Lázaro narrates his own life from the poorest start. His father is a thief, his mother takes up with a Black stableman, and he becomes guide to a blind beggar who beats and starves him, then serves a stingy priest, a penniless squire, a friar, and others. Each master teaches him a lesson in cunning, and the story ends with a compromising marriage. First published anonymously in 1554, it created the picaresque novel, with a first-person rogue as hero and a satirical eye on church and society.
Readers of Don Quixote, Voltaire or Dickens may enjoy seeing where the tradition of the underdog narrator began. It is short and funny, and you will learn how hunger shaped Spain's golden age.
Thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Story Seeker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1554
- Language
- EN
