Vicente Blasco Ibáñez

Between 2014 and 2018, the centennial anniversary years of World War I, I read a number of novels written by writers who had lived through the Great War and were influenced by the tragic events of 1914 - 1918.

One of those books was The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, written by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez. I had downloaded the novel from Project Gutenberg and I was so impressed with the novel that after reading it , I went back to website to download whatever I could find by the author that had been translated into English.

It had been my intention at the time to start right away, binge reading Blasco Ibáñez but for reasons which I can't recall now, the novels were set aside in a file and went unread.

When I finished reading Forever Amber , I decided to go through my mobi files in search of something to read. I chose Blasco Ibáñez' The Cabin (La barraca). I'm very glad I did. I couldn't put it down.

The novel was written in 1898; the story takes place in a rural community in Spain. There's no time given in the story, but I'm assuming it's occurring during the same time period.

The protagonist, Batiste and his family are relentlessly harassed and persecuted by his neighbors for something he and the family are not responsible for. The hatred for the family stops - temporarily - after the death of one of Batiste's children.

At the child's funeral, the school master, Don Joaquín gives Batiste his thoughts on the villagers:

"It's life, Mr. Bautista; resignation. We never know God's plans. Often he turns evil into good for his creatures."
And interrupting his string of commonplaces, uttered pompously as though he were in school, he lowered his voice and added, blinking his eyes maliciously:
"Did you notice, Mr. Batiste, all these people? Yesterday they were cursing you and your family; and God knows how many times I have censured them for this wickedness; today they enter your house as though they were entering their own, and overwhelm you with manifestations of affection. Misfortune makes them forget, brings them close to you."
And after a pause, during which he stood with lowered head, he added with conviction, striking his breast:
"Believe me, for I know them well; at bottom they are very good people. Very stupid, certainly. Capable of the most barbarous actions, but with hearts which are moved by misfortune and which make them draw in their claws.... Poor people! Whose fault is it that they were born stupid and that no one tries to help them to overcome it?"
He was silent for some time, and then he added with the fervour of a merchant praising his article:
"What is necessary here is education, much education. Temples of wisdom to spread the light of knowledge over this plain; torches which ... which.... In short, if more youngsters came to my temple, I mean to my school, and if the fathers, instead of getting drunk paid punctually like you, Mr. Bautista, things would be different. And I say nothing more, for I don't like to offend."

Unfortunately, the good will of his neighbors does not last long. Tragedy continues until the end.

Finishing The Cabin, I began reading The Torrent (Entre Naranjos). Where the main characters in The Cabin are poor farmers and peasants, the characters in The Torrent are richer, more well to do. I'm 30% into this novel; in all likelihood, another Blasco Ibáñez novel will follow before I go on to another writer.