NAZARIN

by Benito Pârez "Gald¢s ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 1997

A 1895 novel by the great Spanish realist (1843-1920) portrays in both ironical and reverent tones the life of a defrocked prist, Nazario ZaharÁn (or NazarÁn), who hits the road and undertakes to emulate the life of Christ. Accompanied by a pair of devoted whores, the exuberantly innocent Father NazarÁn encounters a bevy of unregenerate humanity in whose essential goodness he stalwartly believes, despite the betrayals and abuses heaped upon him. One of Gald¢s's most daring challenges to his culture's complacent morality, this teasing fiction never reveals whether its Quixotean hero is a lunatic, or a visionary sustained by a special state of grace. It's a wonderful novel and a perfect introduction to the work of a major 19th-century writer.

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1997

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 208

Publisher: Latin American Literary Review

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1997

Categories: FICTION