Benito Perez Galdos is often called the Spanish Charles Dickens or the Spanish Balzac, and is one of the great European nineteenth-century novelists. Misericordia (1897) is set among the Madrid poor, and to give his novel authenticity Galdos spent many months studying the lives of the destitute and of professional beggars. The theme of the novel is the problem of goodness, embodied in the servant Benina, whose entire life is a struggle to keep the middle-class family she works for from sliding into poverty. "Crushed by poverty or the weight of their pretensions, the high and low life of 19th century Madrid provides the cast for this enjoyably bleak portrait of a family's decline, fall and recovery. The widow Dona Francisca, reduced from salon to slum, is protected by her servant Benita, who begs and barters in a daily battle with starvation and her mistress's pride. When a sudden inheritance enriches the old crow, Benita is cast aside. Galdos's Spain teems with saints and sinners, corrupted as much by poverty as by wealth." - The Sunday Times 'The novel tells the story of sixty-year-old Benina, faithful servant to the widow Dona Paca. Reckless spending has left the mistress penniless, and Benina is forced to beg secretly in order to support her, claiming that the money she brings back comes from one Don Romualdo, a priest whose biography Benina skilfully invents. Amongst a colourful cohort of fellow beggars is the blind Moor Almudena, who encourages Benina's belief in the p[possibility of supernatural solution to her financial difficulty. Then, to Benina's amazement, Don Paca informs her that Don Romualdo himself has visited, and has an important message for them. Could it be that Benina has lied so consistently that she has actually brought Don Romualdo into existence? Or is it rather the case, as Benina herself suggests, that "all our dreams have a basis in fact, and truth lies hidden within falsehood"?' - Andrew Crumey AUTHOR: Galdos (1843-1920) is often called the Spanish Charles Dickens or the Spanish Balzac, and is one of great European nineteenth century novelists. Misericordia (1897) is set among the Madrid poor, and to give his novel authenticity Galdos spent many months studying the lives of the destitute and of professional beggars. The theme of the novel is the problem of goodness, embodied in the servant Benina, whose entire life is a struggle to keep the middle-class family she works for from sliding into poverty.
Show moreBenito Perez Galdos is often called the Spanish Charles Dickens or the Spanish Balzac, and is one of the great European nineteenth-century novelists. Misericordia (1897) is set among the Madrid poor, and to give his novel authenticity Galdos spent many months studying the lives of the destitute and of professional beggars. The theme of the novel is the problem of goodness, embodied in the servant Benina, whose entire life is a struggle to keep the middle-class family she works for from sliding into poverty. "Crushed by poverty or the weight of their pretensions, the high and low life of 19th century Madrid provides the cast for this enjoyably bleak portrait of a family's decline, fall and recovery. The widow Dona Francisca, reduced from salon to slum, is protected by her servant Benita, who begs and barters in a daily battle with starvation and her mistress's pride. When a sudden inheritance enriches the old crow, Benita is cast aside. Galdos's Spain teems with saints and sinners, corrupted as much by poverty as by wealth." - The Sunday Times 'The novel tells the story of sixty-year-old Benina, faithful servant to the widow Dona Paca. Reckless spending has left the mistress penniless, and Benina is forced to beg secretly in order to support her, claiming that the money she brings back comes from one Don Romualdo, a priest whose biography Benina skilfully invents. Amongst a colourful cohort of fellow beggars is the blind Moor Almudena, who encourages Benina's belief in the p[possibility of supernatural solution to her financial difficulty. Then, to Benina's amazement, Don Paca informs her that Don Romualdo himself has visited, and has an important message for them. Could it be that Benina has lied so consistently that she has actually brought Don Romualdo into existence? Or is it rather the case, as Benina herself suggests, that "all our dreams have a basis in fact, and truth lies hidden within falsehood"?' - Andrew Crumey AUTHOR: Galdos (1843-1920) is often called the Spanish Charles Dickens or the Spanish Balzac, and is one of great European nineteenth century novelists. Misericordia (1897) is set among the Madrid poor, and to give his novel authenticity Galdos spent many months studying the lives of the destitute and of professional beggars. The theme of the novel is the problem of goodness, embodied in the servant Benina, whose entire life is a struggle to keep the middle-class family she works for from sliding into poverty.
Show moreBenito Perez Galdos (1843-1920) is Spain's greatest nineteenth century realist novelist. He was born in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria where there is now a Galdos Museum.He was a prolific writer, publishing 31 novels, 46 Episodios Nacionales ( a series of historical novels outlining the major events in Spanish history from the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 to his own times.), 23 plays, and the equivalent of 20 volumes of shorter fiction, journalism and other writings. He was a great admirer of Dickens and translated Pickwick Papers into Spanish in 1868. Charles de Salis is a translator of Spanish into English. Andrew Crumey was born in Glasgow in 1961. He read theoretical physics and mathematics at St Andrews University and Imperial College in London, before doing post-doctoral research at Leeds. He was the literary editor of Scotland on Sunday for five years and he now divides his time between teaching creative writing at Northumbria University and his writing. His seven novels have all enjoyed critical and commercial success and been translated into 15 languages.
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