Carmen de Burgos

Three novellas: <i>Confidencias</i>, <i>La mujer fría</i> and <i>Puñal de claveles</i>

Abigail Lee Six

• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN:
  9780719097119
• eBook ISBN:
  9781784997786
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: European Literary Criticism
• Index: Literature

Carmen de Burgos (1867-1932), an influential journalist, socio-political activist, and a key literary figure in the cultural ferment of pre-war Madrid, is currently being rediscovered, having languished in a long and regrettable oblivion during the Franco years. This scholarly edition of three stories by de Burgos includes the unabridged texts, vocabulary, notes, chronology, bibliography, 'temas de debate y discusión', and a critical introduction. Confidencias is the fictional diary of a young woman, describing her first adulterous relationship and exploiting the narratological possibilities of the diary form. La mujer fría is a vampire story featuring perhaps the very first pitiable vampire, or at least one of the earliest examples of this type, whilst ingeniously maintaining undecidability as to whether the protagonist is supernatural. Puñal de claveles narrates a wedding-day elopement. Inspired by the real-life 'Crimen de Níjar', Federico García Lorca drew on both stories for his Bodas de sangre.

Selected vocabulary

(defined for the context in which it appears)

Vowel changes of radical-changing verbs and other patterns of irregularity (such as –ucir verbs taking ‘zc’ in certain forms) are indicated in parentheses after the infinitive. Irregular verbs are marked as such; those deriving from others can be assumed to have the same irregularities (e.g. envolverse has past participle envuelto as volver has vuelto). Verbs with orthographic changes (e.g. dirigir) are not marked, since these are automatic and the rules are assumed to be known.

abarrotado, packed

abastecer (zc), to supply

abismarse, to immerse oneself

abordar, to accost, approach

abrasar, to burn (up)

abrevar, to water (animals)

abrigar, to wrap up warmly,shelter

abrumar, to overwhelm

absolver (irreg.), to absolve

abuelo (el), forefather

abulaga (la), gorse

abulia (la), apathy

acantilado (el), cliff

acariciante, affectionate

acariciar, to caress

acarrear, to bring

acartonado, wizened

acaudalado, moneyed

acero (el), steel

achaparrado, squat

achicarse, to shrink

acicate (el), spur

acoger, to receive, welcome

acometer, to attack

acre, acrid

acusarse, to be discernible

adelfa (la), oleander

ademán (el), gesture

adiestrarse, to train

adormilado, sleepy-looking

adquerir (irreg.), to acquire

advertir (ie, i), to notice

afanoso de, keen to

aferrarse, to cling

afianzar, to consolidate

afianzarse, to latch on

agarrar, to clutch

agreste, wild

aguaderas (las), trappings enabling beast of burden to carry pitchers of water

aguardiente (el), brandy

ahogar, to suffocate

airado, angry

airoso, graceful

ajeno, of others

alabastrino, alabaster

alarde (el), boasting, show

alargado, drawn out

alargar, to stretch out

albergar, to harbour

alcanzar, to reach

alcoba (la), bedroom

alejarse, to walk away, distance oneself

alfiler (el), pin

alga (el) (fem.), seaweed

alhaja (la), jewel

alhelí (el), wallflower

aliciente (el), incentive, spur

aliento (el), breath

alijo (el), contraband

aliñado, in vinaigrette

aliviar, to relieve

aljibe (el), water-tank

alma (el) ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Chronology
• Note on editions
• Select bibliography
• Confidencias
• La mujer fría
• Puñal de claveles
• Temas de debate y discusión
• Selected vocabulary