BRIEF INTRODUCTION: "Lazarillo of Tormes" appeared in sixteenth-century Spain like a breath of fresh air among hundreds of insipidly sentimental novels of chivalry. With so many works full of knights who were manly and brave enough to fight any adversary, but prone to become weak in the knees when they saw their fair lady nearby, was it any wonder that Lazarillo, whose only goal was to fill a realistically hungry stomach, should go straight to the hearts of all Spain.
The little novel sold enough copies for three different editions to be issued in 1554, and then was quickly translated into several languages. It initiated a new genre of writing called the "picaresque."
Because "Lazarillo" was so critical of the clergy, it was put on the Index Purgatorius in 1559 and further editions were prohibited inside Spain. Then, in 1573, an abridged version was printed that omitted Chapters four and five, along with other items displeasing to a watchful Inquisition; later additional episodes were suppressed. This mutilated version was reprinted until the nineteenth century, when Spain finally allowed its people to read the complete work once again.
The identity of the author of this novel has always been a mystery. A few names have been suggested over the years: Juan de Ortega, a Jeronymite monk; Sebastian de Horozco, a dramatist and collector of proverbs. But probably the most widely accepted theory was the attribution to Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, a famous humanist. Many early editions of "Lazarillo" carried his name as author, even though there has never been any real proof of his authorship.
Many episodes of the novel are versions of material traditional in European folklore. There is, for instance, a thirteenth century French theatrical farce, "Le garcon et l'aveugle", in which a servant plays tricks on a blind man. And the British Museum manuscript of the "Decretals" of Gregory IX contains an illustration of a boy drinking through a straw from a blind man's bowl. The episode in which Lazarillo thinks a corpse is being brought to his house appears in the "Liber facetiarum et similitudinum Ludovici de Pinedo, et amicorum" and may be a folktale. And the story of the constable and the pardoner is to be found in the fourth novel of "Il novellino" by Masuccio Salernitano, and may also be a folktale.
It has long been said that this novel is an accurate reflection of society in sixteenth-century Spain. And to some extent, this does seem to be true. The king of Spain, Charles I, became involved in several foreign wars, and had gone deeply into debt to German and Italian bankers in order to finance those wars. Soon the quantities of gold and silver coming from Spain's mines in the New World were being sent directly to the foreign bankers. The effects of inflation were to be seen everywhere, as were other social ills. Beggars and beggars' guilds were numerous. Men of all classes were affixing titles to their names, and refusing any work - especially any sort of manual labor, unless it suited their new "rank." The clergy was sadly in need of reform. And pardoners were, often unscrupulously, selling indulgences that granted the forgiveness of sins in return for money to fight the infidel in North Africa and the Mediterranean. All these things are to be found in "Lazarillo of Tormes".
***************************************
The ENGLISH version ONLY is a COPYRIGHTED Project Gutenberg Etext, Details Below** The Life of Lazarillo of Tormes, Parts One and Two Translated by Robert Rudder Copyright 1973 by Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., Inc. Copyright 1995 by Robert S. Rudder.
This e-text is distributed by Professor Michael S. Hart through the Project Gutenberg Association at Illinois Benedictine College (the "Project") under the Project's "Project Gutenberg" trademark and with the permission of the e-text's copyright owner. LICENSE You can (and are encouraged!) to copy and distribute this Project Gutenberg-tm e-text. Since, unlike many other of the Project's e-texts, it is copyright protected, and since the materials and methods you use will effect the Project's reputation, your right to copy and distribute it is limited by the copyright laws and by the conditions of this "Small Print!" statement. [A] ALL COPIES: The Project permits you to distribute copies of this e-text electronically or on any machine readable medium now known or hereafter discovered so long as you: (1) Honor the refund and replacement provisions of this "Small Print!" statement; and (2) Pay a royalty to the Project of 20% of the net profits you derive calculated using the method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. If you don't derive profits, no royalty is due. Royalties are payable to "Project Gutenberg Association / Illinois Benedictine College"