Novel
Sotileza
Not translated into English
José María de Pereda · 1885
Opening lines
El cuarto era angosto, bajo de techo y triste de luz; negreaban á partes las paredes, que habían sido blancas, y un espeso tapiz de roña, empedernida casi, cubría las carcomidas tablas del suelo.
The room was narrow, low-ceilinged and dim; the walls, which had once been white, were blackened in places, and a thick carpet of grime, almost hardened, covered the worm-eaten floorboards.
Translation by Erostrate
Text quoted from gutenberg.org
Synopsis
In the Santander of the fishermen, at a time when the town still had neither railway nor grand hotels, Father Apolinar, a friar expelled from his convent, teaches catechism to the children who hang about the quays. Young Andrés, a captain's son, brings him Silda, an orphan from the Calle Alta whom the fishing family in charge of her was mistreating and who has run away. The priest eventually entrusts her to a childless couple of seafarers, Uncle Mechelín and Aunt Sidora, in whose home she is called Sotileza and where she grows up.
Context
The novel appeared in 1885, preceded by a prologue dated December 1884 in which the author dedicates it to his fellow citizens of Santander, whom he calls as witnesses to the accuracy of his depiction. He wanted to describe the onshore life of the poorest seafaring families, then in the process of disappearing, and to preserve their vocabulary: he had to add a glossary to the book to make it understandable. Well received by critics and by the city, the novel saw its first edition sold out in eighteen months.
Who it is for
A novel of manners in Castilian, rich in maritime and local vocabulary, with a glossary compiled by the author.
Prizes and reception
Regarded as its author's masterpiece; the French translation by Jacques Porcher, published in 1899, was reissued in 2024.