Carmen Martín Gaite produced a large body of work in various genres over the course of her five-decade career, though she is primarily known as a novelist, short story writer, and social commentator. Her work at times reflects, and at times defies, the pattern of development in Spanish fiction since the 1950s. This Companion offers a re-reading of Martín Gaite's works, emphasizing her early experimentalism which culminated in mid-career works (notably El cuarto de atrás), and stressing how, in the late 1960s and early 1970s when the majority of Spanish novelists were engaged in a critique of history, Martín Gaite turned to the writing of cultural history, exploring its intersection with narrative fiction in a positivist rather than a nihilistic mode. Her exploration of gender issues, particularly mother-child relations, towards the end of her career anticipated new directions in feminist thought. Discussions of often-ignored works, such as poetry, drama, children's literature, and literary translations, offer insight into sidelined aspects of this writer's literary output.
CATHERINE O'LEARY lectures in Spanish at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth and ALISON RIBEIRO DE MENEZES is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Languages and Literatures, University College Dublin.
Reviews
Despite her extraordinary contribution to contemporary Spanish literature, martingaitistas from English-speaking countries have had to wait for years for a book like the one reviewed here: an overview of Carmen Martin Gaite's oeuvre, attractive and stimulating to both specialists in the field and tertiary students. JOURNAL OF IBERIAN AND LATIN AMERICAN RESEARCHA guide for anyone interested in the life and works of this prolific 20th-century Spanish author, this volume provides [.] invaluable information on how her experiences impacted on her development as a writer. Recommended. CHOICE
Este es un libro imprescindible para cualquiera que desee tener una visión panorámica y a la vez profunda de la obra completa de Carmen Martín Gaite. BULLETIN OF SPANISH STUDIES
