Miguel de Unamuno Books

Jorge Luis Borges was one of those rare writers who can take even a bizarre, utterly unbelievable idea, and spin it into an exquisite little gem of prose.

And this classic writer was at the peak of his powers when he collected together "Ficciones," whose plain name belies the subtle power and exquisite beauty of Jorges' short stories. Even among Borges' many short stories, few of them can rival this little labyrinth of strange ancient cities, fictional histories, and the eerie depths of the human mind.

"I owe the discovery of Uqbar to the conjunction of a mirror and an encyclopedia." An odd old saying from the Middle-East leads the narrator to seek out the long-lost heretical histories of a fictional world known as Tlon. Its beliefs, language, and metaphysical eccentricities increasingly fascinate the narrator, until it's almost a surprise to realize that Borges invented all of this.

The stories that follow are no less engrossing -- the recounting of a strange, haunting novel, a man who attempts to LIVE as Don Quixote, a man who tries to dream a new being into existence, a lottery that determines the way the people of Babylon are to live, an examination of a brilliant and underrated author, an exploration of the eternal Library of the universe, and a labyrinthine spy story.

The second round of short stories is a bit less enthralling, merely because it focuses more on "typical" Borges short stories. But they are still pretty enthralling pieces of work -- the remembrance of the brilliantly eccentric Ireneo Funes, the story of a scar, a series of murders linked to "the secret Name," a condemned man's begs God for a year to perfect his art, a forgotten heretic, a conversation leading to revenge, the Cult of the Phoenix, and a man entranced by the "Arabian Nights."

Mirrors and labyrinths fill Borges' work -- real and imagined, in word, metaphor and reality. You see them in an endless library, a guitar melody, a contradiction in religious faith, a complex plot, and in the mind of a man who loses himself to an obsession. The mirrors show you the sides of people that they would never see themselves, and the labyrinth twists the mind into new places where it would never normally go.

"Ficciones" explores places where normal fiction would never go -- such as a Babylonian lottery for different places in society, corrupted by greed -- even as it imbues its eulogies, metaphysical ponderings and explanations with the tinge of reality. The cults, deaths, and art that Borges describes seem so plausible, and are given such depth and detail, that it comes as a mild shock when you realize, "Hey, he made all of this up."

Part of that is due to his unique style, full of elegant wordcraft and gently luminous imagery ("a round yellow moon defined two leaf-clogged fountains in the dreary garden"). Even a stabbing is made brutally beautiful, and often dialogue is unnecessary -- the most beautiful and striking stories in here are the ones where Borges (aka the narrator) eagerly explores some invented facet of the world.

And woven through these stories are many of the things that fascinated Borges through his career -- a tragic hero, ancient heresies, an elusive God, and people whose lives he could somehow explore through his own imagination.

If you could criticize anything at all, it's that few of the characters -- aside from the Borges "narrator" -- are much more than walking symbols of a murky little message. But hey, you could simply see this entire book as an exploration of Borges' own imagination by himself. He happily recounts countries that are nonexistant, books that were never written, geniuses who never were.

"Ficciones" is about the dullest name you can possibly give to a work of genius -- an intricate little web that is all mirrors and mazes. Absolutely stunning.

Borges is one of the great literary giants of the 20th century, a statement that in itself appears as a graveyard of a word; that his influence is comparable to that of Joyce, Proust and Beckett. I would another name to that list, that of Georges Perec, a French novelist most famous for his works "Void" and "Life, A User's Manual".

I am no authority in much of anything, so I'd advice you find and read as much Borges as you can, but I've found that this collection is a fitting place whence to start and end endeavours of life. Literature works as a way of shaping not only our imagination but expounding our sense of self; this is a phenomenon that does not exclude anyone: most of the time it is merely unconscious as we hone endless miles through the seas of matter, of influence. Reading the great masters not only takes us to the root of what has been shaping and influencing the most intelligent and worthy art created, this reading gives us tools of becoming a self-conscious human being.

But read these stories for fun if you're not a self-confessed pretentious bohemian like me. I do, too, yet for me the other half of the fun is to dwell in the experience and shape an abstractly spatial being of it, place it into my mind as a station between different poles of my being. I theorize because I don't know any better. I keep returning to this book time and again, and to his poems, in themselves undertakings of a genius mind to create a new world, a function which any work of art should consciously yet as lucidly as possible promote. Each of the stories is a labyrinth for the mind, a whole microcosm of wordplays, mirrors, riddles, puzzles, mazes, doubles, self-reflection, catalogues and everything from between. A whole literary life being constructed in these short stories, much in the same way as a word-to-word memorization of a Cervantes. As with that book, everything that we experience in fiction, that feels the same has changed forever.

With best regards,
AK

My knowledge of Borges is small; before purchasing Ficciones I had only read two or three of his short stories. Enough, however, to know that it would be well worth the short time it takes to read each of these stories.

Borges had an unusual and amazing way of compressing the most stimulating, fascinating material into a small number of pages. You may read one of his stories in ten-fifteen minutes and contemplate it for a week (or more) and remember it for life. And still, you may well want to reread it many times; it has happened more than once that upon finishing a Borges short I immediately wanted to go back and start from the beginning.

The strange thoughts on infinity and the nature of existence are presented in a way that stimulates thought in a humble yet intruiging way. Ideas that may be well recognized and used in other fiction (in some cases overused) have some other element, some different approach, so that even if the premise is not "new" the experience certainly is. How this can be done, and in so few words no less, is beyond me.

This was certainly one of my very best buys and I know that this book will be well worn by my reading alone, not to mention that of the many people I will lend it to with my best recommendations. These short stories will bring beauty and excitement of the mind to many an otherwise boring, mundane day.

Transport the Wachowski brothers to the 1930's and ask them to express their philosophy by way of short stories. You might get something in the same ballpark as Ficciones. The diversity and genius of Borges' work is so unique that if you were to know all the languages in the world and had no word limit, it would still be hard to do a review that does justice. Ironically, this is exactly the kind of challenge that Borges would stand up to. I will attempt to review this work by enlisting adjectives that come to mind.

Surreal, mystic, recursive, sophistic, heretical, philosophical, religious, profound, imaginative, ingenious, circular, open-ended, unorthodox, personal, hallucinational, original, universal, self-referential, concise, contextual, complex, ironic.

Here are a few examples of the complexity of Borges' mind at work.

Borges attributes certain imaginary books and volumes of books to some of the authors that he is most influenced by. In reality, these books are projections of Borges' fertile mind and no more. In the process of critiquing imaginary works of art (let's call this meta-art), he creates an instance of the meta-art in the mind of the reader. It's like me talking to you about the eating habits of a third person you haven't met, and actually does not exist! Borges never fails to leave you with a lasting impression of a meta-art that resonates with your senses. On second thoughts, this is obvious because the meta-art is as much a figment of your imagination as it is Borges'. Every meta-art is a reflection of your own creative mind, while Borges is simply holding a mirror. And talking about mirrors, here's a quote from Borges as attributed by him to the meta-art in his first short story "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius": "The earth we inhabit is an error, an incompetent parody. Mirrors and paternity are abominable because they multiply and affirm it." And with this we come full circle just like you would in most of Borges' stories.

Borges is fascinated with the idea of god and provides several unorthodox notions of god that might be as appealing to scientists as they would to priests. This is done more so by illustration than by elucidation. In fact, subtle self-references and recursions are an integral part of the entire work. The stories embody the concept that Borges sets out to illustrate, and always come full circle at the end such that appreciating the story is equivalent to appreciating the concept. Whether it is the wizard of "The Circular Ruins", the librarian of "The Library of Babel", the spy of "The Garden of Forking Paths", the teenage boy of "Funes the Memorious", or the playwright of "The Secret Miracle"; the self-referential nature of the work is haunting. Each story leaves you wondering how Borges could convey so much with so little words [This also speaks volumes about the quality of English translation]. Then again, the very topic of brevity and excessiveness is discussed in one of the reviews of a fictional book. It is like Borges does not let anything go. Yet again, the very topic of an all-encompassing book is discussed in the context of a fictional book that aspires to BE god.

There was not a single story of the seventeen that was not profound. There is no chance that you would not re-read this book after reading it once.

Borges never fails to please, to challenge, to entertain, and more importantly make one's brain shift into high gear!
If you are looking for an easy read, don't expect to find it in Ficciones.

However, if you are looking for a little cerebral cortex arousal; grab this book and find a cozy spot...you won't be disappointed!

Reading with his head instead of his heart, Borges looks to fill his mind with all the minutia and information he can possibly hold and release it back in his works with finely crafted and fascinatingly playful philosophical stories.

The sparse, objective writing of Ficciones is a far cry from his earlier lyrical style, of which he says: "In those days, I sought dusk, the outskirts, and unhappiness; now, mornings, the center, and serenity."

Thankfully in the newer center, we are treated to 17 extraordinary stories that are teasingly succinct, yet brimming with imaginative and aesthetic prose!

The scarcity of words requires that the reader pay attention to them all or miss much of the wisdom and subtleness that define the delicate and ingenious style that is this fine master of fiction...Jorge Luis Borges!

In La Niebla by Miguel Unamuno. Is a story of love, tragedy, and existentialism. Augusto (the main character) falls in love with Eugenia that is in love with another guy. At the beginning, Augusto didn't know she was in love, but later on he knew that Eugenia was in love with other, however he don't care about it, because he is rich and he can be more helpful than his boyfriend. To start it Augusto pays the loans that Eugenia had to pay for her house that her father leaves her without pay it before he died.

In some way Eugenia felt like she must corresponds him by marring him, because she knew that that was what Augusto wants. One night before the wedding she escape with her boyfriend and leave a letter to Augusto, giving thanks for pay the house but she couldn't married him. Augusto felt terrible and died in his bed. And the theme that I like is existentialism, in which the man is victim of his own circumstances. In which Augusto knew that Eugenia was a pretty and that she never was going to fall in love with him. Also when tries to play a Hero when he pays the loans to the bank, so Eugenia can see what her best choice is.
Practically it was about a man that is trying to be happy, but didn't know how to choose the correct way.

The book is absolutely wonderful. It is funny as well as powerful. Unamuno effectively uses the construct of the book to criticize aspects of Spanish society.

" Ni los recuerdos ni los suenos son tan efimeros como la NIEBLA"

This book deals with human emotions, thoughts and fears in a deep, meaningful and funny way. It has a little bit of everything, private conversations with God, the search for the true meaning of life, the quest to find an everlasting love, the fear of facing death, and the hardships that every single human faces during a lifetime.

I read it in Spanish, and I have to say it is one of the best written books I have read so far. Every single word is where it should be, and the story flows magnificently.
Although it deals with very serious topics, the story is simple, well written, funny, easy to read and with a very unexpected twist at the end...

It simply belongs to a class of its own.

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Niebla... es un libro maravilloso, que toca temas muy profundos y valiosos para cualquier ser humano, de una manera unica, original e incluso graciosa.
Incluye conversaciones privadas con Dios, la busqueda incanzable por encontrar el verdadero significado de la vida, la necesidad de encontrar el amor, el miedo a la muerte.... en fin.... un poco de todo, y sin embargo la historia es simple, facil de seguir, divertida y con un personaje principal con el que cualquiera puede identificarse.

Definitivamente uno de los mejores libros que he leido... Unamuno tiene una manera unica de escribir y de mantener al lector interesado a lo largo de toda la historia.

Este libro nos muestra el genio de Miguel de Unamuno. Su tecnica en crear Augusto Perez y su mundo es brillante. Niebla representa el elite de la prosa Espanola...Cada palabra ocupa su propio lugar y lo que resulta es una obra con pasion, humor, un lirismo hermoso, tragedia , y sabidura universal.

Miguel de Unamuno es sin duda un gran escritor, ennieblado? No lo creemos, mas bin ennivolado. Veremos al Creador y al creado, a Unamuno y a Augusto, al que tiene el poder y al que prescinde de poder. Es el autor un ateo? Si lo fuera no pudiera haber creado al protagonista de la novela, pues al no haber Creador para crear lo creado se convierte en una utopa la existencia, y siguiendo entre Creador y creados, nunca se niega la existencia de la vida, mas bin se aplaude tristemente la negacin de poder desempaar lo enmaraado de ella, pero abunda existencialmente. El existencialismo de Unamuno nos niebla el camino a una salida y nos enfrenta a un Creador al cul aparentemente no entendemos unos, no le creen otros, y le odia el pelotn de los autnticos desafortunados.

"Empez hablndome de mis trabajos literarios y mas o menos filosficos...no dej claro esta! de halagarme, y enseguida empez a contarme su vida y sus desdichas...las vicisitudes de su vida saba yo tanto como l...y los que l crea mas secretos" (XXXI). Aqu empieza el autor a enfrentarnos filosficamente en su existencialismo a nuestro Creador. Creemos conocerlo y no cesamos de halagar y adorarlo para entonces poniendo nuestra esperanza en EL comenzar a confesar nuestras faltas, desdichas, las trampas, las injusticias a las que estamos sometidos, el odio que ronda entre piratas, la mala hierba que abunda en cada jardn, la envidia que roe mas que huesos esqueletos generacionales; pero no importa, por mucho que hablemos, escucha lo que dice la cancin de la realidad: "se lo demostr citndole los mas ntimos pormenores y los que l crea mas secretos", entonces el Dios de Unamuno, a quien l arremete en la novela, es capaz de crear, de saber todo, an lo profundo de nuestros corazones.

Unamuno conoce al diablo, su filosofa entra en el mbito espiritual abofeteando su propio existencialismo: "Tu...con un tono autoritario-tu, abrumado por tus desgracias, has concebido la diablica idea de suicidarte...vienes a consultrmelo." Dios en su trono, es consultado, y en algn lugar dimensional, el diablo empujando a un hombre abrumado al suicidio. Vuelve a caer, s, vuelve a su enclaustro terrenal: "no eres, pobre Augusto, mas que un producto de mi fantasa".

El existencialismo es un "movimiento filosfico que trata de fundar el conocimiento de toda realidad sobre la experiencia inmediata de la experiencia propia" (Real Academia), pero un producto de la fantasa no puede tener experiencia propia, mas bin se convierte en un instrumento desmesurado para tirar por la borda toda filosofa real que nos permita cuestionar nuestra existencia; es por tanto el autor un ser sincero por su dolor, pero contradictorio porque quiere negar lo que para l es innegable: la existencia del mismo Dios, conviviendo con la existencia humana. Lo que vemos aqu es a un Unamuno atareado con disputar evocando su voz hacia el cielo, pero con el pequeo valor de mantener sus ojos en la tierra, para as exprimir de esa naranja terrenal cuanta lgrima pueda verter, cuanta desesperanza pueda acumular, cuanta tristeza hacer memorar, olvidando an el propio amor que hace cantar, rer, celebrar, soar, y contemplar el nacimiento transformador del nio que el propio Victor (Unamuno tambin) una vez rechaz depresiva y existencialmente, pero que admite llen su corazn de un gozo inexplicable.

"Bueno basta!Cllate!...una criatura ma...Dios, cuando no sabe qu hacer de nosotros, nos mata." Basta Una-mundo que Dios te di la vida y ha dejado que hables, te permiti crear y asi colaborar en Su dominio, te dej procrear y asi experimentar que el manantial existe para ser bebido, y que no hay fuerza ni inteligencia que pueda machucar el amor a la vida y el querer alcanzar la eternidad prometida.

La lucha que Nivola nos entrega en bandeja es afianzarnos a la desesperanza de la existencia. Nos mata el aliento; sin embargo, el autor supo conservar el aliento durante toda su vida, se supo enfrentar a las injusticias, y nunca dej de tener hijos. El es por tanto uno que no se dej vencer por la niebla que encontramos en el camino, y as un hijo prodigo que arremeti contra Su Padre celestial, pero que sinceramente nos anuncia que el camino a transitar esta lleno de falsos brillos, mereciendo pues respeto por ello.

Un poco de admiracin para lo que hemos vivido, y asi no dejar que la Niebla nos impida la F en lo desconocido.

Alejandro Roque.

With the exception of Nietzsche, never has been philosophy been so much fun! Mist comes across to me as a romping Borges - by this I mean it is full of ideas and creative, as is Borges, but Miguel De Unamuno seems to have the almost girlish exuberance of the Spanish while the Argentinan stays more alof and academic.
Contemporary philosophy normally involves a trained vocabulary and historical understanding, but De Unamuno manages to make this an interesting story and throwing in bones for us to ponder. I often found myself pausing and chewing on my lip, lost in thought. Oh, and how I laughed! At one point the absent minded main character has fallen is asleep and is called to dinner by his servant. Wondering whether the voice was in his head or not he exclaims: "Psychological mysteries!"
It is a shame De Unamuno is not better known.

This is one of my favorite books of all time. It's about everything and nothing at the same time. It's a tragic love story, a philosophical quest, and a literary experiment all in one. An existential novel about how to write an existential novel! Unamuno's writing is both very funny and deeply insightful, and at the end, he has you questioning whether or not you yourself are alive. A mind-bending work, and one I have read again and again.

" Ni los recuerdos ni los suenos son tan efimeros como la NIEBLA"

This book deals with human emotions, thoughts and fears in a deep, meaningful and funny way. It has a little bit of everything, private conversations with God, the search for the true meaning of life, the quest to find an everlasting love, the fear of facing death, and the hardships that every single human faces during a lifetime.

I read it in Spanish, and I have to say it is one of the best written books I have read so far. Every single word is where it should be, and the story flows magnificently. Im sure that with a good translation this book won't lose its magic in English.

Although it deals with very serious topics, the story is simple, well written, funny, easy to read and with a very unexpected twist at the end...

It simply belongs to a class of its own.

Miguel de Unamuno was definitely ahead of his time. This is a wonderful book, full of great lines you'll be quoting (e.g., "The best mnemonic device is a notebook in your pocket."). The structure of this book is really unique, and the story is so unusual! The main character in the book wants to kill himself and the author won't let him, so the character argues with the author. Very twisted, very mind-bending, very wonderful. The writing is clever, the characters are familiar but I've never met them before, and the style is engaging. I'm off to read more Unamuno!

This is the typical novel that when in schooldays, the Teacher order the pupils to read it. And obviously, you do (or you pretend that you do) without paying very much attention on what you read. Sometimes this novel do not appear in the Compulsory Lecture Program, and you escape from it. This is what happened to me...
Later, a friend of yours (in my case it was my partner) recommends you to go over it again, and you discover a Gem.
There are very little things than can be said about the plot, the characters, the language... because I risk to spoil the whole experience of reading it. But I would not avoid saying that Unamuno was one of the most clever writers that ever existed in my country (everyone has heard of him here), and that in "Mist", mostly all things that worries the Human being, such as love, relationships between men and women, marriage, the Meaning of life, the aim of Literature itself... is within its pages, and that is exposed in a very surprising and entertaining way.
As every Masterpiece, it admits many different lectures and points of view, and it might be a very good piece of literature to be discussed in one of those Book Clubs that are so popular in the States.
Trust me: Read it and you won't be disappointed.

Esta novela corta relata la historia de un cura que, por más que haga el esfuerzo, no logra creer en Dios. Es una novela muy bellamente escrita que te hace considerar una situación muy inusual, de la cual surgen cuestiones profundas de la fe. La leí en un curso de literatura hispana y acabó siendo la mejor cosa de las que leímos todo ese año. ¡Léanlo! Es una verdadera joya de la literatura hispana.

This is one of the most thought-provoking novels I've ever read. The author presents us with a character who one day discovers he can't believe in god any longer, and thus finds almost everything in his life has lost meaning... His desperation is deepened because he is priest to his village, and is convinced that the loss of religious faith can only bring bad things to people's lives. Thus, he conceals his anguish... To me, the story talks about our constant search for meaning as human beings, about how strongly we can care for each other, about our struggle against failure... And although Unamuno probably didn't intend it that way, I also believe it's a dramatization of how we are capable of identifying with a certain idea or philosophy to such extent that we become unable to disentangle ourselves and reality from it. This conclusion is naturally drawn when you think about other reactions Miguel might have had to his discovery. A book of questions, with plenty of room for readers to search for their own answers.

La vida del personaje principal en esta novela bellisima es una tragedia. San Manuel es un hombre religiouso que no cree en Dios. Sin embargo, el sabe que la gente necesita la fe para aguantar el dolor de sus existencias. El quiere ayudarles a todos, pero para ayudar el tiene que mentir.

Su problema --el problema de la fe y de la razon-- es un cuestion tragica que todos seres humanos deben preguntar. Unamuno nos pregunta estas preguntas tan dificiles como importantes en esta novela miravillosa.

Phenomenal.
This brief novel ("nivola") absolutely blew me away when i read it. Knowing the Kierkegaardian and Nietzschean existential atmosphere De Unamuno was working in, I wasn't quite sure how the catholic angle would fit in, but De Unamuno contines to impress me with everything I read by him. "San Manuel Bueno, Martir" is the best thing I have read from him (also recommended, obviously, "Mist").
Basically what we've got here is a kind of foundationless charity. Instead of turning with Nietzsche violence and the YES (after the collapse of what was), De Unamuno turns here to charity and tradition. Very interesting contrast. Good read. Thought provoking.

Leí hace algún tiempo que Unamuno deseaba creer en Dios, pero desafortunadamente no podía. La fe es algo que o se tiene o no se tiene. No se puede adquirir. Don Manuel, párroco devotísimo y más bueno que el pan, por mucho que quisiera no acierta a tragarse la liturgia y todo lo que ello conlleva, y sin embargo predica la Palabra de Dios como si tal cosa.

Una buena novela, que se debe leer para comprender a Unamuno.

I read the original in Spanish and I was hooked. The twists in the plot, beautiful language, and life lessons all make this book a classic. I highly recommend this book to anybody.

When I first saw the title of this book I thought it was going to be "just another book to read". Little did I know that I would be very entertained with so many philosophical quotes from one of the greatest writers of Spain! This book can really leave you thinking and makes you wander if you really are the person you think you are! I absolutely loved it even though I Hate to read!

This is a novel about a man who is simply searching for the meaning of life and takes in every aspects of life that some people would take for granted and looks at them in a different light. This book is highly intellectual and I believe everyone can relate to it. You may want to read it twice depending on how old you are since it is about life experiences, either way it is good to read it twice because I'm sure you will enjoy it and see more the second time you read it. I read this book in college and am about to read it again. There is also a movie too but it is in Spanish I'm not sure if they have it in English but it would be great if they did.
ENJOY!!

the writing is lyrical. the ideas are revolutionarily agreeable. the book is a modern day bible. after i finished this book i took a walk in the rain following some street dog with my umbrella closed and held high.

The parish priest has a secret... It is not that he really believes in love of his fellow man. His reputation for good works is unchallenged. He lives a saintly life. He truly cares about and for people. But he cares so much that he lies to his flock so they will not suffer or be scandalized. He doesn't lie in any way that will harm them -- he lies to them about what he himself truly believes, precisely so that they can avoid his own tragic fate.... This book haunted me when I first read it 35 years ago, and it still stirs me. Those who have lost belief, but are trying to be good persons in an often evil world should read this book. It may make you feel like crying. It did that to me....

I read this and, though it is not the kind of book one enjoys per se, it made me think a lot about the human condition. Lo lei y, aunque no es un libro para disfrutar , me hizo pensar mucho sobre la condicion humana. Please forgive my rookie Spanish. (Lo siento.) Read this book! (Leelo ahora!)

Es la pequeña obra en que el autor personifica el alma cainita de los españoles. Trata de la envidia, pecado capital de esta nación. A los críticos les gusta encontrar explicaciones que asienten bien con sus mundanos conocimientos, por ello hablan de vicio y no de pecado capital, se lenan la boca (ver contraportada) con frases que no entienden como "desnudar las almas". Esta es la historia de un enajenado y poseído (lo dice el cap. 9) llamado Joaquín, y su enemigo de la infancia, Abel. No es sólo la recreación de la historia bíblica, es la adaptación a un modo de interpretarlo muy español. Pero es ante todo un estudio del mal, de cómo el Diablo atrapa a quien no sabe amar más que a sí mismo, y a quien, espiritualmente no ve más que a donde llega su nariz.

El personaje de Joaquín es totalmente egoísta e infantil en su envidia quejica y victimista. Diría uno que ama su papel de víctima, algo muy moderno de nuestra sociedad donde los países pobres parece que lo son por culpa de los ricos, y la gente pobre lo es porque otros tienen demasiado dinero. En fin, Joaquín es como el niño rico al que no le falta de nada pero no es precisamente popular, no es fácil de querer, lo cual él no comprende -pues tanto se quiere él a sí mismo- y le crece dentro un odio hacia todo lo que representa Abel. Es Joaquín no el alter ego de Caín, no; Joaquín es el alter ego del mismo Satán.

Obsérvese esta frase: "¿Tú no crees que los afortunados, los agraciados, los favoritos no tienen culpa de ello?" dice Joaquín. Este es Unamuno haciendo eso del Newspeak antes de que Orwell lo adaptara a su relato. Y esta otra frase del Diablo-Joaquín: "Los que se cren justos suelen ser unos arrogantes que van a deprimir a otros con la ostentación de su justicia." Y otra: "El que no se crea mejor que otro es un mentecato." Este es un enfermo espiritual como la copa de un pino, y así lo presenta Unamuno. Esto no es una novela social o existencial. Esto es religión pura y dura. Pero no es de extrañar que los críticos tilden las obras de Unamuno de existenciales. Si uno se fija en la falsa doctrina cristiana que destilan sus personajes, como en: "¿No dicen que somos todos hijos de Dios?" Evidentemente que no lo somos todos. Creación de Dios, sí. Hijos sólo aquellos que han aceptado a Cristo. Y sino, ¿para qué iba a venir Jesús al mundo si lo fuéramos ya? Pero si ésta es la doctrina que los españoles (católicos, antiguamente, en su inmensa mayoría) conocían, no es de extrañar que nos llevemos tan a las malas. Hace a otro personaje deicr: "Dijo Cristo nuestro Señor, que no le llamaran bueno, que bueno era sólo Dios." Y se queda tan tranquilo. Al menos todos los protestantes sabemos que Cristo preguntó por qué le llamaban bueno, no dijo que no le llamaran así. ¿Acaso no es parte de la Trinidad? Claro.

Una gran obra, de cualquier manera que se lea. Como profunda obra religiosa o espiritual, ahondando en la naturaleza del mal y en la lucha entre éste y el bien. O se puede leer como lo hacen los ateos, que les da igual no creer en Dios porque ellos critican igual aquello de lo que ni entienden ni creen. Y finalmente se lee como un lamento sobre la condición del alma cainita, guerracivilista de media España y de su odio hacia la otra media que no es como ella. Un tema universal, pero centrado en este país.

The newest addition to the Purdue Studies in Romance Literatures series, The Great Chiasmus: Word And Flesh In The Novels Of Unamuno by Paul R. Olson is an extensive literary analysis of the classic works of Miguel de Unamuno. Focusing especially on Unamuno's use of the chiasmus, a reversal in the order of words or parts of speech in parallel phrases ("blanca como la neive y como la nieve fria"), The Great Chiasmus is a meticulous, scholarly work which is strongly recommended, especially for complementing the experience and appreciation of Unamuno's writings, whether in their original Spanish or in an English translation.

Gran conocedor de la literatura clásica. Miguel de Unamuno es el clásico exponente de la generación del 98 basándose en un drama sencillo pero sobresaliente, en este libro Miguel de Unamuno relata la desafortunada relación de un joven huérfano con su único y primer amor. Su profesora de plano la protagonista principal de esta obra, Niebla aparece aqui de una manera insidiosa después se transforma en nebulosa debido en que en cada capitulo nos presenta sorpresas que, incluso allandonos muy cercanos a ella no podíamos descubrir.
--- from book's back cover

Niebla, escrita en 1914, es para mí la novela más vanguardista que he leído. Al momento ninguna otra obra narrativa ha logrado involucrarme de un modo tan inquietante y perturbador como la Nivela de Miguel de Unamuno (España, 1864 - 1936) -narrador, poeta, dramaturgo y filósofo ¡Válgame!-. Nada más contemporáneo, , no como género sino en el sentido literal del aquí y el ahora. Este texto que arremete contra la realidad con la ficción, el Everest de un buen escritor, el Frankenstein escrito, la confrontación existencial del fenómeno dialéctico creador-creación-creador-creado.

Si Unamuno escribe su nivela para escapar de los cánones estéticos y estilísticos convencionales de su tiempo, hoy en día su género inventado es el terreno de rigor en el que los escritores tienen la posibilidad de dejar que su creación se cree a sí misma y adquiera esa autonomía que hace que algunas narraciones parecNiebla (Coleccion Austral (1987), 115.)ieran tener vida propia.

Unamuno es referente y referencia, está presente de algún modo en la novela de Bret Easton Ellis Lunar Park y en la película Más extraño que la ficción del guionista Zach Helm.

...estamos incompletos sin la ficción y cuando la ficción nos complementa reclama su cuota de existencia.