Ramón del Valle-Inclán by Robert Lima (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 463 some of Pinero's more dated and stagey effects will not help the reader who is trying to discover what there is in Pinero of enduring value. In sum, this is not so much a book about Pinero as a scrapbook. Plot summaries, snatches of criticism, bits and pieces of information. It is useful to have all this between two covers, and many of the individual judgments are sensible, but there is little here to touch the curiosity of the unconverted, and one's main reaction to the book must finally be regret at an opportunity missed. A writer with an established reputation can survive a mauling by the Twayne lion; but to rescue the reputation of a flawed yet interesting minor figure is a task of some delicacy, and the look of apprehension in Pinero's photograph is, alas, justified. ALEXANDER LEGGATT University of Toronto RAMON DEL VALLE-INCL.~N, by Robert Lima. New York: Columbia University Press, 1972.47 pp. $1.00. Valle-lncIan's. picturesque life (1866-1936), rich in colorful details and well-known by Spaniards and Latin Americans of his time, is largely responsible for the previous lack of critical interest in his work. His personality drew more attention than his actual merit as a writer. Thus the movement to restore him to his rightful place as an artist began only after his death and he is now considered one of the greatest Spanish literary figures. His dramaturgy, in particular, has been the object of intense study by modern critics. Expressionism and the use of "distancing," which Brecht would later employ, are some of the characteristics attributed to his dramatic art and his influence is being felt more and more by the young Spanish generation. This volume under review is a well-written account of the artist's works. No attempt is made to list the author's complete writings. The slim volume is essentially divided into two· parts: the first half dealing mainly with Valle-Inchln's novels, the other, with his dramatic works. It points out the evolution of Valle-lncUm's narrative production, from his first novelistic period, characterized by his observance of Modernist tenets and by his interest in erotic themes, to the political-historical topics of the later novels. Much of the discussion of the dramatic works is devoted to the Esperpen tos, the plays which contain Valle-IncIan's original theatrical innovation. Lima quotes a character's words in Lights of Bohemia (1920) to give us the author's own definition of the Esperpento: "our tragedy is not a real tragedy ... [it is] an Esperpento. ... Classic heroes reflected in concave mirrors create the Esperpento. The tragic sense of Spanish life can only be recreated through an aesthetic which is systematically deformed.... The most beautiful images, when seen in a concave mirror, become absurd.... My present aesthetic is to transform cIassic norms through the mathematics of the concave mirror." Lima's broad acquaintance with the Spanish writer (he is the author of another book about Valle-IncUm) enables him to treat his material with 464 BOOK REVIEWS sureness and competence. Despite its brevity, his study is neither a mere compilation of dates and names, nor a superficial inventory of Valle-IncHm's contributions; rather, it brings forth the most up-to-date interpretations of the Spanish master in a very succinct way. A slightly disappointing feature is the tendency to overextend the plot descriptions; this limits the author's criticism of style and structure. Those scholars who are already well acquainted with Valle-Inclan will find nothing provocative in this book; however, it does present a concise re-examination of the integral Valle-Inclan. To the unfamiliar reader, the new student of the Spanish master or anyone who would like a brief and modern view of Valle-Inclan's artistic achievements, I would especially recommend that they spend a couple of enjoyable hours with this fine little book. ERMINIO G. NEGLIA University of Toronto PETER HANDKE, by Nicholas Hern. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co., 1972. 110 pp. $5.00. The American edition of Nicholas Hem's monograph is a prime example of the idiocies of transatlantic...