New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-24
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
SPANISH NOVELS OF q. PEREZ GALDos.

SPANISH NOVELS OF b. PEREZ GALDos.
GLORIA. q vols. MARIENELLA. vol Translated oy
CLARA BELL william 8. Gottsberger'
MONA pERFEcTA. vol Translated by -. Seaside
Library.
.u.,t. ~ Don Benito Perez Galdos have
.tt,.ctad attention in this country and through
Euroue n, may be of interest to give the main facts
A. his carssr and make mention aS least Of his
su,nsrous books Gsldos was born in the Canary
tsla.ds IN ls45. For some years he has resided In
Madrid and been at tho head of the principal Span
I.h review. Revi,ta de Espana. He belongs TO the
Liberal wing OF the Liberal Conservative party OF
which Senior Canovas del Castillo Is the leader
His point OF yiew politician Is therefore not ex-
sreme, Amid the pretty but narrow mass of Span
ish fiction of the last few years Galdos stands alone
MS having placed Spanish fiction on any footing OF
equality in Europe. The stories OF fornand CAD
allero and Of Truebs afforded poetic slimpses botn
of the north and of the south Of SPANS the tales Oh
Gustavo Bocquer gave an impetus to general ouiti.
walton in Spain ITSELF but gave no insigh' ineo 'ha'
perploxed country to foreigners.
In the outset Galdos appears to have no other pur
nose than 70 amuse His first stories are historicai
and patriotic. But in aGloriap he grappled with
the socIalrelgious problem tearlessy 1t is story
of maiden of good birth and high social position
reared In little village the coast OF the BAY Oh
Biscay. in seclusion but not III Ignorance. We can
do no b tier than to use her name to describe ner
beauty and ACCOMPLISHMENTS Into this scene
of peace fateful shipwreck throws young Eng
lish speaking man, evidently we'll born, educated
aud wealthy Love does not walt TO inquire ihoo
tho details of race and religion. The young stranger
endowed with every noble trait, and except FOR race
and faith the ideal man, proves to be Jew. Now
ensues on both sides the uprising of all the SEEM
ingly ineradcablo prejudices which we OF this
country and century happily only know in TO
nance The struggle when both families become in
yolved when pride and bigotrv and parental au-
thority rend these young hearts. constitutes tras
edy which contains relief. 1t Is PAINFUL not Win
the sweet agony Of old-fashioned romance but Win
the actual pain of the real present, such as only
the modern realistic work can give.
sMsrienella is of much lighter mould and less
stern purpose 1t descriptive Of local scenery ana
merely touches incidentally uvon the, In Spain,
minor social problems such as the care OF and odu-
cation of the poorer classes. The personages ana
tho locality are somewhat sketchily drawn. ont
MarIenella herself remains in the readers mind as
an interesting study In brief, 1t 10 the story OF
blind youth whose guide and companion is poor
and friendless girl whose extraordinary soul is en-
shrined In q diminntive and ugly body. Pablo
loves the soul of MarienelIa never having seen her.
and Marienela loves him. TIE advent OF
Pablo's beautiful cousin, and at the same time OF
an oculst OF great skill, breaks this idyilic life.
Pablo, whose blindness was congenital and whose
imagination alone con yeys to him ideas OF beauty,
on opening his eyes after the operation which re-
stores his sight, boho.s, first, his beautiful cousin
and is enchanted. Mariene'la, the unhappy child
who has been his guide and dearest friend, tries to
hide herself from his sight; rescued from suicide,
she dies heart-broken when, In the midst OF lever
Pablo accidentally her face aud instinctively
gives OF preston to his horror at her ugness The
closing scenes are very strong in their carefully
restrained pathos.
1Dofa Perfecta" deals with life in of the in
sulated old cathedral towns. Modern ideas are
introduced In the person of young civil engineer
who visits an aunt whose possessions lie there and
whose daughter he is expected to espouse. In this
story We find that Spanish Catholicism has lost
none of its fiercsness though it's power is exerted
in social rather than an official way. The story
throws much light on the way in which insurrsc-
tiors and revolutions against the constituted au-
thor,ties are fostered and developed. We can see
from these pictures that the novelist Will not soon
lack materials in the politics OF his country
which Tor intensity, variety and incomprehensibil-
ity exceed anything known in the American hems-
pheres north OF south. "Dona Perfecta" culml-
mates in manner which assures us that Galdos has
NOS studied the American Novel at all, and that
there is no intention his part of writing Tragedy
with the tragedy left out. But he does not draw
blood until the end and in his pages are found both
humor and satire His female characters interest
ms most; the older ones from their religious inien-
stiles and from certain ferceness we are little ac-
auaiptea WITH and in which, as in Doha Perfecta
we hesitate to believe. Galdos beng still young
can look Onward TO many and important works IN
the future for neither he the ven seems likely
20 be exhausted. 1t IS TO be hoped that good trans
lations NAV be given us of his Leon Roch" ant
La Desheredada," -the first storS OF high LII
and the last of very low life in Madrid.