About this title: Cela was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in October 1989, and this novel is considered by many to be his masterpiece. It is the story of an ignorant Castillian peasant and multiple murderer, and it tells of the savage impulses behind his crimes and his redeeming characteristics.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Very Good. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Edition: Trade Paper
Binding: Softcover--Very Good
Publisher: Little, Brown, Boston
Date Published: 1964
ISBN-13:9780316134316ISBN:0316134317
Description: translated by Andrew Kerrigan. Very Good. No Jacket. Trade Paper Fiction Fiction: The famous novel by the Spanish Nobel Prize winner in an excellent trade paperback edition. read more
Edition: 4th Printing
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Avon Books, New York
Date Published: 1972
ISBN-13:9780380011759ISBN:0380011751
Description: Very Good. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. Top of book bumped, one small tear. Some soiling. Light shelf wear. Solid copy with clean pages. read more
Edition: First Printing
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, Boston
Date Published: 1989
ISBN-13:9780316134316ISBN:0316134317
Description: Fine. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. First printing trade paperback by Little/Brown. Excellent. Smooth spine and covers. Translated and with an introduction by Anthony Kerrigan. read more
Edition: First edition.
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Date Published: 1989
ISBN-13:9780316134316ISBN:0316134317
Description: Fine. No dust jacket as issued. Ex-library. Great Copy. Clean and Unmarked. Binding is tight. Spine is square and has slight creasing, and slight wear. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: FINE-/Trade pb. The most widely read modern Spanish novel, by the Nobel winner. Very nice condition, no marks, straight, clean, bright. Little Brown trade pb, 1st printing, 166 pp read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Little Brown & Co, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1989
ISBN-13:9780316134316ISBN:0316134317
Description: Very Good. No Jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" Tall. Wraps have slight edgewear, spine is unbent. Pages are clean, text has no markings, binding is sound. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Little, Brown
Date Published: 1964
Description: A wonderful copy with some minor edgewear to the cover. Dust Jacket has some edgewear present. -, Hard Cover, Very Good / Very Good. read more
"Novela que explora la psique del español pobre a principios de la guerra civil española. Cela fue de los pocos autores serios que quedaron en España y pudieron publicar bajo el permiso del regimen Franquista. Por lo tanto, se remonta en la tradición literaria española empleando el estilo de la novela picarense y el constumbrismo/tremendismo. Emplea, ademas una ambieguedad en cuanto a la culpabilidad moral del personage vis a vis la sociedad. El lector, deberá decidir si le cree a Pascual su declaracion inicial, "Yo, señor, no soy malo. Aunque no me falten razones para serlo.""
"Precaria novelita, caricatura en necio del habla campesina española, con una narrador que se hace el tonto sin entender que lo es y alardea de pícaro sin la menor gracia."
"I read this in one of my Spanish classes in college. I am sure my poor translation did not help but I was horrified by the protogonist. He was a very mad, scary individual and I couldn't get past him/his actions to appreciate or enjoy the book."
"camilo josé cela, spain's fifth nobel laureate, is perhaps best known for two novels, the hive (la colmena) and the family of pascual duarte (la familia de pascual duarte). the latter of these is a magnificent work of fiction he composed when he was only 26 years old. the family of pascual duarte relates the story of a castilian peasant serving a prison term for multiple murders.
the story is told from the perspective of duarte himself, as he spent his time incarcerated writing his life story and recalling what led him to commit these heinous crimes. at the beginning and ending of the novel, cela includes letters from the transcriber of duarte's memoir and the prison chaplain (amongst others), explaining more about duarte's character and how his papers came to be published. while the novel is fantastically composed, these extra literary stylings add a certain charm and authenticity to the story.
while pascal duarte had killed with little remorse, cela is able to convey duarte's humanity in such a convincing manner that one cannot help but have sympathy for the convicted murderer. cela portrays duarte (or rather, duarte, thus, portrays himself) as having endured many hardships, some unimaginably debilitating, and while we are not expected to condone the homicides, we can almost understand the mindset and emotional state that led up to his reprehensible acts. it is no small feat of craft that cela was able to create a main character whose actions are entirely deplorable, yet depict him in such a way that it stirs compassion in the reader. the family of pascual duarte is a short, yet riveting tale, almost flawlessly composed, rich with insights into human frailty and desperation. it is a truly stunning read.
"the inhabitants of cities live with their backs to the truth, and oftentimes they are not even aware that only a couple of leagues away, in the middle of the plain, a country man may be thinking about them while he packs up his gear, folds his fishing rod and picks up his little wicker basket with its six or seven eels inside.""
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