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Agata ojo de gato. By Jose Manuel Caballero Bonald. Ed. Susana Rivera. Madrid: Catedra, 1994. 389 pages.
Jose Manuel Caballero Bonald, poet and novelist, occupies a respected position in Hispanic letters, evidenced by his literary production and numerous literary prizes. The author has written of his preoccupation with language and social/political reflection, two constants that mark his work. Agato ojo de gato, acclaimed by critics when published in 1974, offers an Andalusian saga of one family's rise to wealth and its imminent decline. The narrative's allegorical nature, use of the marvelous, and baroque language reflect the abandonment of the realistic vein by Spanish writers in the early Sixties. This dense and difficult novel, unsuitable for undergraduates, affords the more sophisticated reader a unique and complex vision of southern Spain, reminiscent of magical realism.
Susana Rivera's insightful introduction brings together a critical study of Caballero Bonald's narrative, a biographical summary, a complete bibliography, and numerous secondary bibliographical citations on Agata ojo de gato (including reviews). Rivera emphasizes the unity throughout Caballero Bonald's works, showing first the ties...