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Nada (novel)
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Wikipedia article
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'Nada', which means "nothing" in Spanish, is the first novel of Spanish author Carmen Laforet, published in 1945.
Plot
The novel is set in post Spanish Civil War Barcelona. The novel is narrated by its main character, Andrea, an orphan, who has fond memories of her well off family in Barcelona, and has been raised in a convent in provincial Spain.
The government has awarded Andrea a scholarship and a subsistence stipend so that she can attend university. She travels to Barcelona to the home of her grandmother, only to find it filthy and falling apart. Her frail, devoutly Catholic grandmother seems unaware of her miserable surroundings. Also living in the crumbling house is a strict, controlling aunt Angustias, a roguish, but musically talented uncle, Roman, another uncle, Juan, who abuses his beautiful wife Gloria. The whole group regularly comes to blows throughout Andreas stay, and Angustias eventually escapes by entering a convent.
At the university, Andrea befriends a rich girl, Ena, who begins a strange relationship with Andrea's Uncle Roman. She pretends to care for him, but is really taking revenge for his poor treatment of her mother years before.
Roman becomes involved in the black market, but Gloria reports him to the authorities. He commits suicide, in fear of arrest by the Francoist police.
Ena and her family move to Madrid, and soon send for Andrea to join them.Marsha S. Collins, Journal Symposium, Carmen Laforet's Nada: Fictional Form and the Search for Identity, Vol. 38, 1984. Enas father offers to give her a job and subsidize her further education. In the final part of the novel, Andrea is picked up by the familys fancy car and she leaves behind her unpleasant life on Aribau Street in Barcelona.Virginia Higgenbottham,"Nada and the Cinderella Syndrome,"' Rendezvous: Journal of Arts and Letters 22.2 (1986).
Reception
'Nada' was published in 1945 when LaForet was 23 and created a "sensation" in Barcelona when it came out.[https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/nada-by-carmen-laforet-trans-edith-grossman-434636.html Nada, by Carmen Laforet (trans. Edith Grossman) - Reviews - Books - The Independent] 'Nada' won Laforet the first Premio Nadal literary prize in Spain.[https://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/mar/05/guardianobituaries.booksobituaries Obituary: Carmen Laforet | World news | The Guardian][http://www.bookmarksmagazine.com/book-review/nada/carmen-laforet Nada by Carmen Laforet: book review | Bookmarks Magazine]
This book passed the censorship of the Francoist State and so it ignores the harshness of the government at the time. Since the Francoist State was suppressing the Catalan language and Catalan culture in Barcelona, the novel hardly mentions either. However, the book became very popular when it finally cleared Francos censors.Fernanda Eberstadt, New York Times Book Review, April 15, 2007, p.3. It is considered to be an important contribution to the school of Existentialist literature of post-Civil War Spain.[http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/35245.Carmen_Laforet Carmen Laforet (Author of Nada)][https://books.google.com/books/about/Nada.html?id=XTakmxwPuB8C Nada Carmen Laforet Google Boeken]
In 2007 an English translation of 'Nada' was published.Manguel, Alberto. [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/jun/23/featuresreviews.guardianreview31 "Alberto Manguel hails the first appearance in English of the modern Spanish classic Nada, by Carmen Laforet"]. Review of 'Nada', by Carmen Laforet | Books | 'The Guardian'
Fernndez-Lamarque and Fernndez-Babineaux see metatextual references with Little Red Riding Hood and gender inversion in the novel depicting Andrea and Ena as androgynous beings.
References
Category:1945 novels
Category:Existentialist novels
Category:Novels set in Barcelona
Category:20th-century Spanish novels
Category:Spanish novels adapted into films
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