The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes; His Fortunes and Adversities

2014 Reprint of 1962 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition. Not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Appearing for the first time in 1554, this short, mordantly satiric narrative of a small boy's adventures established the literary genre of the picaresque novel and introduced the picaresque hero to world fiction. Lazarillo's influence on subsequent picaresque works in Spain, France, England and elsewhere gives this slender Renaissance masterpiece a unique and key position in the history of the novel. This translation is by poet W.S. Merwin. A new introduction for this edition by Leonardo C. de Morelos offers a full account of the history and nature of the picaresque genre and an appreciation of the importance of this work for both Spanish and world literature.