Recommendations for Hispanic literature?

[rgarnham]

I am currently looking for some good reading material in Spanish. I am finding it difficult to find books that are at an appropriate level for me. Many people recommended Mariano Azuela (Los de Abajo) and also Jorge Luis Borges, but they were a bit too challenging and as a consequence not very enjoyable. Of the authors that I have read, Ernesto Sabato and Carlos Fuentes have been at a manageable level.

Could anyone give me some recommendations?

[joanlba]

yeap, azuela and borges are a bit too complex.

if you don't have problems with fuentes or sabato you could try vargas llosa (same level of complexity). a good start might be some short narrative like monterroso or arreola (pd what kind of texts do you enjoy more? fantastic fiction, realism, romanticism?...)

[PrettyVacant]

I'd recommend Gabriel García Márquez's The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor, and Chronicle of a Death Foretold, and some of his short stories: "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World", and "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings". If you are into "lo real maravilloso", check out The Kingdom of this World by Alejo Carpentier.

Also check out some of Julio Cortázar's short stories: "Continuity of Parks", "The Night Face Up", etc.

Horacio Quiroga's "El Almohadon de Plumas" is also one of my favorite short stories.

You can also check out novels like Maria by Jorge Isaacs and Marianela by Benito Pérez Galdós.

Edited February 8, 2011 by PrettyVacant

[joanlba]

confabulario personal - arreola

los cachoros - vargas llosa

a good novel, but a bit complex is triste, solitario y final of olwaldo soriano!

[CC139]

If you can read anything from Jorge Ibarguengoitia, I am sure you'd enjoy it. sometimes he uses Mexican slang, but overall it's books have a simple structure and very funny. You can find either a novel and books with his column from a Mexican newspaper.

Another option would be Arturo Perez Reverte (I personally do not like his style, but its entertaining and easy to read).

[rgarnham]

Thank you for your recommendations, I bought Relato de un Naufrago today and I will look into the others when I have finished that.

[Strangefox]

I am currently looking for some good reading material in Spanish. I am finding it difficult to find books that are at an appropriate level for me. Many people recommended Mariano Azuela (Los de Abajo) and also Jorge Luis Borges, but they were a bit too challenging and as a consequence not very enjoyable. Of the authors that I have read, Ernesto Sabato and Carlos Fuentes have been at a manageable level.

Could anyone give me some recommendations?

I don't know if it is an appropriate level for you, but I absolutely love Cortazar!