Anyone who has some knowledge of Spanish literature will know that the picaresque novel, or picaresca, was one of the most important genres of literature in my home country in the 16th and 17th centuries. Cervantes wrote his fair share of stories in the genre, as well as other writers, but none is as important as the Lazarillo de Tormes, by an anonymous author. That is, until MdT revealed to us what really happened. Continue reading
Being a woman is not always easy, but I can safely say that there is only one thing worse than giving birth nowadays: giving birth in the 16th century. No epidural, no advanced medicine, high mortality rate… It’s not just that half the people born didn’t make it to age 16, it’s that more times than you would want, giving birth meant you could die. Hell, it was basically a nine-month wait on death row! I get the shivers just by writing this. Continue reading
