Lazarillo de Tormes and The Grifter (El Buscon)

"An elegant, precise, and accessible modern-English rendering of the two best examples of the early modern picaresque genre: the paradigmatic Lazarillo de Tormes and Quevedo's mordant El Buscón. Frye's translations are triumphant, capturing the cadence of popular early modern speech while remaining faithful to the original texts; his notes illuminate the diverse contexts in which the texts were written. Frye gives careful attention throughout to the historical background that propelled these two parallel but different monuments of Golden Age Spanish literature."
     —Teofilo Ruiz, UCLA

SKU
27222g

Two Novels of the Low Life in Golden Age Spain

Edited and Translated by David Frye

March 2015 - 216 pp.

Grouped product items
Format ISBN Price Qty
Cloth 978-1-62466-345-1
$39.95
Paper 978-1-62466-344-4
$14.00
Instructor Examination (Review) Copy 978-1-62466-344-4
$2.00

eBook available for $11.95. Click HERE for more information and purchasing options.

"In his new translation of Lazarillo de Tormes and Quevedo's The Grifter. . . . Frye has made a translation that is readable and astute, capturing the feel of popular speech in modern English, the artlessness of the first narrator, and the satirical force of the later novel.
     "This edition [offers] a context for . . . readers to understand the works in dialogue with the Spanish society that produced them. Footnotes and introduction together make for a primer on the Catholic Church, the role of religion in daily life, social caste, blood purity, urban studies, geography, food, money, and clothes in early modern Spain.
     "In sum, this tailored, thoughtful edition can replace the now outdated midcentury translation from Penguin Classics by Michael Alpert. . . . It is both the light touch and the comprehensive coverage of Two Novels of the Low Life that will make it so welcome in the classroom."
     —Rachel L. Burk, in Sixteenth Century Journal

"An elegant, precise, and accessible modern-English rendering of the two best examples of the early modern picaresque genre: the paradigmatic Lazarillo de Tormes and Quevedo's mordant El Buscón.
    "Frye's translations are triumphant, capturing the cadence of popular early modern speech while remaining faithful to the original texts; his notes illuminate the diverse contexts in which the texts were written. Frye gives careful attention throughout to the historical background that propelled these two parallel but different monuments of Golden Age Spanish literature."
     —Teofilo Ruiz, UCLA

"A delightful new version of two of the best picaresque novels ever written. Rising admirably to the challenges posed by these texts, Frye uses modern American idioms to bridge the gap between Golden Age Spain and our times; the resulting translations are lively and readable. He manages to capture, in modern English, all of the humor of The Grifter's many puns and wordplays while retaining a feel for the original flavor of the work. . . . He should also be congratulated for his fine rendering of verses into English.
    "[Frye's] comprehensive Introduction takes up the culture of Castile in the sixteenth century; his illuminating analysis of Lazarillo de Tormes and The Grifter (El Buscón) will be of great use to those approaching these funny, poignant, and fascinating tales for the first time."
     —Frederick A. de Armas, University of Chicago

"Frye’s critical introduction . . . distills a complex and turbulent period of Spanish history into an overview that navigates expertly between the Scylla of too much information and the Charybdis of facile simplification, and is at once both substantive and manageable. The events and customs he chooses to elucidate (e.g., Spanish naming customs or currency equivalents) illuminate the nuances of the picaresque works in question, and his rendering of the complexities of these novels and their cultural context in terms accessible to the uninitiated is a laudable accomplishment.
     "Frye’s translation represents a considerable achievement of skill and discretion, striking the balance between relevance and authenticity, and rendering the picaresque novels in dynamic, modern English that preserves the verbal dexterity, satirical spirit, and mixed registers found in the original Spanish. Nowhere is this more readily visible than in his treatment of the myriad puns in El Buscón; his renditions of Quevedo’s witticisms not only communicate the meaning of the original, but also retain the integrity of the word play, and in so doing achieve a level of success unparalleled in previous translations. Frye’s poetic translations, likewise, do an admirable job of maintaining both the meaning and the form of the verse.
     "[A] vibrant, accomplished, and dexterous translation of two important Spanish picaresque novels that will allow those without extensive training in early modern Spanish literature and history to experience and appreciate their value. Frye does the essential and invaluable work of bridging the necessary linguistic and cultural barriers so as to pave a way for a new generation of readers to engage with and enjoy Lazarillo de Tormes and El Buscón."
     —Jennifer Allison Darrell, in Hispania

 

About the Author:

David Frye is Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of Michigan. His translations of José Joaquin Fernández de Lizardi's The Mangy Parrot (2004) and Felipe Guaman Poma de Ayala's The First New Chronicle and Good Government, Abridged (2006) are published by Hackett Publishing Company.