Doña Barbara
A Novel
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4.3 • 4 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The classic novel of Venezuelan ranchers battling over land and love—a forerunner of magic realism set in the “steamy, tumescent, lust driven” plain (Larry McMurtry, from the foreword).
Rómulo Gallegos is best known for being Venezuela’s first democratically elected president. But in his native land he is equally famous as a writer responsible for one of Venezuela’s literary treasures, the novel Doña Barbara. First published in 1929, it is one of the first examples of magical realism, laying the groundwork for later authors such as Gabriel García Márquez and Mario Vargas Llosa.
Following an epic dispute over a Venezuelan estate, Doña Barbara is an examination of the conflict between town and country, violence and intellect, male and female. Doña Barbara is a beautiful woman with such a ferocious power over men that she is rumored to be a witch. When her cousin Santos Luzardo returns to the plains in order to reclaim his land and cattle, he reluctantly faces off against Doña Barbara, and their battle becomes simultaneously one of violence and seduction.
Doña Barbara is a suspenseful tale that blends fantasy, adventure, and romance. Bringing the Venezuelan plains to life—with their dangerous ranchers, intrepid cowboys, and damsels in distress—it has inspired numerous adaptations on the big and small screens.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
First published in 1929, this classic by Gallegos (1884-1969), president of Venezuela in 1948 before a coup forced him into temporary exile, is set in the isolated and mysterious Venezuelan plains. Do\xF1a B\xE1rbara, the heroine of this novel, is at once beautiful, captivating, and powerful. Her manipulative character and rural outlook, however, ensure that this power is a force for no good; instead, she represents a terrorizing barbarism in its fight against civilization, which is so often featured in 20th-century Latin American literature. When Santos Luzardo returns home to his family land, he discovers that the magnetic Do\xF1a B\xE1rbara controls most of his territory. Yet he remains immune to her appeal, instead becoming attracted to her daughter, Marisela. The path of true love does not run smoothly, however, and the rules of civilization do not hold true in the plains. Luzardo discovers that he has to fight fire with fire, and in doing so he exposes and destroys Do\xF1a B\xE1rbara. Published in conjunction with Telemundo, which is currently airing an eponymous telenovela, this new edition may come as a surprise to U.S. soap fans. The Venezuelan colloquialisms make this a challenging read, though a glossary and explanatory notes are included. This classic remains as engaging in the present day as when it was first published; recommended for large public libraries.-Alison Hicks, Univ. of Colorado at Boulder
