El pergamino de la seducción

by Gioconda Belli

«Manuel dijo que me narraría la vida de Juan de Castilla y su locura de amor por su marido Felipe el Hermoso, si yo aceptaba ciertas condiciones. Era profesor de la Universidad Complutense. Su especialidad era el Renacimiento Español. Yo aún estudiaba en la escuela secundaria.»
La reina Juana de Castilla es el personaje más carismático de un período crucial de la historia de España. Hermosa, inteligente, segura y poderosa, se rebeló y luchó sin descanso contra la represión y los abusos. En 1509, con veintinueve años, fue declarada loca y encerrada en Tordesillas, donde permaneció hasta su muerte en 1555. Cuatro siglos más tarde, a través de Lucía, una joven de asombroso parecido con la antigua reina, un historiador busca resolver el enigma de quien fuera más conocida como Juana la Loca.
En esta fascinante novela Juana de Castilla regresa para contra su propia versión de los hechos. ¿Enloqueció de amor, como cuenta la historia oficial, o fue victima de traiciones y luchas por el poder?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Spain, Spanish Literature, Historical, Romance, Ebooks

413 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Gioconda Belli (born December 9, 1948 in Managua, Nicaragua) is a Nicaraguan author, novelist and poet.

Gioconda Belli, partly of Northern Italian descent, was an active participant in the Sandinista struggle against the Somoza dictatorship, and her work for the movement led to her being forced into exile in Mexico in 1975. Returning in 1979 just before the Sandinista victory, she became FSLN's international press liaison in 1982 and the director of State Communications in 1984. During that time she met Charles Castaldi, an American NPR journalist, whom she married in 1987. She has been living in both Managua and Los Angeles since 1990. She has since left the FSLN and is now a major critic of the current government.

Belli graduated from the Royal School of Santa Isabel in Madrid, Spain and studied advertising and journalism in Philadelphia.

In 1988, Belli's book La Mujer Habitada (The Inhabited Woman), a semi-autobiographical novel that raised gender issues for the first time in the Nicaraguan revolutionary narratives, brought her increased attention; this book has been published in several languages and was on the reading list at four universities in the United States. The novel follows two parallel stories: the indigenous resistance to the Spanish and modern insurgency in Central America with various points in common: women's emancipation, passion, and a commitment to liberation. In 2000, she published her autobiography, emphasizing her involvement in the revolutionary movement, El país bajo mi piel, published under the name The Country Under My Skin in the United States; it was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in 2003. Belli continues publishing and maintains that poetry is her most important work. Belli was the recipient of the Premio de Poesía Mariano Fiallos Gil in 1972 and of the Premio Casa de las Américas in 1978. In 2008 Belli received the Biblioteca Breve Award for her book El infinito en la palma de la mano (Infinity in the Palm of The Hand), an allegory about Adam and Eve in paradise.

Belli's books have been published in numerous languages.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Jeff Nail · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Scroll of Seduction is a very bad story framing a good story. For some reason, Belli felt that she needed to tell the story of Juana the Mad by way of a very creepy 40 something man using using the story to seduce a teenaged orphan.
Had he just stuck to the story of Juana, this would have been a great book. Juana's story, told in first person, is engaging with just the right amount of detail to set the stage, but not bog down the story.

[Paloma · Rating 3 out of 5]

La novela desarrolla dos historias parelalas -la vida de Juana la Loca y la de Lucía, una estudiante huérfana en España. Si bien la historia de Juana me atrapó, siento que la doble narración, la historia del presente, le resta fuerza a la de Juana. ¿Una Juana la Loca en la España de los sesentas? En mi opinión no funciona. Además, el hecho que un hombre de 40 años se gane la confianza de una niña de 17 y así sin más, la seduzca (sin por lo menos intentar enamorarla o ganarse su cariño), tampoco me parece lógico, por mucho que hubieran estado imersos en la vida de otra mujer. Hubiera preferido, por mucho, una novela lineal, sí se quiere narrada por los personajes actuales, pero no mezclada con la vida contemporánea de dos extraños que coincidieron en Madrid.

Por otra parte, no deja de ser una novela interesante, ofreciendo una nueva visión de Juana la Loca. Como fanática de la novela histórica, Belli presenta una historia completa, y su estilo y fluidez se agradecen, particularmente por el hecho de tener una voz propia, en la actualidad caracterizada por el abuso de la primera persona. Por ello mismo, me hubiera gustado que la historia fuera solo sobre el personaje de Juana.

A pesar de ello, la novela me dejó con una enorme añoranza de España...

[Emiliya Bozhilova · Rating 1 out of 5]

Това е един от случаите, в които краят разваля всичко, и цялата книга придобива неприятен послевкус.

Сюжетните линии са две:

Странните отношения между професор по ренесансова история на Испания и осиротяла девойка в пасион, възстановяващи историята на Хуана Лудата. В тази линия, макар да е доста тъмна, имаше добър потенциал и беше интересно докато дойде краят. Но накрая авторката реши да приключи всичко през куп за грош и през глава, без никаква логика, просто сякаш и беше омръзнало и реши да внесе някакъв крайно несполучлив и ненужен готически привкус, който така пресоли гозбата и обезмисли предходните насоки за героите, че повече няма накъде.

Готиката е съвсем излишна предвид сюжетната линия на Хуана. Дъщеря на Изабела Кастилска и Фернандо Арагонски, тя живее в бурно време, в което пада Гранада, Колумб открива Америка, твори Еразъм Ротердамски и светата инквизиция става запазената марка на мракобесния испански католицизъм. Използвана като пионка на брачния пазар, тя открива щастието и не желае нищо, освен да живее мирно със съпруга и децата си. Но съдбата и е жестока. След поредица от непредвидени смъртни случаи, тя се оказва единствена наследница на испанската корона. Това превръща баща и и съпруга и в нейни безмилостни врагове - всеки иска короната за себе си, а нея - вън от играта. В резултат емоционалните и изблици, лишени от прикриване и лавиране, нормални от днешна гледна точка, и дори фактът, че се къпе твърде често, дават повод да бъде обявена за луда и естествено, неспособна да управлява самостоятелно. Съпругът и, за нейно щастие и мъка, умира млад. Но баща и, и впоследствие синът и - император Карл V - я държат затворена 40 години, напълно отрязана от външния свят. Тази сюжетна линия е интересна, и книгата нямаше да пострада, ако беше останала само с нея. Макар към края и там обосновката на поведението на Хуана да е прибързана и изсмукана от пръстите.

[Natasa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would have been better if the story line stuck to Philippe The Handsome and Juana The Mad’s love story. The secondary lust story between a naïve, convent-bred, swoon teenager and an older man in mid-life crisis is unnecessary and boring.

[Olga Penagos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creo que casi todos hemos oído hablar de Juana la loca y muy pocos de Juana de Castilla; un personaje casi mítico y lejano pero que leyendo esta fabulosa novela histórica de Gioconda Belli, se torna particularmente cercano y moderno.

Da mucha lástima que para la historia haya quedado en el imaginario esa leyenda de la loca, simplemente porque fue una mujer adelantada a su tiempo, quería ser libre, ser feliz, sentir, amar, vivir y todo eso era muy peligroso para una mujer en la España del siglo XVl.

Este libro está maravillosamente recreado en esa época pero al mismo tiempo nos hace un paralelo en el siglo XXl con Alicia, una chica latinoamericana que luego de la muerte trágica de sus padres, sus abuelos la llevan a vivir a un internado en Madrid; allí conocerá a Manuel, un hombre maduro, historiador, quien la va llevando por el mundo que Juana vivió a través de las historias que éste le cuenta; Alicia va poco a poco encarnando a Juana, sintiendo y pensando como ella.

Así se nos va desenvolviendo esta historia entre dos mundos en el que queda claro el peligro que representan las mujeres para él; así sean poderosas como Juana quien debía ser reina pero que jamás pudo ejercer y en cambio estuvo encerrada 46 años.

El patriarcado y la misoginia encarnados en la sociedad de su tiempo y más específicamente en su padre, su esposo y su hijo, buscaron todos los artilugios, incluyendo el de la supuesta locura, para no dejarla gobernar como merecía.

Es una terrible analogía con el mundo de las mujeres de ahora y de siempre; bien lo dice Juana quejándose de su destino: “¡Mal hadada suerte la nuestra de mujeres fuertes y temidas de los hombres! ¡Tenían que encerrarnos, humillarnos, pegarnos, para olvidar el temor que les inspirábamos y sentirse reyes!”.

Juana fue acusada de loca por amar con desespero a Felipe su esposo, por ser fértil, por ser fuerte, por ser culta, por amar la libertad, por querer bailar, por ser mujer.

[Sebastian · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Barb]

A Pretty Cover Can Only Take Me So Far

I was very curious about "Juana the Mad" and was looking forward to reading that portion of this story. I wasn't as interesting in reading about the more contemporary seduction of the seventeen year old girl by her adult professor but I thought I would give the book a try anyway.

There were things that got in the way of my enjoyment and I didn't finish this book. The seduction part of the story would have been just fine if it weren't for the strange and disorganized way the story was told. I suspect, that in the translation from Spanish to English, some of the finer points of the writing may have been lost. The chronology wasn't at all fluid, it was very difficult for me to tell if the main character was referring to something that happened in the recent past or the distant past.

I thought the way the author had the main character Lucia describe her body was strange especially when she tells the reader about her belly button. This is after she has described the rest of her body:

'...my belly button was so deep and tiny that the only way I could clean it --- as part of my weekly ritual --- was by using a cotton swab that went almost halfway in before hitting the end. And for some inexplicable reason, whenever I did that, I felt a tickling sensation in my rectum.'

I do not consider myself to be "squeamish" in the least. I can read about nearly anything without being offended. And it wasn't that I was offended by these details. I just didn't feel like they were valuable to the story in anyway. They didn't serve to endear the main character to the reader and they certainly didn't do anything to move the story forward. I thought that they were strange and gave the story a weirdness to it that I didn't understand.

I thought the progression of events, specifically the manipulating actions of the professor were not believable. Things would have happened much more slowly in real life. And the whole premise of getting Lucia to imagine herself as Juana just didn't seem very well developed or realistic, it seemed rather forced, unrealistic and silly to me.

I was disappointed by all of these observations and I let this one go in favor of something that showed more promise in being a book I would actually enjoy. I would still like to read about "Juana the Mad" if anyone can recommend something else that would be great, Thanks.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

It seemed to me that this book was divided into two stories. There is the medieval story of Juana la loca (Juana of Castile) and then there is the fictional story of a 17 year old orphan (Lucia) who is at a boarding school run by Nun's in Spain. She meets a 40 something professor (Maunel) and he seduces her while telling her the story of Juana. Belli tries to model Lucia's story after Juana's and tries to draw parallels between the two, but Lucia's story just left me feeling wired-ed out.

I would have loved this book had it left out the odd and creepy fictional story of Lucia and Manuel and just focused on Juana and her story. I would have loved to read about actual facts and delve more into the different characters that surrounded Juana and her husband.

In the end I didn't read the whole of this book as every time it went to Lucia and Manuel I skipped until it was back to the medieval story of Juana la Loca!

[Makenzie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I officially give up on this book, after having read more than a third of it. I really wanted to finish it, but it is irritating me more and more as I go on. It is made up of two stories: one in the present (well, sort of, in the 60s) and one dealing with Juana la Loca, queen of Spain in the 16th century. The first is decidedly creepy (I think mostly for the way it's presented, because I have certainly read much creepier things than a relationship between a 17-year-old and an older man and it hasn't put me off of the book); the second had a lot of potential, but fell kind of flat, at least in the part that I read. I think it's meant to be a sort of vindication of Juana, but the whole examining the interiority of the historical figure seemed kind of forced and the narration was plagued with stereotypes. After the umpteenth mention of evil, repressive, Catholic Spain vs. idealized, fancy-free Flanders, with Juana of course condemning anything reprehensible to a modern viewpoint, I decided this was not worth my time. Perhaps the rest of the book is more believable, but I have my doubts.

[Gargarmel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I always considered Juana La Loca as an interesting figure, well in this book she isn’t treated like one. She is portrayed as a hysterical, ignorant nymph who only takes pride in being plumbered by her hermosito. Also disappointing is that the historical setting is just that: a mere setting. The characters could also have been on heat in Budapest in the 23. century, wouldn’t have changed a thing. The minor and her lecturer are just as boring. Young girl with nothing on her mind than mounting an old fart, plus both too ignorant or careless to even consider some sort of protection. I don’t have to buy a book to read those kind of stories, the yellow press offers the same everyday for free.

[Tuices · Rating 3 out of 5]

Las 3 estrellas se las lleva únicamente la parte de la novela en la que se narra la vida de Juana I de Castilla, la mal llamada Juana La Loca, porque es de justicia empezar a contar la historia de las mujeres tal y como fue. Pero la otra parte de la novela es una "historia de amor" entre un profesor de universidad y una menor... y yo creo que ya habría que ir dejando de escribir novelas que normalizan la pedofilia y romantizan las relaciones donde hay abuso de poder.

[pia pesce canepa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lado histotiadora: feliz, lado feminista: feliz, lado romántica: feliz

[Mirah W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting topic...not knowing a lot about Juana (the Mad) and Philippe and I found their story very interesting. It was really sad the way Juana's family depicted her and used her in their quest for power. I agree with another reviewer who thought the story of Lucia and Manuel was unnecessary. I appreciated the author trying to create the parallels between their lives and the lives of Juana and Philippe, but I really didn't care for them much as characters and thought their story was unresolved in the end...there were too many questions remaining about Manuel's family history.

[Sabrina Bullock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love historical fiction. This was a very interesting book, but had an unusual ending. It paralleled the life of a sixteen year old girl in the 60's with the life of a young renaissance princess who becomes a queen. It was intriguing and kept my interest. When I had to put it down, I couldn't wait to pick it back up to learn more about what was happening. It was rich with details and not just with regards to scenery, but with details even in the thought processes of the characters. It is a book I would easily read again.

[Patricia Coloma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha encantado la interpretación que esta autora hace de Juana la Loca al mostrar Como fue victima de su tiempo, ya que según Belli, Juana de Castilla era un personaje rebelde que chocó con un sistema patriarcal que delimitaba y marcaba la Norma de lo que se suponía como el comportamiento adecuado femenino. En mi opinión el mayor fallo de la novela se encuentra en la precipitada resolución de la historia de Lucía.

[Kate S · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adored the story of Queen Juana in this book. The historical information about Spain was absolutely amazing. The Spanish royalty is very foreign to me, but I do find it fascinating. The modern day story of the orphaned student being seduced by an older man and his aunt was strange and uncomfortable for me. The writing was enticing enough.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very sensual. Great history on Queen Juana the Mad from Spain. A tad on the odd side. A history professor who's studying Juana meets a 17 year old girl. He dresses her up like Juana and tells her the story. Lucia tells the professor how she would have felt if she were Juana.

[Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like historical fiction so reading another book about a figure in history was interesting but I did not care much for the modern story much at all. Without the 40 year old man sleeping with the 17 year old girl I think I would have given it a higher rating.

[Christy · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were two plot lines....one was fascinating and a great view point of a queen who was declared mad by men. The other.....was extremely uncomfortable and troubling. I would truly give the first plot a 4.5 star.....and the second plot a 0.5 star.

[Caty Rengifo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disfrute enormemente leer este libro. Quizás la razon sea que la historia me apasiona y si la misma viene atada a la reconstrucción de la vida de una mujer, que muchos coinciden, fue señalada injustamente de loca, pues me apasiona aún más

[Hannah Vollebergh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mooie, historische roman over het leven van Johanna van Castilië (ook bekend als Johanna de Waanzinnige). Leest vlot weg en is met veel aandacht voor het karakter van Johanna geschreven.

[Wavesdarkness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una novela erótica, histórica y feminista que te pone en la piel de Juana de Castilla. A través de los hechos históricos documentados, Gioconda Belli rescata una visión más humana de su “locura” y nos invita a empatizar con ella.

He sentido a Juana muy cerquita durante la lectura, y he abrazado partes de su alma que he visto reflejadas en mí.

El amor, el placer y la injusticia desde una mirada femenina que permanece a través del tiempo ❤️‍🔥

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Numas férias em Tordesilhas fiquei intrigada com a história da Rainha Joana de Espanha, que foi encarcerada durante décadas no palácio local. A História retratou-a como louca mas ao ler este livro fiquei a saber que há muito mais intriga política, sexismo, e luta pelo poder do que loucura.

Nos anos 60, Lucía está internada num colégio de freiras em Madrid após a morte dos pais num acidente de avião. Numa visita ao El Escorial, conhece Manuel, um historiador fascinado com a vida de Joana, a Louca, que propõe dar-lhe “lições” sobre esta rainha aos fins de semana, apenas com uma exigência – Lucía deverá vestir-se à época e entrar na mente da Joana… para o bem e para o mal.

O livro vai alternado entre o século XX e o século XV/ XVI e vamos descobrindo como é que Joana chegou ao seu triste destino. Desde a sua paixão por Filipe, o Belo, até aos atritos com os pais, vamos descobrindo que o grande problema da rainha era ser demasiada apaixonada e senhora de si, numa altura em que as mulheres deveriam ser contidas e não mostrar qualquer emoção. E não nos podemos esquecer que reinar sobre um grande império era uma tentação demasiado grande para um ex-rei consorte, que foi dominado pela mulher, e um marido que nunca pensou chegar tão longe.

Um livro muito bom, que recomendo!

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

El pergamino de la seducción narra la historia de Lucía, una estudiante en un internado de monjas, que seducida por Manuel (historiador cuarentón) se viste con un traje de la época (terciopelo rojo) y escucha la historia de Juana de Castilla de los labios del historiador. La idea es que Lucia, por el vestido y su juventud, pueda expresar cómo se siente Juana en las distintas situaciones en las que se encuentra.
El libro presenta una muy buena narración-interpretación de la historia de "Juana La Loca" y presenta muy bien como el deseo por poder llevaron al marido, padre e hijos; a encerrar a Juana hasta su muerte. No obstante, la historia de Lucía y Manuel es un poco extraña y a veces perturbante.

[Silvana Feijóo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Siempre me ha fascinado la figura de Juana. Hija de reyes, madre de reyes, y una vida tan triste...
Usada por quienes deberían haberla querido y cuidado. Loca de amor. ¿Loca? Creo que demasiado cuerda, demasiado peligrosa para ser mujer. No podían dejarla en libertad. No podía ser "normal". Una historia contada en dos tiempos. Un hombre obsesionado con la figura histórica queriendo traerla al siglo XX. Una joven sola. Tan sola como Juana y tan necesitada de amor como ella. Una buena historia con mucha historia. Una interesante manera de contarla, que terminé creyéndome.

[Catherine Gentry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting reinterpretation of "Juana the Mad" from a woman's perspective. History has been written largely by misognistic men who demean women and their contributions. Here the novelist takes us through the historical events and we are meant to understand the feelings of Juana as she confronts the political machinations of her day. Was she truly mad (as insane) or perhaps really, more appropriately pissed off as she was used as a pawn by her parents and her husband? You decide.

[Naima · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interessante e ben narrata la storia di Giovanna la pazza: descritta in modo semplice ed immediato. La psicologia dei personaggi (storici) è delineata ottimamente e Giovanna appare in tutta la sua forza e intelligenza. Purtroppo non si può dire lo stesso della storia (ambientata nel presente) che dovrebbe fare da filo conduttore: fastidiosa, banale, inutile. Personaggi piatti e senza personalità.

[Lotti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bijzonder boek dat in de tweede helft van de vorige eeuw en in de 16e eeuw speelt. Lucia kruipt onder invloed van Manuel in de huid van Johanna de Waanzinnige (moeder van Karel V). In haar rol van Johanna vertelt zij de levensgeschiedenis uit Johanna's zicht. Lucia vereenzelvigt zich zo zeer met Johanna, dat feiten en fantasie door elkaar heen gaan lopen. Zeer boeiend geschreven en daarnaast uitermate leerzaam.

[Ghiomara Beov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este año quiero leer más autores latinoamericanos y comienzo bien con esta escritora nicaragüense.
Qué pasaría si la llamada Juana la Loca no hubiera perdido la razón, si no que fue envuelta en un complot político para desprestigiarla y quitarle el poder.
Este libro cuenta la historia de este personaje a través de un relato -supuesto- contado por la mismísima Juana.
Es un libro apasionante ligerísimo de leer y muy recomendable.

[Marlene Tobar · Rating 5 out of 5]

El libro me encantó. Sin embargo, me parece que la historia de Juana de Castilla hubiese necesitado más página para escribirse, muchos apartados fueron descritos de forma acelerada para hacerla cuadrar con la historia de Lucia y Manuel que era más corta.
Sin duda la historia es capaz de atrapar e hipnotizar al lector al punto de querer conocer más a Juana de Castilla, los lugares en qué vivió y en resumen, de quedar prendado de la valentía de Juana- La loca?-No, Juana I de Castilla