Description
New Tales from Marineda
Book Summary
This work rescues a selection of short stories by Emilia Pardo Bazán which, although set in the mythical city of Marineda (A Coruña), were left out of the original 1892 collection. The stories, originally published in the press, offer an incisive and *costumbrista* look at provincial life, human passions, and the social conflicts of late 19th-century Spain. A unique opportunity to discover the most narrative and localist facet of one of the key authors of Spanish realism and naturalism.
What is it about?
In 1892, Emilia Pardo Bazán gathered ten stories in Volume V of her Complete Works under the title "De Marineda," the literary name she gave to A Coruña in her novel *La Tribuna*. Now, Ediciones del Viento recovers a valuable collection of stories that were left out of that original selection. These are stories that the author published in newspapers and magazines of the time, all of which share the same urban and vital setting: the city of Marineda. Through characters of different social classes, the Countess of Pardo Bazán displays her mastery in portraying the customs, hypocrisies, loves, and small daily tragedies of a society in transformation. Each story is a window open to a world that, while local, reflects universal concerns.
Main Themes
- Provincial life and the portrait of Coruñese society in the late 19th century.
- Human relationships: love, marriage, social hypocrisy, and desire.
- Class differences and the condition of women in Restoration-era Spain.
- Realistic *costumbrismo* and the psychological observation of characters.
- The recovery of Emilia Pardo Bazán's literary legacy beyond her best-known novels.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at readers interested in 19th-century Spanish narrative, especially in the work of Emilia Pardo Bazán and literary realism. It will also be of great interest to those who enjoy classic short stories with an urban and provincial setting, as well as literary scholars looking to complete their knowledge of the author's short fiction. It is an ideal read for lovers of short stories with a social and psychological backdrop.
What this book contributes
- Allows access to stories previously unpublished in a collection, rescued from historical press and never before gathered under the title of Marineda.
- Offers a more complete view of Emilia Pardo Bazán's short story work, beyond her best-known anthologies.
- Immerses the reader in the unique atmosphere of a literary city, Marineda, with all its local color and social complexity.
- Provides an agile and profound read, ideal for learning about 19th-century Spain through the critical and elegant gaze of one of its great authors.
Technical Data Sheet
- Author: PARDO BAZAN, EMILIA
- Publisher: EDICIONES DEL VIENTO, S.L.
- Language: Spanish
- Subject: ANTHOLOGIES (NON-POETIC), MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY FICTION, CLASSIC FICTION, FICTION: SPECIAL FEATURES, SHORT STORIES, FICTION IN TRANSLATION
- Collection: VIENTO ABIERTO
- Publication date: May 2025
- Number of pages: 288
- Weight: 200 g
Editorial Assessment
Nuevos cuentos de Marineda represents a valuable contribution to the knowledge of Emilia Pardo Bazán's short narrative. The initiative by Ediciones del Viento to recover these stories dispersed in the press and group them under the author's emblematic literary city name is a success for readers and scholars alike. The work not only expands the available corpus of the Galician writer, but also allows one to appreciate her skill for locally-set short stories, where the precision of *costumbrista* detail is combined with a lucid and, at times, scathing look at the human condition. An essential book for those who wish to explore the roots of Spanish realism through one of its most brilliant voices.