The purity of a pig
By: Carles Casajuana ; translated from the Catalan by Jennifer L. Denhard.
Contributors: Denhard, Jennifer L.
Series: Catalan studies,; vol. 19
Publisher: P. Lang; Lang AG International Academic Publishers, Peter
Published: 1996
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 72
Description: The Purity of a Pig is an economical but complex psychological novel, a skillful blend of tragedy and irony. It is the story of Sergi Vilalta, who is caught between his rigid principles as an uncompromising author and his overwhelming desire to write a novel in which all immoral acts are not only possible, but are perfectly natural, as manifestations of the vital human spirit.

To fulfill his mission, Vilalta is forced to accept a grant from a "beneficent" foundation, which he at first mistrusts and later learns to despise. The force of the unfolding tragedy is seasoned, if not tempered, by a subtly administered yet relentless send-up of the literary industry.