Tan lejos, tan cerca (review)

Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies 297 stract models rather than real-life observation . I doubt that many critics today would disagree with her. After her husband died in 1943, Carmen finally achieved a style of life that suited her. Sharing an apartment with her two sons and PÃ-o, she enjoyed more time to herself. She was able to reconstruct some of the memoir she had written over the years but that had been destroyed during the Civil War. Unfortunately, she died only seven years later, before she could convert her newfound freedom into a more extensive literary career. Recuerdos de una mujer de U Generaci ón del 98 is required reading for anyone interested in the "field of cultural production " (to borrow Pierre Bourdieu's apt phrase) in the first half of the twentieth century in Spain. It is a paradox that just when some scholars are attempting to discard the Generation of 98 as a literary category, a text surfaces in which a woman (member ofthe sex excluded from histories of the Generation ) claims to have been very much a part of it. Not only did she participate in many of the epochal experiences with the writers and artists we normally associate with the so-called Generation, she was endowed with the same independence of thought (as is abundantly evident in her memoir). Amparo Hurtados edition is accompanied by a useful introduction, helpful notes, and an end glossary identifying the more obscure proper names mentioned in the memoir. It also contains interesting photographs of Carmen Baroja and other figures ofthe era, many of which have not appeared elsewhere in print. Editing of the text itself has been designed to retain Carmen Baroja's words intact. Roberta Johnson University of Kansas Tan Ujos, tan cerca Tusquets Editores, 1998 By Adolfo Marsillach Adolfo Marsillach's autobiographical memoirs take us through April, 1998 documenting a remarkable career of over fifty years in the theater as actor and director. And the story continues; after the publication of the book, he returned to the stage for the first time in seventeen years opposite Nuria Espert in Who's Afraid ofVirginia Wolf, staged in Seville in May, 1999. The first few chapters of this lengthy work establish Marsillach's talent as a writer, his sense of humor and his ability to engage the reader. After that opening, entitled "Cinco observaciones previas y una nota imprescindible," he begins a largely chronological account of his life which provides the reader with an overview of theater activity in Spain during the past half century. Much of the book is anecdotal in nature, and accounts of Marsillach's relationships with women are interspersed with his presentation of the evolution of his career in all of its facets. Students of Spanish theater will find a wealth of interesting material about directors , actors, Spanish theater and film throughout this very readable autobiography . What is disappointing, however, is the lack of in-depth analysis of Marsillach's interpretation of some of the characters he portrayed and of his preparation for those roles. The volume reminds us that he was Carlos in the piemiete of Antonio Bueio Vallejo's En la ardiente oscuridad, but fails to provide any genuine analysis ofthe character and of the actor's interaction with Buero concerning his approach to the role. There is, however, a more thorough discussion of the notorious incident with Fernando Arrabal when that playwright sought 298 Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies to have the performances of The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria cancelled because of his dissatisfaction with Marsillach's direction . Marsillach does not hesitate to express negative opinions about the talent and/ or personal intergrity of a number of wellknown figures from Spanish theater. One especially interesting item discussed in the book is the impact of the visit of The Living Theater on Spanish theater. Yet anecdote often receives more emphasis than indepth analysis, and the absence of an index is a frustrating liability. Marsillach's memoirs end with an account ofthe diagnosis and treatment ofthe prostate cancer with which he has lived for the past few years. He shows great courage in sharing many intimate details of his...