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Lazarillo de Tormes and The Swindler: Two Spanish Picaresque Novels
The unlikely heroes of the Spanish picaresque novels make their way - by whatever means they can - through a colourful and seamy underworld populated by unsavoury beggars, corrupt priests, eccentrics, whores and criminals. Both Lazarillo de Tormesand Pablos and the swindler are determined to attain the trappings of the gentleman, but have little time for the gentlemanly ideals of religion, justice, honour and nobility.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
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1160 people want to read
About the author
Francisco de Quevedo
943 books181 followersFrancisco Gómez de Quevedo y Santibáñez Villegas was a nobleman, politician and writer of the Spanish Golden Age. His style is categorized by what was called conceptismo, characterized by a rapid rhythm, directness, simple vocabulary, witty metaphors, and wordplay.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
May 23, 2019
The first picaresque "novel," Lazarillo de Tormes--more of a novella really--is an excellent introduction to the genre and a very good book on its own merits. It is funny (I laughed out loud more than a few times, and I don't do that for anybody but Wodehouse). The atmosphere is realistic and gritty, filled with memorable character portraits (the down-at-heels gentleman who would rather starve than reveal his shameful poverty is a particularly notable--and characteristically Spanish--example), and the overall tone of the novel is delightfully ironic.
Lazarillo begins life as a desperately poor urchin who survives through his intelligent estimation and manipulation of others, but, by the end of the book, when he has attained a modicum of comfort and stability, he allows even this small bit of status to fill him with illusions, convincing him that his dubious office of town crier is actually respectable, and leading him to believe that his wife is faithful, even though she is obviously the mistress of the the local priest. In spite of this, though, we don't despise him, because through all he is resourceful and compassionate and filled with great good humor.
This exemplary work is coupled here with another well-regarded piece of early picaresque fiction, El Buscon or The Swindler.. I don't have any right to evaluate it definitively, for two reasons: 1)I read it in an English translation, and it is particularly valued for its highly ornate baroque Spanish style, of which I know nothing (I couldn't help comparing it to Thomas Nashe's "The Unfortunate Traveler," an early English picaresque that I highly esteem and yet am sure would lose three-quarters of its power in translation), and 2) I hated it so much that I only finished half of it.
Even if I could appreciate the style, I believe I should still detest the author. He is an Islamophobe and an anti-Semite, but what he hates even more than Moors and Jews are "conversos," Moors and Jews who have converted to Christianity, presumably "going along to get along." He is a well-bred snob who despises upstarts and social climbers, but who reserves some his most vicious ridicule for down-at heels gentleman who try to conceal their poverty. (A kind of person whom the author of Lazarillo de Tormes treats with dignity and respect.)
Even worse, however, is that the author does not seem to respect his own hero. It is as if Mark Twain despised Huck Finn, his origins and allegiances, and valued him only as a narrative conceit that would allow his creator--in artfully patterned baroque phrases--to pillory the King and the Duke, humiliate the Grangerfords, and joyously annihilate the humanity of Jim by mocking his aspirations for freedom.
December 29, 2019
Some entertaining moments. Some fun swindles. I would say you could read it for an understanding of the times in which Lope de Vega and Cervantes lived. Those were different times, when a book like this could make a splash. Nowadays, it gets relegated to the dusty shelf of classics alongside Humphrey Clinker and what not. True, it is not a magnificent piece of fiction. It does not astound with its intelligence, but it contains wit and merry adventure in the filthy streets and abbeys of Spain, which is enough atmosphere and reward for me.
As an artifact, and an argument for the picaresque genre, I would argue its importance. As a precursor to Don Quixote, as some claim, I would scoff at that. The Introduction and notes do more to spoil the fun than enlighten the reader. I don't go into reading fiction to uncover multi-lingual puns, but slap a few clever translations into a foreign book and readers seem to revel and exude exuberance. Puns are nice and all... but the meat and potatoes of the story and characters do more to fill me up.
As an artifact, and an argument for the picaresque genre, I would argue its importance. As a precursor to Don Quixote, as some claim, I would scoff at that. The Introduction and notes do more to spoil the fun than enlighten the reader. I don't go into reading fiction to uncover multi-lingual puns, but slap a few clever translations into a foreign book and readers seem to revel and exude exuberance. Puns are nice and all... but the meat and potatoes of the story and characters do more to fill me up.
June 21, 2016
Lazarillo de Tormes, published in 1554, is a book about today.
It's about political, religious and economic elites swindling the gullible masses; about starving people being told by gluttons that they're lucky to be in a land of plenty and opportunity. It's about corruption cloaked in respectability at all socio-economic levels. It's about hypocrisy and lies and one boy's school-of-hard-knocks education in spotting them and adapting them to his own survival needs.
It's also very funny, shrewd, bawdy and fast-moving. The prose is direct, unaffected, and not flowery.
Those who think the Spanish classic Don Quixote is the first novel in Western literature might be surprised to learn that Lazarillo... predates it by 50 years. Who actually wrote it is unclear, though many scholars attribute it to one Diego Hurtado de Mendoza. It is considered the first picaresque novel, a genre marked by corrupt characters getting by on their wits, traveling in search of wealth and respectability (though not necessarily informed by true moral scruples).
On the surface, Lazarillo... is a breezy road adventure tale of a boy, Lazaro, traveling from place to place in old Spain, enduring starvation and random violence, trying to find shelter and security and a modicum of comfort, while taking in all the contradictions of the adult world with a charming sense of naivete, freshly minted street smarts and a wry, cockeyed optimism.
At the same time, the book is an astute social satire.
Left to his devices by a poor mother and a delinquent father, Lazaro finds himself taken in (in both senses of the word) by a succession of mostly poor masters, from an old, abusive blind con man to a stingy priest to a prideful impoverished bourgeoisie landowner. The ways Lazaro devises to trick his succession of masters (as well as their own attempts to dupe him) make up the bulk of the comedy of the book, but also serve as the template for the book's ample and deft social criticism.
Religion (the Catholic Church) especially comes in for a drubbing in the book, as several of Lazaro's masters blatantly peddle religious piety to swindle the hoi polloi.
The story is told in the first person within a retrospective framework that at first seems epistolary; Lazaro is making a written account of his life to someone he addresses as "your Honor" or "your Grace." It isn't clear who this correspondent really is, or whether it's being solicited by a judge, a biographer, or God himself. Nor is it known why the account is being solicited. It would appear that Lazaro has achieved some measure of wealth, fame (or notoriety). We don't know whether they have come to bury Lazaro or to praise him.
This proto-Horatio Alger tale, in which Lazaro rises by dint of hard work, ends fairly abruptly, with Lazaro having achieved some measure of comfort and an acceptance of the social order and all its flaws, and a resigned willingness to accept things he cannot change.
A movie adaptation of Lazarillo... starring a charming boy actor, was made in Spain in 1959, and it is quite good. It's unjustly forgotten, considering it won the Berlin Film Festival's Golden Bear that year. I saw it in college -- projected from 16-millimeter -- and I'm pretty sure I was the only person in the room who was excited to see it. I'm quite pleased to now have finally read the wispy little novel on which it was based. Highly recommended if you're looking for a short (and unjustly lesser known) classic to notch in less than a day.
P.S.: To date, I have not read the second work in this duo-pack, The Swindler (by a different author).
------
(kr@ky, trimmed and amended 2016)
It's about political, religious and economic elites swindling the gullible masses; about starving people being told by gluttons that they're lucky to be in a land of plenty and opportunity. It's about corruption cloaked in respectability at all socio-economic levels. It's about hypocrisy and lies and one boy's school-of-hard-knocks education in spotting them and adapting them to his own survival needs.
It's also very funny, shrewd, bawdy and fast-moving. The prose is direct, unaffected, and not flowery.
Those who think the Spanish classic Don Quixote is the first novel in Western literature might be surprised to learn that Lazarillo... predates it by 50 years. Who actually wrote it is unclear, though many scholars attribute it to one Diego Hurtado de Mendoza. It is considered the first picaresque novel, a genre marked by corrupt characters getting by on their wits, traveling in search of wealth and respectability (though not necessarily informed by true moral scruples).
On the surface, Lazarillo... is a breezy road adventure tale of a boy, Lazaro, traveling from place to place in old Spain, enduring starvation and random violence, trying to find shelter and security and a modicum of comfort, while taking in all the contradictions of the adult world with a charming sense of naivete, freshly minted street smarts and a wry, cockeyed optimism.
At the same time, the book is an astute social satire.
Left to his devices by a poor mother and a delinquent father, Lazaro finds himself taken in (in both senses of the word) by a succession of mostly poor masters, from an old, abusive blind con man to a stingy priest to a prideful impoverished bourgeoisie landowner. The ways Lazaro devises to trick his succession of masters (as well as their own attempts to dupe him) make up the bulk of the comedy of the book, but also serve as the template for the book's ample and deft social criticism.
Religion (the Catholic Church) especially comes in for a drubbing in the book, as several of Lazaro's masters blatantly peddle religious piety to swindle the hoi polloi.
The story is told in the first person within a retrospective framework that at first seems epistolary; Lazaro is making a written account of his life to someone he addresses as "your Honor" or "your Grace." It isn't clear who this correspondent really is, or whether it's being solicited by a judge, a biographer, or God himself. Nor is it known why the account is being solicited. It would appear that Lazaro has achieved some measure of wealth, fame (or notoriety). We don't know whether they have come to bury Lazaro or to praise him.
This proto-Horatio Alger tale, in which Lazaro rises by dint of hard work, ends fairly abruptly, with Lazaro having achieved some measure of comfort and an acceptance of the social order and all its flaws, and a resigned willingness to accept things he cannot change.
A movie adaptation of Lazarillo... starring a charming boy actor, was made in Spain in 1959, and it is quite good. It's unjustly forgotten, considering it won the Berlin Film Festival's Golden Bear that year. I saw it in college -- projected from 16-millimeter -- and I'm pretty sure I was the only person in the room who was excited to see it. I'm quite pleased to now have finally read the wispy little novel on which it was based. Highly recommended if you're looking for a short (and unjustly lesser known) classic to notch in less than a day.
P.S.: To date, I have not read the second work in this duo-pack, The Swindler (by a different author).
------
(kr@ky, trimmed and amended 2016)
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September 21, 2024Well that was certainly a turn
February 27, 2024
These picaresque novels chronicle the rapscallion episodes of their juvenile rascals. The journeys crossing Spain relay the shenanigans, scams, and cons that seem like shortsighted pipe-dreams. What makes these important works is the influence of the Golden Age of Spanish literature on the world, the milieu of Cervantes, and the obvious indebtedness of the English novel. The realistic turn away from idealize heroic protagonists toward wasteful low character central figures makes for comic effect, as well as a means to reveal the particular social changes happening in Iberia: the expulsion of the Moors, the conquest of the Americas, dreams of riches, stories of adventure.
Lazarillo de Tormes (1554) is an anonymous text thought to be the first of its type. Rather short, it relays events surrounding the seven masters he follows. In a way they improve, his world is consumed by hunger and where his next meal will come from. Danger and violence are ever present. If this represents an accurate world of the time, I am surely lucky to have lived in this time.
La vida del Buscón or The Swindler (1626) by Fransisco de Quevedo is the star of this publication, and the reason of my purchase. I wish I could find a translation of his Sueños as I have seen his name mentioned by Borges. Indeed, Quevedo’s The Swindler tells the life of Pablos, Prince of the Roving Life, across 23 chapters divided into two books. I had always believed Lawrence Sterne’s Tristam Shandy to be the major influence on Machado de Assis’s Bras Cubas but clearly Quevedo was as well.
I loved this story and look forward so much to reading Cervantes Exemplary Novels before moving on to Don Quixote and the early English novels beholden to this Spanish genesis.
Lazarillo de Tormes (1554) is an anonymous text thought to be the first of its type. Rather short, it relays events surrounding the seven masters he follows. In a way they improve, his world is consumed by hunger and where his next meal will come from. Danger and violence are ever present. If this represents an accurate world of the time, I am surely lucky to have lived in this time.
La vida del Buscón or The Swindler (1626) by Fransisco de Quevedo is the star of this publication, and the reason of my purchase. I wish I could find a translation of his Sueños as I have seen his name mentioned by Borges. Indeed, Quevedo’s The Swindler tells the life of Pablos, Prince of the Roving Life, across 23 chapters divided into two books. I had always believed Lawrence Sterne’s Tristam Shandy to be the major influence on Machado de Assis’s Bras Cubas but clearly Quevedo was as well.
I loved this story and look forward so much to reading Cervantes Exemplary Novels before moving on to Don Quixote and the early English novels beholden to this Spanish genesis.
December 14, 2022
i hate this book. little boy gets abused by a blind man then kills him cuz he felt like it. but i wrote a baller rewritten version fo this essay set in Colombia and it was so good i got a great grade on it. thanks lazaro
November 13, 2024
1⭐️ Me costó un montón terminarlo porque cuando empezaba a leérmelo me entraba sueño de lo aburrido que es.
June 9, 2024
A pair of picaresque novels. The first is the very first known example of the 'picaresque' genre, Lazarillo de Tormes published in 1554, and the second is one of the most accomplished examples of the genre, The Swindler by the extraordinarily colourful Francisco de Quevedo, published in 1604.
Lazarillo de Tormes was possibly authored by Diego Hurtado de Mendoza but no one can say for certain. It's a crude work and moves fast. V.S. Naipaul read it at a young age and wanted to translate it for Penguin Classics but he was told that interest in such a work among modern English readers would be too slight; a few years later they commissioned a translation from a scholar. Naipaul felt that the voice of this novel was one that would be applicable to the rumbustious comedies he wanted to write about life in Trinidad. This shows that the vital influence of certain works can span many centuries.
Personally I regard Lazarillo de Tormes as worth reading mainly as a good introduction to the picaresque genre as a whole. It sets up the world of 16th Century Spain very well. But Quevedo's The Swindler exploits the setting in a far more masterful manner. The adventures of his protagonist Pablos are fast, brutal, scatalogical, scurrilous and satirical. Many regard this as the best picaresque novel ever written (my own choice for that honour would be Alain-René Lesage's Gil Blas). But certainly I have to agree that, at the very least, Quevedo's prose style filled with ingenious and hilarious wordplay is extremely entertaining.
Lazarillo de Tormes was possibly authored by Diego Hurtado de Mendoza but no one can say for certain. It's a crude work and moves fast. V.S. Naipaul read it at a young age and wanted to translate it for Penguin Classics but he was told that interest in such a work among modern English readers would be too slight; a few years later they commissioned a translation from a scholar. Naipaul felt that the voice of this novel was one that would be applicable to the rumbustious comedies he wanted to write about life in Trinidad. This shows that the vital influence of certain works can span many centuries.
Personally I regard Lazarillo de Tormes as worth reading mainly as a good introduction to the picaresque genre as a whole. It sets up the world of 16th Century Spain very well. But Quevedo's The Swindler exploits the setting in a far more masterful manner. The adventures of his protagonist Pablos are fast, brutal, scatalogical, scurrilous and satirical. Many regard this as the best picaresque novel ever written (my own choice for that honour would be Alain-René Lesage's Gil Blas). But certainly I have to agree that, at the very least, Quevedo's prose style filled with ingenious and hilarious wordplay is extremely entertaining.
December 4, 2011
This book, which contains two novels, is a great example of what life was like for the poor in Spain during the sixteen century. At times, the stories are dramatic and emotionally intense, and at other times they can be funny in a depressing sort of manner. Overall, the stories are excellent though and were interesting enough to have continued attention throughout both novels. I would recommend this for anyone wanting to learn more about what life was like for those at the bottom of the barrel during this time period.
August 6, 2018
Hilarious! For fans of tales of down-and-outs and their hijinx. Reminded me of Sam Selvon's Lonely Londoners, all the characters we meet are so memorable even in how similar they are between the two stories. I was also very happy to see the banishment of the poets in The Swindler, a clever platonic reference that would be cheap if it wasn't for its astute irony.
January 31, 2019
Yo solo he leido el Lazarillo de Tormes pero no encuentro el libro solo.
January 28, 2025
Two fun, funny, and enlightening novellas written and set in 16th and 17th century Spain. I read this as Lazarillo de Tormes was one of the works used for inspiration by the developers of the brilliant video game Persona 5, as were picaresque novels in general.
The picaresque novel was a genre developed in Spain generally involving an unlikely or anti-hero who goes on a series of only slightly connected adventures, often involving the lower classes or the shady aspects of society. These works had a direct impact on literature such as Don Quixote and later works like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.
These two offer two of the earliest in a lively translation with useful notes and background information. While not being particularly great literature, they are fun, short, and have been and continue to be influential on some of the great works of literature and art.
The picaresque novel was a genre developed in Spain generally involving an unlikely or anti-hero who goes on a series of only slightly connected adventures, often involving the lower classes or the shady aspects of society. These works had a direct impact on literature such as Don Quixote and later works like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.
These two offer two of the earliest in a lively translation with useful notes and background information. While not being particularly great literature, they are fun, short, and have been and continue to be influential on some of the great works of literature and art.
January 22, 2016
Lazarillo de Tormes
I actually had read this book before. I was a Spanish major in college and I had to do a report on this book for my Spanish literature class. Of course that time it was in Spanish. I greatly enjoyed reading it in English. It was actually better than I remember. I’m not saying its fantastic and I’ll read it all the time, but an occasional read may once a year of so it would be good for.
It is a surprisingly short read, only seven chapters long (about 60 pages). The story follows a boy named Lazaro de Tormes (Lazarillo is his nickname) as he writes a letter to “Your Honour” about his life before ending up being the town-crier for the church in Toledo, Spain. Each chapter covers a different master he served. The first is a rather evil blind beggar he is employed by to help move from city to city and to run errands. The second is a stingy priest who almost starves him to death. The third is a rather nice country squire who actually turns out to be more poor than Lazarillo himself. Lazarillo actually goes back to begging for the both of them to earn food and money. Next is another priest, not quite as bad as his previous matters, but does too much traveling for Lazarillo. The fifth master was another clergyman, this one a trickster who sold “Papal Indulgences” that would guarantee a place in heaven. Lazarillo leaves him as well. He ends up in Toledo working for a priest by leading a water mule around town and selling water.
Through each episode of his servitude, you hear the tricks and scams the masters played in order to get money. The majority of the time, Lazarillo is either denied food or given very little so his master can save money. You learn his struggle with hunger and poverty and feel for his pain. You seem him try to stay true to his faith and not become an evil person like his masters. He ends up as he wanted – a respectable citizen with some money and a home.
The book is written very simply. It is a very quick, easy read with simple vocabulary and sentence structures. There is not a whole lot of cultural information imparted, but you get a little bit of knowledge about the different classes and what is expected. The country squire Lazarillo serves actually shares the most about expectations and the reality of gentlemen during the time. There is also a lot of scheming in the church by the priests.
I wouldn’t recommend this to just anyone. It is definitely a book you would go looking for instead of just picking it up and reading it. It would be quite boring to a lot of people. I like it for its simplicity and its contribution to Spanish literature. If you are looking for an educational read, a small biography of hard times, this is the book for you.
https://bookmouseblog.wordpress.com/2...
The Swindler
This book took the picaresque writing style to heart and is a great example of the style. The goal of picaresque is a story is where the main character gets by on his or her wits, primarily through cons, theft, and deceit. Those elements are layered all throughout this book. The main character gets drawn in to the world through necessity, but develops an affinity for the lies, tricks, and cons. His pursuit of a lifestyle draws him deeper into the world as his cons work, fail, work, and fail. You do get to see that a life of crime is no party.
The book follows Pablos from a young age. It is broken into two parts. The first part follows him as he is sent to school by his parents. He becomes a servant for a wealthy friend and follows him through different schools, facing hunger and poverty regularly. He gets a letter from his uncle about his parents being arrested and he returns home to collect his inheritance and decide to go to Madrid in order to distance himself from his relations. On his way, he meets a con man who introduces him to a life of thievery and cons.
Start book two. The con man welcomes him into his band of cheats. They all instruct him on different ways to con, lie, and deceive. He learns to rig dice and card games, beg and not be recognized, have dinner with others and never have to pay, and ‘collect’ items to re-sell for profit. After the band is arrested, Pablos bribes a guard and gets out. He remakes himself as a gentleman. He woos a wealthy woman but is eventually found out. He is forced to flee Madrid. He eventually marries and the move to the New World to start anew.
It is rather fascinating how he manages to get through life. You get to read about his different cons and those going on around him. You learn a lot about the thief world of the middle ages and how a person got drawn into it. You don’t particularly get to know Pablos very well, but you empathize with him somewhat. There are points you cheer for him to succeed and other times you get annoyed with the cons he runs. How he gets into trouble, gets out of it, or manages to flee is interesting to read. However, the book is rather dry. There is not a lot of action or drama. It is rather like reading a biography. Readers of today I think would find it somewhat boring. The content is somewhat interesting, but you really need to want to read it in order to finish it.
https://bookmouseblog.wordpress.com/2...
I actually had read this book before. I was a Spanish major in college and I had to do a report on this book for my Spanish literature class. Of course that time it was in Spanish. I greatly enjoyed reading it in English. It was actually better than I remember. I’m not saying its fantastic and I’ll read it all the time, but an occasional read may once a year of so it would be good for.
It is a surprisingly short read, only seven chapters long (about 60 pages). The story follows a boy named Lazaro de Tormes (Lazarillo is his nickname) as he writes a letter to “Your Honour” about his life before ending up being the town-crier for the church in Toledo, Spain. Each chapter covers a different master he served. The first is a rather evil blind beggar he is employed by to help move from city to city and to run errands. The second is a stingy priest who almost starves him to death. The third is a rather nice country squire who actually turns out to be more poor than Lazarillo himself. Lazarillo actually goes back to begging for the both of them to earn food and money. Next is another priest, not quite as bad as his previous matters, but does too much traveling for Lazarillo. The fifth master was another clergyman, this one a trickster who sold “Papal Indulgences” that would guarantee a place in heaven. Lazarillo leaves him as well. He ends up in Toledo working for a priest by leading a water mule around town and selling water.
Through each episode of his servitude, you hear the tricks and scams the masters played in order to get money. The majority of the time, Lazarillo is either denied food or given very little so his master can save money. You learn his struggle with hunger and poverty and feel for his pain. You seem him try to stay true to his faith and not become an evil person like his masters. He ends up as he wanted – a respectable citizen with some money and a home.
The book is written very simply. It is a very quick, easy read with simple vocabulary and sentence structures. There is not a whole lot of cultural information imparted, but you get a little bit of knowledge about the different classes and what is expected. The country squire Lazarillo serves actually shares the most about expectations and the reality of gentlemen during the time. There is also a lot of scheming in the church by the priests.
I wouldn’t recommend this to just anyone. It is definitely a book you would go looking for instead of just picking it up and reading it. It would be quite boring to a lot of people. I like it for its simplicity and its contribution to Spanish literature. If you are looking for an educational read, a small biography of hard times, this is the book for you.
https://bookmouseblog.wordpress.com/2...
The Swindler
This book took the picaresque writing style to heart and is a great example of the style. The goal of picaresque is a story is where the main character gets by on his or her wits, primarily through cons, theft, and deceit. Those elements are layered all throughout this book. The main character gets drawn in to the world through necessity, but develops an affinity for the lies, tricks, and cons. His pursuit of a lifestyle draws him deeper into the world as his cons work, fail, work, and fail. You do get to see that a life of crime is no party.
The book follows Pablos from a young age. It is broken into two parts. The first part follows him as he is sent to school by his parents. He becomes a servant for a wealthy friend and follows him through different schools, facing hunger and poverty regularly. He gets a letter from his uncle about his parents being arrested and he returns home to collect his inheritance and decide to go to Madrid in order to distance himself from his relations. On his way, he meets a con man who introduces him to a life of thievery and cons.
Start book two. The con man welcomes him into his band of cheats. They all instruct him on different ways to con, lie, and deceive. He learns to rig dice and card games, beg and not be recognized, have dinner with others and never have to pay, and ‘collect’ items to re-sell for profit. After the band is arrested, Pablos bribes a guard and gets out. He remakes himself as a gentleman. He woos a wealthy woman but is eventually found out. He is forced to flee Madrid. He eventually marries and the move to the New World to start anew.
It is rather fascinating how he manages to get through life. You get to read about his different cons and those going on around him. You learn a lot about the thief world of the middle ages and how a person got drawn into it. You don’t particularly get to know Pablos very well, but you empathize with him somewhat. There are points you cheer for him to succeed and other times you get annoyed with the cons he runs. How he gets into trouble, gets out of it, or manages to flee is interesting to read. However, the book is rather dry. There is not a lot of action or drama. It is rather like reading a biography. Readers of today I think would find it somewhat boring. The content is somewhat interesting, but you really need to want to read it in order to finish it.
https://bookmouseblog.wordpress.com/2...
February 11, 2024
A delightful window into life in 16th and 17th century spain. Life lessons abound: how to face adversity with pluck and humor, how to avoid manipulators and best swindlers, and how the lines that divide social classes are constructs not of reality. It was particularly interesting reading this after the last book I finished, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies.
October 30, 2023
Creo que "El Lazarillo de Tormes" significa para mí, lo que para muchos "El Principito".
("El Buscón" aún no lo leo)
("El Buscón" aún no lo leo)
March 21, 2014
The picaresque novel came into fashion at a time when Spain was experiencing a moral decline. The "nobility"without scruples plagued the streets as much as thieves and swindlers. These two novels portray the criminal world while touching the subjects of religious hypocricy, the distortion of honor away from relating to an individual's actions, the importance of appearances over honest work, and hatred towards the religious "other"and converts.
Lazarillo de Tormes is one of the most famous Spanish picaresque novels. Lazarillo gives "Your Honor" an account of the misfortunes of his life beginning with his childhood as the son of a poor couple. As he begins working for a blind man (a swindling blind man), he learns that in order to survive on the streets, he needs to learn how to outsmart others and take advantage of them.
There are many funny moments and lots of scatological humor accompanied by abuses ofpower, religious hypocricy, and all sorts of injustices directed towards Lazarillo as well as others around him. This is the story of an anti-hero you feel sorry for at times, but not always. It is a short, entertaining read and one of my favorites.
The Swindler - Don Pablos is a son of a dishonest barber and a woman reputed to be a witch and of Jewish descent despite her catholic-implying last names. Don Pablos recountsthe experiences of his life; he first lets the reader (or the listener, if they are blind) know that his dream as a child was to become a gentleman. Unfortunately, he is drawn into a world of swindlers and thieves and does not seem to have the will power to pull himself out.
Like Lazarillo, Don Pablos finds himself going from desperate to desperate situation. There is a lot of humor in the novel pertaining to the incidents of decet and digestive health. There are a lot of hillarious similes, the language is simple and it is much like Lazarillo de Tormes in form, but with a character who handles himself very differently and learns very different life lessons!
Lazarillo de Tormes is one of the most famous Spanish picaresque novels. Lazarillo gives "Your Honor" an account of the misfortunes of his life beginning with his childhood as the son of a poor couple. As he begins working for a blind man (a swindling blind man), he learns that in order to survive on the streets, he needs to learn how to outsmart others and take advantage of them.
There are many funny moments and lots of scatological humor accompanied by abuses ofpower, religious hypocricy, and all sorts of injustices directed towards Lazarillo as well as others around him. This is the story of an anti-hero you feel sorry for at times, but not always. It is a short, entertaining read and one of my favorites.
The Swindler - Don Pablos is a son of a dishonest barber and a woman reputed to be a witch and of Jewish descent despite her catholic-implying last names. Don Pablos recountsthe experiences of his life; he first lets the reader (or the listener, if they are blind) know that his dream as a child was to become a gentleman. Unfortunately, he is drawn into a world of swindlers and thieves and does not seem to have the will power to pull himself out.
Like Lazarillo, Don Pablos finds himself going from desperate to desperate situation. There is a lot of humor in the novel pertaining to the incidents of decet and digestive health. There are a lot of hillarious similes, the language is simple and it is much like Lazarillo de Tormes in form, but with a character who handles himself very differently and learns very different life lessons!
March 19, 2013
TWO PICARESQUE NOVELS
“Survival by Spanish Street Wits”
This book, which consists of two picaresque novellas set in 17th century Spain, is definitely Classic Lite. Born con artists Lazarillo de Tormes and Pablo (The Swindler, by Quevedo) present their loosely-woven tales of intrigue along the highway, in villages, towns and cities of a Spain still struggling to throw off the mantle of mixed blood (Jews and Moors). Narrated in the first person as a shameless pseudo-confession to an anonymous “Your Lordship” these Picaresque novellas reflect the necessity for wit and bravado, in order to survive at the pit of society--where street smarts are critical to fill an always-empty belly.
The style consists of short chapters with causal plot lines, amplified by puns, scatological references and outrageous spoofing of various professions: barber, beggar, lawyer, student, gentleman thieves, artists, young nuns, and ultimately—actors. Of course special attention is given to the derelicts of amateur literatti, be they playwrights or proclaimed poets--all are paraded beneath the sneering pen of the omniscient author. In his zeal to parody the world, Quevedo spares no one as his rapscallions cavort, deceive and starve their flamboyant escaopades throughout Spain.
Themes and motifs include: entertaining the reader at the expense of various pompous professions; warning the gullible public how to save themselves a fleecing; training the amoral to skills of street survival; presenting the dangers of temptation at all social levels; and in the bargain, getting petty revenge on those men of letters who affronted him during their careers. The result is a rogues’ gallery of Spanish life—with obvious hints re the need for social reform. This a light-hearted read for the strong of stomach. No fastidious tastes need apply themselves to such strong stuff!
(May 5, 2012. I welcome dialogue with teachers).
“Survival by Spanish Street Wits”
This book, which consists of two picaresque novellas set in 17th century Spain, is definitely Classic Lite. Born con artists Lazarillo de Tormes and Pablo (The Swindler, by Quevedo) present their loosely-woven tales of intrigue along the highway, in villages, towns and cities of a Spain still struggling to throw off the mantle of mixed blood (Jews and Moors). Narrated in the first person as a shameless pseudo-confession to an anonymous “Your Lordship” these Picaresque novellas reflect the necessity for wit and bravado, in order to survive at the pit of society--where street smarts are critical to fill an always-empty belly.
The style consists of short chapters with causal plot lines, amplified by puns, scatological references and outrageous spoofing of various professions: barber, beggar, lawyer, student, gentleman thieves, artists, young nuns, and ultimately—actors. Of course special attention is given to the derelicts of amateur literatti, be they playwrights or proclaimed poets--all are paraded beneath the sneering pen of the omniscient author. In his zeal to parody the world, Quevedo spares no one as his rapscallions cavort, deceive and starve their flamboyant escaopades throughout Spain.
Themes and motifs include: entertaining the reader at the expense of various pompous professions; warning the gullible public how to save themselves a fleecing; training the amoral to skills of street survival; presenting the dangers of temptation at all social levels; and in the bargain, getting petty revenge on those men of letters who affronted him during their careers. The result is a rogues’ gallery of Spanish life—with obvious hints re the need for social reform. This a light-hearted read for the strong of stomach. No fastidious tastes need apply themselves to such strong stuff!
(May 5, 2012. I welcome dialogue with teachers).
Read
February 6, 2012This book came out in 1969, and though published by Penguin Classics, has much of the spirit of that year -- chaotic, hopeful, impulsive. These books are clearly untranslatable, but Michael Alpert was undaunted, and I am grateful. Without being clumsily "colloquial," he captures the spirit of loquacious rogues.
The picaresque style appears in many books of the 1950s and 60s: On the Road, The Catcher in the Rye, everything by Vonnegut. (Perhaps also science fiction?) Though Lazarillo De Tormes and The Swindler were written in 1554 and 1626, they remind me of contemporary dialogue -- of the way people who meet at a bus stop speak. We tell each other stories of fascinating characters we have met, and embellish the details until we are "novelists."
Alpert, in his introduction, calls these books "satiric," but that's not quite accurate. Francisco De Quevedo and the anonymous author of Lazarillo don't exaggerate to teach us moral lessons, but because it's fun -- and the inevitable result of travel. Their tales grow by themselves, without any intention, like onions in a pantry.
Elements of the picaresque persist in "gross-out comedies," Christian tracts, rap music. Incidentally, these two books are full of anxiety about being Jewish. (The Inquisition is on, and all the Jews have been officially banished, but some persist in treacherous disguises.)
Here's a nice quotation:
"Your mother is still alive, but she might just as well not be, because the Toledo Inquisition has got her for digging up the dead... They say she kissed a billy-goat's arse every night in her house."
[That's from The Swindler; the hero's mother is a witch.]
The picaresque style appears in many books of the 1950s and 60s: On the Road, The Catcher in the Rye, everything by Vonnegut. (Perhaps also science fiction?) Though Lazarillo De Tormes and The Swindler were written in 1554 and 1626, they remind me of contemporary dialogue -- of the way people who meet at a bus stop speak. We tell each other stories of fascinating characters we have met, and embellish the details until we are "novelists."
Alpert, in his introduction, calls these books "satiric," but that's not quite accurate. Francisco De Quevedo and the anonymous author of Lazarillo don't exaggerate to teach us moral lessons, but because it's fun -- and the inevitable result of travel. Their tales grow by themselves, without any intention, like onions in a pantry.
Elements of the picaresque persist in "gross-out comedies," Christian tracts, rap music. Incidentally, these two books are full of anxiety about being Jewish. (The Inquisition is on, and all the Jews have been officially banished, but some persist in treacherous disguises.)
Here's a nice quotation:
"Your mother is still alive, but she might just as well not be, because the Toledo Inquisition has got her for digging up the dead... They say she kissed a billy-goat's arse every night in her house."
[That's from The Swindler; the hero's mother is a witch.]
May 7, 2015
Full disclosure: This review is only for the first of the two novellas - "Lazarillo de Tormes."
Short and rather fun. I suppose that this little novella (more like a short story) is as much historical influence as it is entertaining. All the same, it's still a fun read, even in the 21st century.
An early example of the Spanish picaresque novel, the title character Lazaro is a young boy born in poverty and abandoned by his mother. He then goes through a series of seven different masters, each of whom represents some form of social ill in one form or another. The story is earthy, but it quite cleverly pokes serious fun at hypocricies and deceits that apply now just as they did in the 16th century.
I'm no scholar of such literature, but I found this translation to be excellent, in terms of ease of reading and accessibility. The humor comes through as clear as a bell, and the footnotes are quite welcome.
If you're a fan of Mark Twain or any similar type of writing, there's no reason not to pick up this little gem.
Short and rather fun. I suppose that this little novella (more like a short story) is as much historical influence as it is entertaining. All the same, it's still a fun read, even in the 21st century.
An early example of the Spanish picaresque novel, the title character Lazaro is a young boy born in poverty and abandoned by his mother. He then goes through a series of seven different masters, each of whom represents some form of social ill in one form or another. The story is earthy, but it quite cleverly pokes serious fun at hypocricies and deceits that apply now just as they did in the 16th century.
I'm no scholar of such literature, but I found this translation to be excellent, in terms of ease of reading and accessibility. The humor comes through as clear as a bell, and the footnotes are quite welcome.
If you're a fan of Mark Twain or any similar type of writing, there's no reason not to pick up this little gem.
May 28, 2012
This is a bit of a cheat, because I have read one of the pair beforehand. It is also not a recent book, or related to current society, or relevant to the recent history of Spain.
I chose it because I wanted a change, have a fondness for picaresque novels and Spanish writers created them. These are the two are the earliest known and an important part of the history of Spanish literature. Are they worth reading if you aren't interested in the history of Spanish literature?
Oh yeah!
They are very different.
Lazarillo is a servant whose masters never seem to give him enough food, for one reason or another. Some are dishonest, corrupt or stingy. The few good ones get very brief mentions. One is an impoverished aristocrat with nothing but a sense of honour. If that sounds familiar, it is because he is thought to be the inspiration for Don Quixote.
Pablos is a scoundrel, but his story is very funny.
(Quevedo wrote "The Swindler", but the author of "Lazarillo de Tormes" is unknown.)
I chose it because I wanted a change, have a fondness for picaresque novels and Spanish writers created them. These are the two are the earliest known and an important part of the history of Spanish literature. Are they worth reading if you aren't interested in the history of Spanish literature?
Oh yeah!
They are very different.
Lazarillo is a servant whose masters never seem to give him enough food, for one reason or another. Some are dishonest, corrupt or stingy. The few good ones get very brief mentions. One is an impoverished aristocrat with nothing but a sense of honour. If that sounds familiar, it is because he is thought to be the inspiration for Don Quixote.
Pablos is a scoundrel, but his story is very funny.
(Quevedo wrote "The Swindler", but the author of "Lazarillo de Tormes" is unknown.)
December 25, 2017
Review of Lazarillo de Tormes:
Supposedly the first picaresque: a boy works with master after master, enduring hardships under them, observing their corrupt behaviors, learning moral flexibility himself, and eventually settling down in dubious circumstances. It's a readable first-person narrative, sometimes leaving things unsaid in a reasonably sophisticated way, and its consistent focus on the scams and other kinds of roguishness the boy becomes involved in must have been pretty compelling at the time.
Review of El Buscón:
Picaresque novel that moves along quickly from the first-person narrator’s morally deficient childhood to his life in Madrid where he’s imprisoned with a gang of gentlemen thieves to his time in Seville where he joins a group of actors and eventually falls in love (more or less). I especially enjoyed bits about how the gentlemen thieves mask their poverty and about how actors compose plays.
Supposedly the first picaresque: a boy works with master after master, enduring hardships under them, observing their corrupt behaviors, learning moral flexibility himself, and eventually settling down in dubious circumstances. It's a readable first-person narrative, sometimes leaving things unsaid in a reasonably sophisticated way, and its consistent focus on the scams and other kinds of roguishness the boy becomes involved in must have been pretty compelling at the time.
Review of El Buscón:
Picaresque novel that moves along quickly from the first-person narrator’s morally deficient childhood to his life in Madrid where he’s imprisoned with a gang of gentlemen thieves to his time in Seville where he joins a group of actors and eventually falls in love (more or less). I especially enjoyed bits about how the gentlemen thieves mask their poverty and about how actors compose plays.
July 17, 2012
All I can say is that I never would have believed that this story (short and not so sweet) was written in the 1500s! Truthfully, not much has changed as far as "the church" and "the nobility" are concerned. There is a reason this little story has endured and it is because the world's problems, like the world's fashions, instead of petering out and dying, seem to recycle themselves for the sake of posterity (lest we forget).
Like Voltaire's "Candide," this short story offers a scathing social commentary paired with an expert knack for dark comedy. I literally laughed outloud all the way through. The abuses of young "Lazaro" are unfortunate but irresistable...and not without truth.
This is a two to three hour read at most. You have absolutely nothing to lose. If you have a good sense of humor and do not take the "powers that be" too seriously, you would be a fool not to give it a try.
Like Voltaire's "Candide," this short story offers a scathing social commentary paired with an expert knack for dark comedy. I literally laughed outloud all the way through. The abuses of young "Lazaro" are unfortunate but irresistable...and not without truth.
This is a two to three hour read at most. You have absolutely nothing to lose. If you have a good sense of humor and do not take the "powers that be" too seriously, you would be a fool not to give it a try.
August 18, 2011
Both great 16th-17th century novels. I read these in their original Castilian versions in college and I don't remember De Tormes being so dry (these have been translated to English by Penguin Classics). Basically more realistic versions of Dickens story tropes. Instead of the poor, downtrodden kids being angelically martyred by progress or advancing through luck in Dickens' London, the picaresco school has them turning the tables on everyone through genius and sometimes treachery. Of the two I think Lazarillo de Tormes has a lot richer and funnier background. The Swindler paints a picture of life in the times with great detail that's often pretty funny, but I'd pick de Tormes as the better novel of the two.
August 15, 2019
I started off really enjoying this book, but I felt it just continued in the same vein, with different locations and characters, so it got boring.
What was good was the humour, the clever ruses that the main character got up to.
What was bad was I got bored of his perpetual bad luck and poor morals. I think I just didn’t like him enough as a character, which is probably why I’ve given it only two stars.
Glad I’ve read it though.
There were so many inappropriate, racist or homophobic or other category remarks that show this book was so much of its time, and how we have changed considerably - to be either less prejudiced or maybe just aware that we can’t say those things out loud! I think that’s a good thing that we’ve evolved like this!
What was good was the humour, the clever ruses that the main character got up to.
What was bad was I got bored of his perpetual bad luck and poor morals. I think I just didn’t like him enough as a character, which is probably why I’ve given it only two stars.
Glad I’ve read it though.
There were so many inappropriate, racist or homophobic or other category remarks that show this book was so much of its time, and how we have changed considerably - to be either less prejudiced or maybe just aware that we can’t say those things out loud! I think that’s a good thing that we’ve evolved like this!
March 22, 2011
i read this more for interests' sake than enjoyment. lazarillo was written about 50 years before don quixote, and the swindler came about 50 years after (references are found in the latter ones, mentioning characters in their predecessors). i suppose they are especially interesting for marking the change in what was considered a 'suitable' topic for a story. in fact, this might be why lazarillo was left anonymous; the writer didn't want to be discovered. i suppose i found the style of writing how to read for long periods of time: very simple sentences, one after another, humour punctuating (more often in the case of the swindler). recommended if you are interested in early literary forms.
June 2, 2012
One of my all-time favorite works of literature. I am such a fan of this Spanish novel that one of my email account names is "Lazarillo de Tormes." Considered the first picaresque novel and a classic of Golden Age Spanish literature. It is a very bawdy and satirical tale of a young boy named Lazaro or Lazarillo who is poor and is apprenticed to a cruel blind man by his family.
There are some decent English translations, but this is best read in the original. If you have to read a translation, I would go with W.S. Merwin's translation. I wrote a third of my undergrad thesis on Lazarillo.
There are some decent English translations, but this is best read in the original. If you have to read a translation, I would go with W.S. Merwin's translation. I wrote a third of my undergrad thesis on Lazarillo.
March 15, 2015
One story that brought about the picaresque novel, and another that is deemed to be the best of the genre. Both about rogues and modern day delinquents, but even as things were happening the way the story was told seemed like nothing of consequence was happening. Especially the second story, The Swindler; where the climax was one sentence at the end.
This genre gave rise to the genre of Adventure and influenced many stories, but I did not really enjoy reading this. It was more like long ramblings and I would get lost while reading. Well this was written in the 16th/17th century after all.
This genre gave rise to the genre of Adventure and influenced many stories, but I did not really enjoy reading this. It was more like long ramblings and I would get lost while reading. Well this was written in the 16th/17th century after all.
April 9, 2017
Amusing at times, disgusting at others, these tales of earthy anti-heroes are episodic and lively, and noteworthy for the fact that the protagonists seem to have no noticeable personal growth, save growth in the knowledge of the ways of the underworld. Aside from the fact that the narrators are amusing and wryly ironic in their portrayals of their few victories and many humiliations, they are thoroughly unlikable rakes and rogues. If that's your cup of sangria, have at!
December 30, 2018
I really enjoyed this novel (only read part one). Lazarillo is a mischievous character who does many terrible things, but at the end of each story, you cannot help but to side with him. All the stories are light and comedic but there is always an underlying message criticizing some aspect of Spanish society (Church, politics, poor, etc.). Also, the fact that the author is unknown adds another layer of wit and mischievous. The perfect Picaresque character! Highly recommend.
August 24, 2009
I read Lazarillo de Tormes and I fell in love with the "character". Lazarillo is a very good example of "by the poor for the poor". He was raised in a lower class household, become the servant for a blind man, and had many adventures and each one he learned something to help him acheive his upper level status.
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