The Penguin Book of Spanish Short Stories

The Penguin Books of Short Stories

by Kathryn Phillips-Miles (Translator), Thomas Bunstead (Translation), Peter Bush (Translation)

A vibrant collection of classic Spanish short stories and hidden gems alike, compiled by celebrated translator Margaret Jull Costa

A Penguin Classic

This exciting collection celebrates the Spanish short story, from its modern origins in the nineteenth century to the remarkable work being written today. Featuring over fifty stories selected by revered translator Margaret Jull Costa, it blends hidden gems and old favorites, surprising new voices and giants of Spain's literary culture, from Emilia Pardo Bazán and Leopoldo Alas, through Mercè Rodoreda and Manuel Rivas, to Javier Marías. Brimming with romance, horror, history, farce, strangeness and beauty, and showcasing alluring hairdressers, war defectors, vampiric mothers, and talismanic mandrake roots, the daring and entertaining assortment of tales in The Penguin Book of Spanish Short Stories will be a treasure trove for readers.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Spanish Literature, Spain, Literature, Anthologies

416 pages, Paperback

First published June 24, 2021

Reviews

[Stace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com

For those of you who have a love for classic literature, The Spanish Book of Short Stories is the book to purchases. Celebrating works from authors who you will be familiar with to those you will never have heard of before, the book brings together a collection of fifty-six tales, some that have never been translated into English before.

From Gothic to romance, horror to the down and out strange, the book is a collection of varied and unusual stories. Beginning with ‘The Novel on the Tram’ by Benito Pérez Galdós, published in 1871, the plot surrounds a man’s journey on a tram, from meeting an old friend who tells him stories of a Countess and how his reading distorts what is real-life and what is his imagination.

If I had to choose one I think my overall favourite would be Summer Orchestra by Esther Tusquets in which a young woman learns lessons surrounding certain types of men in society and adulthood.

The short stories have been written in chronological order starting with the earliest born, right up to the last author who was born in 1988. There are also snippets of information about the authors at the bottom of the first page of each story.

This is a book you can dip into when you want to, you can read story after story or just read one and then put it down for another day. The stories are not connected so you could read them in any order too. There will most likely be some you love and others you don’t care much for. However you read it, the book is a fabulous collection of literature that you most likely haven’t read before from authors who are not that well known in the UK. I enjoyed the book and savoured each story, reading just one a day.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot recall having read much literature by Spanish writers and, to be completely honest,  all the authors whose stories are included in this collection were previously unknown to me. I also learned it’s too simplistic to say the stories are translated from Spanish because, as the book’s editor Margaret Jull Costa explains in her introduction, they were originally written in one of Spain’s four languages – Basque (euskara), Castilian Spanish (castellano), Catalan (català) and Galician (gallego). Each story is accompanied by a brief biographical note about the author.

The stories are arranged in chronological order of the author’s birth, the earliest being 1843. I was struck by how much of an impact the Spanish Civil War had, either on the lives of the authors themselves – many of whom were forced into exile – or on the subject matter of the stories, especially in the case of the authors featured in the first half of the book.

In her introduction, Costa offers the advice not to read one story after the other but to treat the collection like a box of Belgian chocolates, savouring and pondering the stories ‘one or, at most, two at a time’. I did my best to follow this advice even if it meant showing considerably more restraint than I would if presented with an actual box of Belgian chocolates!

Margaret Jull Costa argues that a short story is not a truncated novel but is more akin to poetry and that ‘the best short stories create a world in just a few pages’. Indeed, many of the stories in the book are very short, just a few pages in length. As is often the case with short story collections, I enjoyed some more than others. Quite a few in the collection had a fantasy or supernatural element which is not really to my reading taste, although I can see them appealing to other readers. I’ve picked out some below that I particularly enjoyed.

The Novel on the Tram by Benito Pérez Galdós – one for anyone who’s ever eavesdropped on others’ conversations while travelling by train or bus, or wondered about the lives of their fellow passengers

The Talisman by Emilia Pardo Bazán – reminiscent of M. R. James’ story ‘Casting The Runes’

Duet for Two Coughs by Leopoldo Alas/Clarín– the imaginings of two strangers sharing the same malady

The Reverse Side of the Tapestry by Azorín– in which a poet weaves a story whilst at the same Fate is weaving his

The Boy by Ramón J. Sender– the brutality and senseless nature of war captured in just a few pages

Come Twelve o’ Clock by Ignacio Aldecoa – a mother’s warning to her son turned on its head

Summer Orchestra by Esther Tusquets – a poignant story of a young girl’s growing awareness of the complexities of the adult world

The Fullness of Summer by Quim Monzó – I read this after returning from a family lunch out but we couldn’t compete on the kissing and photographs front, although the author’s characters did have the advantage of being pre-pandemic

The Butterfly’s Tongue by Manuel Rivas – the story of an inspirational teacher that has a sting in its tail

And Shortly After That, There Was Now by Eider Rodríguez – the tale of a journey into the past that has an elegiac quality

[lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It's strange, that brief meeting with people we have never seen before and whom we will probably never see again. When we get on the tram, there is usually someone else already there; others get on afterwards; some get off, leaving us alone and then, finally, we get off too. It's in an image of human life, in which being born and dying are like those entrances and exits I've described and which, as the generations of travellers come and go, are constantly renewing the small world of the tram. They enter and leave, they are born and die."

I picked this up only because I got an advanced copy through some volunteering I did for my local bookstore. I liked the simplicity of the cover design and, of course, the Penguin label. Usually I don't go for multiauthor anthologies, but I thought it'd be interesting to try out a national literature I have never read much of.

In fact, I ultimately enjoyed that experience so much that I think I'll make these Penguin collections a part of my regularly reading, maybe one a year, and tie it into my travels somehow. The stories themselves varied plenty and reflected the cultural and historical diversity of the Spanish people, but at the same time I found that I really got a sense of the national literature itself. Overall, I found this collection to be a very rewarding experience.

Since this is a compilation of stories, this is a collective review. Each story is individually rated. Overall rating is based on the average of the individual ratings.

'The Novel on the Tram' by Benito Pérez GaldOs — ★★★★★
'The Talisman' by Emilia Pardo Bazán — ★★★★
'Duet for Two Coughs' by Leopoldo Alas/Corín — ★★★★
'The Likeness' by Miguel de Unamuno — ★★★
'The Poor Wee Child' by Ramón de Valle-InclAn — ★★★
'The Unknown' by Pía Baroja — ★★★★
'The Reverse Side of the Tapestry' by Azorín — ★★★★
'The Biobardos' by Eduardo Blanco-Amor — ★★★★
'Counterpoint' by Josep Pla — ★★★
'The Genie of the Night and the Genie of the Day' by Rosa Chacel — ★★★★
'Light and Silence' by Rafael Dieste — ★★★★
'The Boy' by Ramón J. Sender — ★★★
'Ingratitude' by Max Aub — ★★★
'Like Silk' by Merecè Rodoreda — ★★★
'Jacinto's Umbrella' by Álvaro Cunqueiro — ★★★
'Feat of Arms' by Pere Calders — ★★★★
'On a Visit' by Alonso Zamora Vicente — ★★★★
'At the Beach' by Julián Ayesta — ★★★★
'On Such a Night' by Miguel Delibes — ★★★
'Conscience' by Ana María Matute — ★★★★
'Berta's Presence' by Merdado Fraile — ★★★★
'Behind the Eyes' by Carmen Martín Gaite — ★★★★
'Madrid, Autumn, Saturday' by Josefina Rodríguez Aldecoa — ★★★★★
'The Recidivist' by Rafael Sánchez Ferlosio — ★★★★
'Reichenau' by Juan Benet — ★★★★
'The Street of the Sleeping Dragon' by Juan Marsé — ★★★★
'Summer Orchestra' by Esther Tusquets — ★★★★
'Luzmila' by Álvaro Pombo — ★★★
'The Deserter' by José María Merino — ★★★★
'Then He Began to Forget' by Cristina Fernández Cubas — ★★★★
'A Fresh Start' by Marina Mayoral — ★★★
'She's Everywhere' by Juan José Millás — ★★★★
'The Real Hairdresser' by Vicente Molina Foix — ★★★★
'Traffic Jam' by Soledad Puértolas — ★★★
'Sea Swell' by Enrique Vila-Matas — ★★★★
'A Sense of Camaraderie' by Javier Marías — ★★★
'Teresa, Poverina Mia' by Bernardo Axtaga — ★★★★
'The Fullness of Summer' by Quim Monzó — ★★★★
'In Search of a Photograph' by Paloma Díaz-Mas — ★★★★
'Balancing the World on His Chin' by Julio Llamazares — ★★★
'The Butterfly's Tongue' by Manuel Rivas — ★★★★
'The Usher' by Carlos Castán — ★★★★
'The Second Mrs Appleton' by Teresa Solana — ★★★★
'Against Optimism' by Javier Cercas — ★★★
'About the Wedding' by Eloy Tizón — ★★★
'The Scream' by Karmele Jaio — ★★★★★
'10/10/10' by Jesús Carrasco — ★★★★
'Hotel Life' by Javier Montes — ★★★★
'The Keys to the Apartment' by Harkaitz Cano — ★★★
'And Shortly After That, There Was Now' by Eider Rodríguez — ★★★★
'Love' by Elvira Navarro — ★★★★
'The Generation Gap' by Cristina García Morales — ★★★★
'True Milk' by Aixa de la Cruz — ★★★★

Average rating comes out at 4.3, which rounds down to four stars.

[Jaffareadstoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am delighted to have as my featured book of the month this wonderful collection of Spanish Short Stories which collectively make the perfect way to spend a pleasant afternoon just dipping into and out wherever your fancy takes you, and with over fifty stories to choose from there's bound to be something to please every taste.

The stories are cleverly arranged chronologically from the date of the author's birth and range from the mid-nineteenth century, through to the last featured author who was born in the mid-nineteen eighties. Though I wasn't familiar with any of the authors that really didn't matter as each story has a short snippet of biographical information at the start so that it is easy to place into context when the story was written.

As with any anthology there are bound to be stories which appeal more than others but my interest was well and truly piqued by the opening story entitled The Novel on the Tram by Benito Pérez Galdós a clever little story which combines a touch of fantasy together with an authentic sense of time and place. Some of the stories are longer than others so take a little longer to read whilst others are just a couple of pages long and can be read in the time it takes to make a coffee. What comes across is that they all entertain on their own special level and there's a good index to peruse so that it's easy to find something to enjoy.

The pop art inspired cover of the book is particularly striking, it conjures a beautiful summer day by a pool with the opportunity to sit and relax and that's exactly what this fascinating book of short stories offers, it's a chance to escape from the mundane banality of day to day chores and step into the imaginative writing of this impressive group of Spanish authors.

[anaeliteratura · Rating 3 out of 5]

a collection of 56 short stories written between the nineteenth century and now - 19 were written by women, 37 written by men. exploring themes of loneliness, horror, war, magical realism, loss, grief, human connection & love to name a few, this anthology offers a wide range of the spanish literary space over the past two centuries.

some favorites were: “the real hairdresser” (following a man’s pursuit of love - real tender) “the deserter” (about the lingering effects of the atrocities of war between a married couple), “a fresh start” (following a woman trying to run away from an abusive husband with her daughters), “the return home” (about a daughter fantasizing of returning home to her parents - really moving), “on such a night”(about two lonely men finding company with each other on christmas eve - really pulled at my heartstrings), “in search of a photograph” (a beautiful story about a grandmother and a full life lived), “the scream” (a captivating tale about a couple exchanging interests), “conscience” (a wild story about infidelity, fear & manipulation, had me gagged by the end!), “about the wedding” (captures a moment of youth in this group of college kids on a friend's wedding day, i loved this one soooo much).

overall, this collection offers a good mix of authors & stories with distinct concepts and story telling. personally, some were a hit while others were a hard miss but such is the way it goes when picking up any anthology, i'd say. if you'd like to have a taste of the spanish literature, this anthology is a good place to start!

[David Hebblethwaite · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the last few years, Penguin Classics have published new anthologies of translated short stories from individual countries. There have been The Penguin Book of Dutch Short Stories, The Penguin Book of Japanese Short Stories, and The Penguin Book of Italian Short Stories, and now this latest one focusing on Spain.

Renowned translator Margaret Jull Costa has selected over fifty stories from the 19th century to the present day, many of them appearing in English for the first time. As well as Castilian Spanish, the book includes stories originally written in Basque, Catalan and Galician.

I worked my way through the anthology gradually, and I was impressed by the overall quality of the stories. For this review, I thought I’d pick out some of my favourites. I’ve kept these in the order they appear in the book (which is arranged in chronological order of the authors’ birth). All of the stories below are translated by Margaret Jull Costa, unless otherwise stated.

‘The Novel on the Tram’ by Benito Pérez Galdós (1843-1920). While travelling on a tram across Madrid, the narrator hears from a friend the tale of a countess, her jealous husband, and a scheming butler. A fragment of newspaper seems to be telling the same story, and the narrator embellishes it in his mind, projecting it on to the tram’s passengers. I like a good tale of fiction bleeding into reality, and I really liked this.

‘The Genie of the Night and the Genie of the Day’ by Rosa Chacel (1898-1994). This is a portrait of a good night and a bad day. It’s all in the vivid writing: first a social occasion when everything flows together and “we hatched a plan that resembled a tersely shining road rising before us, brilliantly prosperous and easy.” Then the day after, “strangely and elusively impregnable,” when that appearance of ease melts away.

‘Behind the Eyes’ by Carmen Martín Gaite (1925-2000).
‘The Deserter’ by José María Merino (b. 1941). Inevitably, the Spanish Civil War is a presence in many of these stories. The protagonist here is a woman whose husband was called up just months after their marriage. She doesn’t really understand what the war is about – the village priest denounces the enemy as devils, but when a convoy of prisoners arrives, the woman sees only ordinary men. One night, there is a shadow by the door, and the woman knows her husband has returned. This is a poignant tale whose ending feels inevitable.

‘The Butterfly’s Tongue’ by Manuel Rivas (b. 1957). The narrator has a nightmarish time at school until the arrival of Don Gregorio, a new teacher who takes the boy under his wing. The narrator particularly enjoys Don Gregorio’s lessons on nature, and the two of them spend time each weekend looking for insects – the sheer joy of learning is palpable here. But then war comes, and the boy is called on to denounce his teacher… The conclusion is such a wrench.

‘The Second Mrs Appleton’ by Teresa Solana (b. 1962), translated from Catalan by Peter Bush. I wasn’t expecting this book to include a sting-in-the-tale crime story about a British diplomat, but here we are. Mr Appleton leaves his first wife for an attractive younger woman, but she’s ill-suited to the diplomatic life (or at least the kind of life Appleton wants), and her indiscretions leave him looking for a way out. Of course, it’s not quite as simple as that… Just what I want from a story of this type.

‘The Scream’ by Karmele Jaio (b. 1970), translated by Kit Maude. The protagonist of this story is a novelist who finds her writing nights disturbed when they start broadcasting football matches during the week, and she suddenly has to share the living room with her husband. But she’s inspired by his passion for the game, and wonders if she could write a novel that inspires the same depth of feeling in its readers. The outcome is not what she expects, but I found it nicely amusing.

‘True Milk’ by Aixa de la Cruz (b. 1988), translated by Thomas Bunstead. I started this list with the first story in the anthology, and I’m ending with the last. It’s a vampire story of sorts: it seems that the only way a young woman can get her newborn baby to feed is by mixing her own blood in with the milk. Is this supernatural or psychological? Whichever, the implications are chilling in this quietly powerful piece.

This is just a fraction of what’s on offer in The Penguin Book of Spanish Short Stories. I really do recommend you check it out. If you’d like to sample the anthology, you can read the story ‘And shortly after that, there was now‘ by Eider Rodríguez (tr. Margaret Jull Costa) on the Penguin website.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this collection of short stories, though it doesn’t have the same detailed page introduction for each author that was in The Penguin Book of Italian Short Stories.

There are over 50 short stories, from the nineteenth to the twenty first century. I love reading well put-together collections like this that allow me to discover writers that I want to read more of (if possible in translation). The Spanish Civil War and its legacy features a lot, and many of the stories have surreal or fantastic elements.

Some of the stories that I liked include:

‘The Novel on the Tram’ - Benito Pérez Galdos
‘Jacinto’s Umbrella’ - Álvaro Cunquiero
‘On a Visit’ - Alonso Zamora Vicente ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘On Such a Night’ - Miguel Delibes
‘The Return’ - Carmen Laforet
‘Come Twelve o’Clock’ - Ignacio Aldecoa
‘Conscience’ - Ana María Matute ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘Berta’s Presence’ - Medardo Fraile ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘Madrid, Autumn, Saturday’ - Josefina Rodríguez Aldecoa ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘Sea Swell’ - Enrique Vila-Matas
‘A Sense of Camaraderie’ - Javier Marías
‘The Fullness of Summer’ - Quim Monzó
‘The Butterfly’s Tongue’ - Manuel Rivas
‘Against Optimism’ - Javier Cercas
‘About the Wedding’ - Eloy Tizón
‘The Keys to the Apartment’ - Harkaitz Cano
‘Love’ - Elvira Navarro ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
‘The Generation Gap’ - Cristina García Morales
‘True Milk’ - Aixa de la Cruz

[Eli Snyder · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the intersection between poetry and long-form fiction, I think short stories occupy a very special literary terrain. In The Penguin Book of Spanish Short Stories, we are awarded with an expertly curated selection of short stories that show the power and magic of this terrain.

From a country whose literature I was thoroughly ignorant of, the editor of The Penguin Book of Spanish Short Stories adds color and complexity to Spanish literature by placing both dominant and non-dominant voices alongside each other from the 1800s to today. In this comprehensive volume, there are stories of absurdity, horror, romance, heartbreak, industry, war, and beyond.

Though not all stories were for me, many left lasting impressions I'm still thinking about days later. If you're ever wanting to explore Spain without paying for the flight, I think The Penguin Book of Spanish Short Stories is a great way to do just that.

[Philip Coulter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compared to the French and Dutch short story collections, there are more authors, shorter stories. This heightened my sense of it being hit and miss, but there are definitely some great stories here - Perez Galdos, Manuel Rivas particularly stand out.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting collection of stories that give you an insight into Spanish culture and the huge impact of the Civil war on their writers.