Between Market and Myth

In its early transition to democracy following Francos death in 1975, Spain rapidly embraced neoliberal practices and policies, some of which directly impacted cultural production. In a few short years, the country commercialized its art and literary markets, investing in cultural tourism as a tool for economic growth and urban renewal. The artist novel began to proliferate for the first time in a century, but these novelsabout artists and art historianshave received little critical attention beyond the descriptive. In Between Market and Myth, Vater studies select authorsJulio Llamazares, ngeles Caso, Clara Usn, Almudena Grandes, Nieves Herrero, Paloma Daz-Mas, Lourdes Ortiz, and Enrique Vila-Mataswhose largely realist novels portray a clash between the myth of artistic freedom and artists willing recruitment or cooptation by market forces or political influence. Today, in an era of rising globalization, the artist novel proves ideal for examining authors' ambivalent notions of creative practice when political patronage and private sector investment complicate belief in artistic autonomy. Published by Bucknell University Press. Distributed worldwide by Rutgers University Press.