóvar is in fact referenced in the book’s introduction by Gabriela Wiener, which may in part be responsible for my overall impression of the work. I don’t often read introductions until after I’ve read the book, but in this case I’d highly recommend reading this one first. Wiener also mentions Pedro Lemebel, and writes about how Donoso was a closeted gay man, who may well have seen himself in the leading female role of Blanca Arias – an idea which I love! In many ways I enjoyed, or got a lot more out of Wiener’s intro, as I didn’t really know anything about Donoso other than reading and loving ‘Obscene Bird’ at the end of last year. Wiener mentions in her intro that she actually interviewed Lemebel after he won the José Donoso Prize, and asked him “if something had to have changed for him, an extravagant queen, to win a prize named after a man who had lived his homosexuality in painful silence”, Lemebel replied, “I don’t know that Donoso really did live his homosexuality in painful silence, as you put it, or just in an uncomfortable closet.”

‘The Marquise of Loria’ then, was for me, a lot of fun and bonkers enough to keep in line with expectations after ‘The Obscene Bird’, though I have to say in the end, didn’t set it all on fire perhaps as much I was hoping after a strong start. I still throughly enjoyed it however, and would recommend to anyone looking for something short, fun, and who doesn’t shy away from camp eroticism.

[Ricardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-lectura de uno de los no-tan-conocidos libros del que probablemente sea mi autor favorito del boom latinoamericano. Es también una novela muy diferente de todas las demás de Donoso, una magnífica parodia de la novela erótica y romántica, que comienza como una típica historia ligera situada en el Madrid de los años veinte y poco a poco se va convirtiendo en algo más que difumina los límites entre lo que es real y lo que no, y lo hace de forma tan gradual que uno como lector llega incluso a olvidarse de que ya el título de la novela presagia un hecho semi-fantástico. A nivel de estructura es magnífica por su carácter episódico, y a pesar de lo que "escandaloso" del argumento es sumamente galante en su recreación de la época, así como lo suficientemente irónica como para eludir su clasificación en un género específico. En realidad toda la obra parece un capricho de Donoso, pero esto no le quita que me siga pareciendo magnífica incluso hoy, leída de nuevo casi quince años después de que cayera en mis manos por vez primera.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A raunchy romp! After the death of her young nobleman husband, the equally young but not quite so noble Blanca is left a widow before the age of 20. Finding her budding desire to be a much stronger feeling than her grief, the young marquise sets off on several sexcapades around town. Blanca is rather indiscriminate with who she unleashes her desire upon, old or young, man or beast, she wants it all. And with as beautiful and wealthy as she is—now the heir to her late husband’s family fortune—no is not a word she is inclined to hear.

Donoso’s prose, as seen through McDowell’s brilliant translation, is luscious and elegant, disguising Blanca’s sordid affairs with sentences that thrill and delight the reader. This book is mad fun.

[Tamara Mundaca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entretenida y de fácil lectura. A pesar de que el titulo presagia lo que sucederá en el libro, este hecho se olvida gracias a la excelente redacción de J. Donoso, que te logra mantener en el tiempo real de los personajes. Se puede leer relajadamente en unas vacaciones de fin de semana, es corto.

[Andy Weston · Rating 5 out of 5]

At this stage in my literary life the description ‘erotic novel’ puts me right off, so it was with some trepidation that I embarked on this. But I needn’t of been concerned, this is a riot of a novel. It was originally published in 1981 and available only now, March 2025, in English. Donoso was Chilean, though he wrote this while he lived in Madrid.

Blanca Arias, a young and beautiful Nicaraguan, arrives in Madrid, free of her strict parents, and inexperienced in many things, most significantly, sex. In the opening pages she embarks on a brief relationship with a frail and unattractive young marquess. In the bedroom, he has only one thing going for him, “a sinful fantasy life born of exhausting himself night after night in the solitude of his bed at a Catholic boarding school.” He invites her to his family’s box at the Royal Theatre, where they put on a spectacular display of imagination and dexterity, carefully arranging their programs for cover to conceal his fingers getting into her underwear. Previously thought of as a ‘twerp’, the marquess’s social standing, now in the company of the beautiful Blanca, rises markedly.

They marry, but the marquess is unable to consummate the marriage. Fittingly, he dies of diphtheria. Blanca has experienced sex and is now on a mission for more; the elderly family notary, a count vaguely related to her, and her portrait painter, to name just a few.

This is my first time reading a Donoso novel and it was thoroughly entertaining. It must have been extremely difficult to translate and keep the same bawdiness and style of humour, so huge credit must go to Megan McDowell. The result of their collaboration is a flawless romp of sex, intrigue, and above all, fun.

[Smith Winston · Rating 2 out of 5]

3-3.5

[Madeline Braddon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes you finish a book and the only thing you can say is “why?” That was this book for me

[Lillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is literature with eroticism and there is erotic literature. They are not the same.

Jose Donoso’s novel, masterfully translated by Megan McDowell fits into the former category and is a novel of sexual awakening, identity, and of sexual desire.

Blanca is the daughter of a Nicaraguan diplomat who has been posted to Madrid. At age nineteen, Blanca marries the passionate and equally young Marquess of Loria. Paquito, her first love and heir to one of the largest fortunes in Spain dies of diphtheria five months into their marriage leaving Blanca alone, free, and conceivably very rich. Well aware of her beauty and powers of seduction, she sets out to put them all to the test.

At the introduction of a Weimaraner pup, named Luna, the narrative shifts from erotic romance to a story with surreal, phantasmagoric elements and a touch of the psychological thriller.

Donoso’s exhilarating and provocative language is intoxicating, which combined with a propulsive narrative, is impossible to put down.

Bold, audacious, and exuberant, you’ll want to devour it in one sitting.

Jose Donorso is one of the great boom writers who along with Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Julio Cortazar, Carlos Fuentes and others challenged the established conventions of Latin American literature and paved the way for experimental magical realism.

[Jelena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pisac ko da se tek pred kraj trgnuo i potrudio da stvori nesto zagonetnije.
Svakako je ovo za njega bio tek nebitan izlet, pa samim tim i stivo je ok... nista vise.

[Juan Carlos · Rating 2 out of 5]

No se si será un spoiler lo que voy a escribir, pero no me gustó el final, solo eso, el recurso que empleó no fue de mi agrado, el resto para mi estaba bastante aceptable, una novelita erótica con bienvenidos ribetes de humor y algo de sobrenatural en la mezcla.
Tiene las páginas justas para narrar lo que debe, un buen libro si se toma por lo que parece ser, un pequeño experimento del autor en este género.

[Jorge Valencia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novela super erótica. Recomendada. Entre lo cómico y lo erótico de va desarrollando la trama donde se vislumbra una blanca insaciable, capaz de matar con su acto sexual. Su falta de pudor para tener relaciones ocasionales hacen más interesante al personaje que al final se ve reflejado en los ojos de luna, un perro aparecido que solo ella percibe. Interesante relato que hay que reeler.

Blanca una mujer nicaragüense hija de diplomáticos en Madrid se casa con Paquito de la nobleza española.

[Araceli Aguilar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es una novela erotica corta que como no soy muy apegada al género me ha dejado perpleja.
Ignoro si sea algo propio del género o quizá está novela en particular tenga ese elemento te toma de sorpresa aún ante el previo anuncio del evento.
Es la primera novela que leo del autor y creo que leeré algo más, quiero darle oportunidad con otro libro.

[Javiera Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Que entretenido haber encontrado este libro en la feria, por el título yo dije: Ya genial, estoy lista para un suspenso, lo que menos me esperaba es que iba a ser un libro erótico pero que erotiquísimo, me tomó muy sorpresa porque hace mucho no leía algo del género y lo mejor es que fue muy bien ejecutado, la historia es muy de nicho con una imagen clara y un contexto conciso, tiene unos tintes de realismo mágico que me gustaron bastante, si bien el trato sexual era un poco excesivo entiendo la representación de una época donde los hombres eran más animales que hombres, aunque debatible si es que hoy sigue siendo así realmente. La marquesita los quería matar a todos en la cama,slay queen, estaba un poco cucú pero mal no me cayó. Y el final estuvo sublime, siento que si se alargó un poquito y yo me hubiese quedado con lo del perro Luna y haber jugado un poquito con el fantasma de ella también pero que buena explicación para el titulo. Creo que es algo muy distinto a lo que escribe Donoso así que espero comprobar.

[Fin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The same image from Obscene Bird here! The dog barking at the windows of a car containing a pair of lovers, keeping them from bliss. Here (much like Huysmans et al) the Marquise too fails at satisfying her boundless desires. The mysterious savage dog at the centre of the story, with his strange lunar eyes, a symbol of the impossibility of sating desire's hunger. Cool style, cool ending!

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Καλό ήταν, ερωτικό, περιεργο, σκοτεινο..

[Laura Frunza · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rar am citit (si terminat) carte mai proasta ca asta. Nu stiu ce se vrea sa fie, un soi de carte porno (ca erotica n-o pot numi) dar nu stiu ce target are, femeile se vor simti dezgustate de aventurile sexuale ale marchizei de 19 ani, vaduva, care se culca cu un mos decrepit care ii moare in brate, cu un conte rotofei care era amantul soacra-sii, cu un pictor in patul caruia se scapa pe ea si cat pe ce sa aiba un soi de "impreunare" dezgustatoare si cu soacra-sa sau cu un caine ciudat, iar barbatii nu se vor simti nici pe departe excitati de asemenea fantezii care nici de cele mai proaste editii din "Infractoarea" nu sunt bune. Oribila si dezgustatoare, cartea asta e buna de pus direct in teancul cu hartie de reciclat.
P.S. Am terminat-o de citit doar pt ca e foarte scurta si am sperat ca se va intampla ceva care sa defineasca si un soi de actiune pana la final. Nu, nu s-a intamplat.

[Juan de Dios Reyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Se lee fácil, es corto, pero no puedo decir que sea un gran libro. No sé qué habrá motivado a Donoso a escribir esta novelo; es, probablemente, un "divertimento". Me entretuvo un rato y no siento tenga más mérito que eso.

[Li Misol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libro erótico que describe la aventuras de una joven marquesa entre un batallón de hombres que la reclaman cerca. Es un libro bastante hilarante con un final bastante inesperado.

[Alexis Gálvez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extraño de principio a fin, nada más que agregar.

[dražica · Rating 1 out of 5]

one of the worst books that I've ever read.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure it ever turns into something Greater like it occasionally hints at, but it's a whole lot of fun to read, so I'm not complaining

[Tas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this slim book on our shelf at home with no memories of having bought it, and was in the mood to give something a go without reading more than two lines on the back cover. What a strange coincidence, because not three hours earlier over dinner was wrapped up in a long discussion on how erotica seems to have moved out of the bodice rippers back corner shelf and into mainstream bestsellers. I don't mind some steamy scenes, in fact they are welcome additions when in already good books. But the sex of today's literature serves niche escapist ships, has taken over the fantasy/historical fiction world, and is frankly just very boring - a sketch of storyline with trope scaffolding to serve up sexual encounters, all very reminiscent of porn. If a book is labeled "spicy," I've learned to severely lower my expectations or stay away, as I would have with the Harlequin romances of my mom's teenage years. (Also, no shame in reading these books, I do too clearly, but I'd like to call them what they are.)

So I'm making my way through this novella, Latin American boom, maybe some magical realism, likely some melancholic but impassioned prose and class commentary. All cool, and all there... but wait, I think this is very well-written smut? I didn't expect that, having skipped over the introduction and any further Googling on the author. But I loved it! It's weird, it's layered, it's a parody of the erotic, it's a young woman's desire for discovery as she flies too close to the sun, it's seedy and sordid and sensual. It's saying a lot while seemingly saying very little. In just a few hours' read, there's much to chew on and interpret. And Gabriela Wiener's introduction was illuminating, wish I'd started with it.

Having also just watched "Poor Things" the night before, the parallels were fresh in my mind. The timing could not have been better, almost like this book was handed to me by my past self, to give me a little slap upside the head and remind me what literature with the erotic as subject is for. I think enough has been said about men's constant use of women's sexual exploration in their art (even gay men like Donoso). But in the end, I find I'm quite enjoying it, male or female artist. It's not, like in modern-day erotica, about the romance or the interiority of the leading lady and her eye-roll of a male lead, but about the sex itself and what it says about who we are, what we are doing, and why we are doing it. I would put this up there with The Piano Teacher, though thankfully nowhere near as dark. Maybe time to go read some Anais Nin?

[Tessa Nadir · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nu de mult am vazut un film horror argentinian in care oamenii erau posedati, devenind un fel de zombie si in care la fiecare a doua propozitie se auzea cuvantul "viciado". Acesta s-ar traduce prin: stricat, statut, putrezit, corupt. Ei bine, cartea de fata si personajele din ea sunt clar 'viciado'.
Desigur ne putem intreba cum ajunge cineva sa citeasca o asemenea opera, insa coperta, descrierea si titlul duceau cu gandul spre o poveste de epoca ce ar fi continut probabil niste descrieri erotice cel mult inofensive. Nimic mai departe de adevar.
Cartea a aparut in 1997 si este o nuvela erotica. Frumoasa Blanca de 19 ani il seduce la un bal pe marchizul de Loria. Curand cei doi se casatoresc insa tanara descopera ca sotul ei este impotent. Dupa o casnicie de numai 5 luni Blanca se trezeste vaduva caci sotul ei moare de difterie. Libera, tanara si bogata se napusteste sa guste din placerile vietii.
Ca aspect pozitiv pot sa mentionez ca textul nu contine limbaj licentios, totul este destul de voalat, discret si putin carnal. Exista o scena intr-o loja a operei in care viitorul sot o pipaie pe sub rochie iar ea se joaca intr-un mod sugestiv cu programul rulat ca un tub. Observam ca lucrurile porneau destul de bine cu sotul impotent desi e greu de imaginat ca cineva se poate excita pe Lohengrinul lui Wagner.
Trecand la motivul pentru care am acordat o singura stea, trebuie sa subliniez ca si in cazul acestui roman partea erotica este cea care scartaie cel mai mult. Tanara Blanca porneste in aceasta aventura cu sotul impotent care moare rapid (asta n-ar fi un ghinion prea mare caci i-a lasat foarte multa avere). Apoi a doua experienta amoroasa o are cu un domn care face infarct in bratele sale in timpul actului. Urmeaza un pictor cam imberb iar spre final aproape ca are o aventura in trei cu... soacra ei si prietena acesteia. Da ati citit bine, cu soacra. Si ca si cum asta n-ar fi fost de ajuns in palmaresul ei intra si un... caine cu care are de 2 ori o 'interactiune'. Da, ati citit bine, un caine.
Nu stiu asadar cati pot digera o asemenea poveste, mai ales ca apar si alte lucruri dezgustatoare si respingatoare intr-un text de doar 150 de pagini. Ma tem ca nu o pot recomanda nimanui, neoferind nimic calitativ nici ca poveste, nici ca erotism. In niciun caz nu poate fi luata in serios ramanand pentru mine doar cu titulatura de 'viciado'.

[Jorge Atton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una exquisita escritura para este libro medio experimental de Donoso, el mente enferma más creativo del país. Sutil la manera en que la historia pasa de una novela erótica a una sátira erótica, para decantar en una especie de proto "obsceno pájaro", donde lo erótico y sexual deviene mero adorno para lo típicamente donosiano: la entrada a la locura y el exceso de la protagonista, una latina arribista, corrompida por el deseo y el poder de una aristocracia española tan añeja como anhelada.
Me gustó el tono que fue tomando a medida que avanzaba el libro, aunque las últimas tres páginas hubiese preferido no leerlas. De más. Me hubiese quedado con la extraña desaparición y chao.
Si bien no es el mejor de Donoso si es un gran libro, rápido y atrapante, una incursión muy personal en la novela ligera.

[Omar Armas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magnífica la forma educada en la que Donoso escribe, sin palabras obscenas puede recrear muy buenas escenas eróticas. Reconozco la presencia de la evolución única de los perros para conectar con las personas mediante los ojos. Muy pocas frases memorables pero muchas escenas singulares y recordables. Una frase que recuerdo es la dicha por la marquesita de Loria a su suegra, "Infiel, siempre. Desleal, jamás".

[Alcofrybas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jose Donoso’s “The Obscene Bird Of Night” — besides having an amazing and intriguing title — is one of my all time favorite novels.

This one is not that great. It feels like one of those “naughty” books written for fun when one doesn’t have anything to prove anymore. Just some smut poking fun at the old continent elites — ultimately a rather forgettable book.

[RJ Hanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

a decedent erotic novel the evolves into a psychological thriller in which reality is obscured. the evolution happens in the form of a grey dog, but by the time you realize it everything has spiraled into madness

[princess pazuzu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not like 3/4 of the book, total snore town. I am used to raunchier erotica. But the final 30 pages and the ending was great! I will say though that this is a masterful translation, such beautiful prose.

[Roxana · Rating 1 out of 5]

one of the worst books I have read. Nope... just nope.

[Carlos Sánchez Becerra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una aventura digna de un comic, sumamente entretenida y que como siempre enla literatura de Donoso narra las tensiones entre clases sociales