it & m m m TO w w r m J»D SOCIAL IDEA# UP PIO m m i A

m m m m s t e d a n i s w r t t i h o s

H«jo* ? r o f w « e r

_ T £ . | <

Pi ro&tor of a t of Fore ign lasipiag©

S®MS Of t fe lTcS^ "' '"J""1'" >

A awm OF THE FOUTICAL AID SOCIAL IDEAS OF PIO BAROTA

AS MAHIPESJED I I HIS t©ITXHOS

*lto1W&Y5Si *JnUG<0 jolw*

Pr®s©nt#di t o th« Graduat* Council of the

Horth tef S t a t e XJniTaraity i n F a r t l f t l

F u l f i l l a a n t of th« R#quir«numt«

For tha Dograa of

MASfia OF ARTS

b?

Roaalva Alvaras Ralnay, B. 8,

Denton, f a x a i

3&mwP¥9 3.962

TABLE OP CONTENTS

Chapter Pag®

I. IHTROOCCTIOir %

Need for the Study Statement of the Problest Limitations of the Study

II. ABOUT THB ADTHOR 6

III. BAR0JA»S PHILOSOPHY OP LIFE 18

Standards of Good and Evil Baroja's Pessimism Hope for the JHiture

IV. BAROJA'S POLITICAL IDEAS 33

The Spanish Republic and Democracy Socialism and Communism Anarquiaai and Liberalism Dictatorship and Militarism

V. SOCIAL IDEAS AND ATTITUDES 51

Society and Social Institutions Religious Institutions The Lower Classes

v i . CONCLEJSIOW 73

BIBLIOGBAPHT . . . . . . . 77

lit

CUAMBI I

ZHTRODDCTIOH

Seed for the Study

fhe Basque country, a small littie-understood region

speaking a Xanguaga of whioh the origin la unknown, la the

homeland of PI© Saroja y Sessi* Writing In Spanish, ha la

tha author of a great number of books, sosie of which have

been translated into mora than flftaan languages. ®i® Baaque

country and It# language, formerly of lntereat only to a

small group of scholars, are made known by Baroja, through

his novels and essays, to the wider eircle of readers of

novels* When BaroJa»a flrat books appeared in 1900, they

heralded a long and prolifle writing career for the man who

called "the leading Spanish writer of the century.*

lis portrayal of the non-conforaing, Individualistic Basque

makes for stimulating and Interesting reading in these days

of conformity and standardisation. The Basque language,

primitive and lacking flexibility for Ideological speculation,

is disappearing. Baroja has collected, as relics, a wealth

of worda, songs, and folk sayings of the Basque people. For

this reason, in part, his novels are widely read now, and it

is assumed by erltl.es that his books will continue to be read

and studied In the decades to com*. Probably no other Span*

lib author*® work® are as widely read and studied by atodanta

of literatura. In this study it is proposed to show that

thia paradoxical man, pfo Baroja y Kessi, was a real patriot

sincerely concerned with the fate of Spain and her people*

In his efforts to find a solution to the soeial and political

problems of twentieth-century Spain, he seems to contradict

himself in his writings; It is this fact that oauaes his life

and ideas to seem paradoxical at tines*

Baroja exerted a beneficial influence not only on Spain's

literature, but also on her thought and, indirectly, on her

recent politlca. He made it his business to understand and

appreciate his native land, to expose the corruptions from

which she suffered, to point out how inadefpat# mr® the rem-

edies so far proposed, and to identify himself as a protag-

onist of a new Spain of physical and spiritual respectability.

Hi® interest in the ways of the people, his penetrating

observation, his sharp sense of values, his mastery of im-

pressionistic description, and hie gift for catching the soul

of a time and place make him a first-rate historian, not only

of events in Spain, past and present, but also of her Ideol-

ogy and her aaraaers*

Claud B» Anlbal believes that an appreciation of Baroja

depends as much on what he does not do as m What he does.

His superior naturalness and authority are achieved, negatively,

toy * mastarly «*• of restraint, wadaratatwssnt, and •llanos.

Cartain of lii» traits hava mada ©ft tie# unhappy, aoaatliaai

laading thsm to ragard him as tha bad*boy of modarn Spanish

litaraturaf thaaa trait# art raalism and * minimum of artiiaasa#*

Baroja hit also baan unjustly aonaidarad by tha raadar

and tha eritis aa an ill-»humorad and almost violant man* His

napbaw, Caro Baroja, says of himt

nffio* Kata |»ieie asta'guiado da la riolanaia ©on qua arraaatlo siampra aon su iw, y, aomo as natural, la unto* dafansa da los eonforaistas y dafansoraa da alia ha sido asta Juieio,2

Hi© m i Baroja, raally? Tha most intarasting thing in hia

books is tha personality of tha noralist bimsalf, alusiva and,

nsrarthalass, m r praaant. A ratiring man, ha was voluntarily

withdrawn from tha soeial aurrant and from tha intaraats of

bis tima and of all tlmas. Ra saamad to hava oama to this

planat by miataka and to writs only to maka his own idlanaas

tolarabla. Tha following quotation Illustrates this point t

•than you ara intarastad in nothingt* soaaona askad him, and Baroja answsrad, *Tas, I ant intarastad in aspirin Hfeiah railages ny itwnatisa** #.8id# fro» aspirin #wf hi# dog, ha was indaed utterly Indifferent to everything alaa# Evan to literature* There la nothing mora an ti-ll terery than M a books, , • »

York,*i937?* ?• will!* "Intro*lotio,l»* SSZ CKaw

^ ^aro Baroja, La soladad da Pfo Baroja (Mexico City, 1951If P* 16|«

fie did. not .believe in religions, political parties, conventional morality, or in the philosophical systems whose authors ha bad studied thoroughly, aapacially tha ancient Greeks and, among modern*, Kant* In politiea ha believed that tha hast government would he the one which governed least* To him religion looked like the ridiculous and petulant attitude of men with their an-thropoaorphoua god and pretensions to eternity • • • •

He believed that man is by nature wicked and that education does not make him any better, even though It does help him to dissemble*3 f

One of Baroja's own observations supports this thesis:

If God is anywhere in the big cities, I think he mast be in the empty lots • • *^

Baroja has said many harsh things of Spain. Critics who

begin by feeling repelled by his work often end by being van-

quished laid fascinated by a man %ti© writes so badly and yet

so well* \

At the sane time, 8s.ro j a owes something to hla adverse,

dull, and unappreclative critics, for it was they who aroused

his Ba«<iue eombativeaeas and forced him to put forth all his

strength, with the result that he is now recognized as one

of the most original writers, not only of Spain but of most

of the world *

Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this investigation la to study tha writings

of Baroja to ascertain what his soeial and political ideas

^Ramon Sender, "Posthumous Baroja," lew Mexico Quarterly, XXX (Spring, I960), 7.

^Pfo Baroia y Hessl, "The Madrid Ragpicker," Hew Mexico Quarterly. XXX (Spring, I960), 3*

were, and to determine If th©s© ideas changed, as evidenced '

is a comparison of hi# earlier and later writings*

Sine® he definitely expressed his ideas—sometimes cam-

ouflaged, sonetimes not—through the medium of his books, it

Is hoped that the proposed study will help future readers of

Baroja to grasp and understand the sometimes hidden meanings

of many dialogues,and plots.

Limitations of the Study

It would not seem feasible to undertake a eomprehens ive

study of all of the published works of Baroja* After due

consideration, and a eursory examination of most of his writ-

ings, it was decided t® limit the present study to Baroja's

more significant writings and to the appraisals of certain

well-known literary critics, fhe writings selected ©over,

for purposes of eosjparlson, Baroja1s early, middle, and later

years#

CHAM® It

ABCfOT fSl ATTWOJI

In bl* Wmorita. 11@ Baroja reeords that tie nut born to

the seaport of San Sebastian in W2> m the twenty-eigfrth

day of Betentbeif, inking ttie Second Cerllst iter* Hhere |j®

ipiat M s ttas wandering •bout tbe Basque lountiy listening

to tli# oonrersatlon off the peasants* In those days he learned

the Amnimi tongue, a Hystericus end difficult lotygnftfts off

doubtital origin, In 1§?§ be end hie fanlly waved to Hedrld,

end tn 1861 they noved to Pesiplone* He wrote about hie child-

hood in PaMplona In tbe novels £& sensualtiftd eervertlda end

yaradoau In l®8§ he Moved beo* to ifadrld with other

member® off tlx# family*1

Jacob »• Paeeett etates that ?<b*s ffether was Sereffin

Baroja, Bom Im San Sebastian in 1%#, the elder Beroja,

though * iiining engineer, mm hlateelff feaous as a writer off

««i®s and ballads In the Saaquo language* Also, he composed

the libretto off the first opera ever produced in ftastpie**

% ® Baroje y *essl, (Kadrld, 1955), pp. 16, 33, w»

*Jaoob $. Tessett. Jr#, •introduction,* Itoe City off tbe (Hew Yortc, 1917), p. !•

11® too Ho decided t© study medicine and went to Valen-

cia for that purpose* Ho received his medical degree after

having failed three times* He chose the Basque town of Ces-

tona to establish himself as a physician, and in order to

occupy his spare time he began to write short stories. He

was not successful as a physician because his temperament was

not congenial, and after less than two years, he abandoned

the medical profession to join a brother as a baker in Madrid,

after having tried his hand at several other kinds of business.

The bakery business was bad enough to enable him to con-

tinue to write, and also to extend his education as a realist

by becoming intimately acquainted with the working classes of

Madrid and with the lowest frequenters of cafes, back-streets,

and gutters* As a result of the sympathy he acquired for

these people, he wrote about them in his first novels, Vldas

eombrfag (1900), La buaca (190lj.), Mala hierba (1904), and

Aurora roja (190^),

After six years he gave up baking and, being about

twenty-eight years of age, began to devote his time exclu-

sively to literature. He passed his life quietly, aside from

frequent trips, writing, working in his garden, and talking

to the country people•

He never married, a fact which enabled him to realise,

as few men ever have, his long-desired individual liberty

from social obligations.

8

1® was officially recognized in 193^ by election to the

Academla Espanola.

Baroja's personal appearance seemed that of a satisfied

person. He 'described himself as follows*

Calvo . . la cara aneha, la ntyfj apatatada y rojlsa, los ojos entornados, bondadosos j sonrientesj la boca de lablos gruesos, el bigot® caldo, las barbas laclas, largas y amarlllentas . • • el tlpo de mil frail® espiritual y gloton, al miazno tlemgo, de hombre peslmista j eplctfreo, soearron y roraafitioo,3

His pleasant appearance presented a marked contrast to

his writing, which was definitely pessimistic. In his Memo*

rias B&roja statesi

A mi mm reprochan muchos el ser peslmista. Soy, efectlvamente, un pesiraista teorico respeeto al cosmos• No creo que la vlda humana tenga objeto fuera de si i&isma . . .9-

Agaln he says t

N© nlego que sea peslmista, pero no soy un peslmista trlste y lacri»oso, sino buTs Men un peslmista estolco y# * veces jovial. Mo m® he lamentado nunc a. de vlvlr con pobreza ni de llevar los pantalones rotos.5

fhere was Indeed discord in Baroja*® writings. He sees*

ingly contradicted himself, but the explanation for this was

plain to see. His writings fall Into two periods. The first

period was that of extreme depression caused by the death of

a beloved brother from tuberculosis at th# age of twenty-three.

^Lawrence D. Bailiff and Maro Beath Jones, "Introduction,* Las inquietudes de Sbantl Andla (New York, 1930), p. 1,

^Baroja, o£. clt., p. 1311.

$Ibld.. p. 1311.

9

\

This period started with his doctoral thesis ©a Paln» Mfe

seemed to hi* aesnlnglsss. About this tins the collapse of

the rotting Spsnlsh empire added to his melancholia. Out of

this period cams fling aonbrfaa. s book dealing with outcasts

who could not oops with ths problems of llfs in a small town,

£& pop |a ' sympathetic staady of the llf# of

th#'po©r»

Ths second period waa thst starting In 1909 when Saroja

beoame acquainted with his uncle, Sugenlo Avlraneta, who wss

enthusiastically adventurous snd dynamic. Ths llfs of this

nan acted ss a catharsis on Baroja, who became convinced thst

there wss s reason for living snd thst ths reason was action.

Typical of this period is'jtaprlaa d£ ma hombr© de aoclon. a

novel dedicated to Avlraneta. \

' At regards style, Baroja wrote ss he talked, plainly,

sincerely, and without effort* He did not attempt to oorreot

M s manuscripts and for this was severely criticised. Seme

accused him of having no styls. 1® hlneelf commented on his

literary incapacity in the following mannert

Cuando ss me exajera el ssntido crftico suslo pen-savs si ahora tuviera «p® hscer estos llbros shora que v@o sua defectos, no los harfa, Sin ambargo, slgo haci-end® otros con las nlsmss fsltaa antlgnas.' a.Uegare~ •lgtma # « * madure* esplritual en que perdura la lntensldad de las sensaclones y se puede perfecclonsr la expreslonT Creo que no. Probsblsnente, cuendo llegue a querer alamblcer la expreslon, no tendre'neda que declr y cellars.6

%*£© Baroja y Keesl, gferas completes. Vol. ?, 8 vols. (Madrid, 191*5)» p.

10

O r t e g a y Gasaet, p e r h a p s the g r e a t e s t critic o f modern

t i r o e s , claimed t h a t Baroja's l a c k o f Internal unity «nd ex-

cessive diapersIon of plot rand® him a supreme a r t i s t # He goes

on to s&j that because of this Baroja's novels are wore like

life than art,? .• .

Federico de Onis says of Baroja's style $

Todo parece exlstir en las obras de Baroja, menos la unldad.

T sin embargo, una profunda y way original unidad exists a traves de tods esta obra larga, dlfusa, ondu-

tlplss elementos de la realldad que intsgran la trama <St e s t a ® n o v e l a s y ^ q u e s o n todos ellos d © o « r a e t # r e p i ® o « » dlco jsr sin conexion con la aecirfn principal. No hay tal accion principal en las novelas de Baroja»®

And s o indeed wss Baroja seeking a style In which he could

b e truthful.

Salvador de Madarlaga, In his essays on Spanish Contem-

porary Literature, says of Baroja's writings:

We go t o him knowing that right or wrong, he is sincere, and that no tradition, no prejudice, no social respect will prevail upon his sense of truth.

And yet, having read him with more respect than real pleasure, w e come to the conclusion that there is scats thing u n s a t i s f a c t o r y about his work* Our first objection may be sursmed up in one word: disorder. This style, the directness of which we duly value, strikes u s a s a wore t h a n merely c a r e l e s s n e s s . It Is u n e q u a l * Here and there tense and fitting closely to the matter, it becomes now and then loose and distracted, vague and

^Friedenberg, op. clt.. p. 19.

®Federico de Onia, "Introduction,* Zalacafn el aventurero { l e w York, 1926), pp. xiii-xiv.

11

uncontrolled by thought • . * Hi» general tendency is , toward bareness and simplicity * « • And thus til© mere / examination of this style bring® us to the conclusion ' that it is the expression of a mind which has little natural clearness . • .9

This seeming carelessness in the composition of his works,

which Baroja admitted, and which some critics detested, be-

came a style in itself—an individual style that is an exact

portrait of the Individuality of the writer. /

Federico de Onls makes the following significant state-

ment about the characters in Baroja1s works) Be madera «®panola son tarobi fn todoa los heroes

barojianos, seres huraanos que ofrecen formas extremes o anormales de individuallsrao paslvo o activo, incapaces de, sociabilidad, errantes cotno los aventureros y los picaros, que ruedan sin encontrar jamrfs ni quietud nl as lento; tlpos voluntariosos # insatisfeohos, de log que la realidad espancla ha estado sierapre llena, sobre tod© desde que con la decadenfia nacional vino la dis-olucion de los grandes ldeales colectivos y quedaron sueltoa y sin freno las tendencies nativas a la dls-gregaclon y el atomism©,!®

Again, Onls says of Baroja himselfi

La literature conteraporanea de Bspaia ofrece el espectaculo de un grupo de personalidades extraordlnarias que &pmm tlenen de comun entre ®1 otra eosa que est® rasgo de #u extremado individualiamo . . • Pues bien, este indlvldualismo extremo--rasgo coratfn de la epoea--encuentra en Plo Baroja m expresi<4h ma's fuerte y @x»

^ agerada, y a la vess mas «spontanea y natural•**

lo doubt Onis refers to the group of writers called the gen-

eration of 1898 in which Asorfn, Benarente, Unsowno, Baroja,

^Salvador de Madariaga, The Senilis of Spain and Other la9ays on Spanish Contemporary Literature {EoHlonTTf l'jf, >. 120,

100nls, o£. cit., p. xv. ^Ibid., p. Til,

xz

and others are Included. Baroja and Asorin were the two aost

outstanding of this group.

Cesar Barja said that Baroja*s Individualism was like

Unamuno'a, fundamentally the Individual lam of the Basque race*

The characteristic* of hie Individuality were hie strong

feeling for personal independence not within society but out-

side and agalnat society,12

Vet Baroja wes not only disorderly and individualistic

In his writings, he wes also decidedly realistic* His re-

alism was not the kind that chose vfcst to depict, but rather

it reproduced everything in view rapidly and distinctly. It

is again the critic Onis who says of Baroja*

Su placer consists en observer la vide en todas sus form®®, en los pueblos y en las ciudades, y an©tar iueg® en sus libros su vision rrfplda y sincere de les cosas, £e gusta mesclarse con los eaapeslnos y gimtes de clase baja; vagar por las ealles entre el gentlo o por sltlos solltarios; recorrer a pie los pueblos y ©aminos. • • •

41 la novel® es an ancho ©tap® d© diva-gaclon espontanea donde cabe juntoyy sin seleccl<£n todo 1© que la vlda ha dejado en su esplrltu y todo lo que m eepirltu ha puesto sobre la vlda. Bay en sus novelas paisajes del ©amp© y de la cludad aaravlllosamente pin-tados con un ImpresionlsxBO ultrareallata.J-3

It was in his picaresque novels that our author manifested

all the sordid side of reality. In this type of work his sub-

jects were treated differently than those of other authors •>' /

**Caaar Barja, Rlbros y autoree eontemporfoeos Clew York-1935)a p. 306.

^On^fs, op« clt.. pp. ix, xiii.

13

because la the ©arly picareaque novels, Ilk® Laser111o de

T®mm* and Cr-gzm&n de Alfaraahe. tit® authors *#r« not con**

earned with the athloaX aspects of the Ufa they depleted,

•v«n though thay often delayed their narrative with sermons

against vice. Baroje was really concerned with tha monstroe-

lty of tha horrors which h# illustrated, What troubled hla

waa not so amah sin bat suffering} tha aufferlng of tha alck,

tha hungry, tha socially destitute and the orlmlnals. Ewry

ugly alia of nature la itr' isidivlduAl aspect® haunted hl»,

at noted In his trilogy La Xueha. POP |a vlda. composed of

three novela, J* botes (19<%), Mala Merfea Uftli), and Aurora

roja <X9<%). Hare, he deaerlbes tha miserable exlatenee of

people In the sltuas of Madrid. Since he waa an obaervant

Spaniard and aXao a medical doctor, ha a aw tha phyalcal and

tha «ental lXlneas of the people and wrote about them aowe-

tlaes While looking at them with the cool eye of a physician.

It was precisely this apparent detachment that gave some of

hla novels such a note of brutality,

Mcha £££ M **3* **» not hla only picaresque writing,

Perhaps the beat known of hla stories In this genre are Zal-

mmim al im*Bfar#ro and U s tanuletudea |£ ghaatt Andtfa, and

ww wnst alao claaalfy aa picaresque the Memoriae da un hoabra

de ssel^a.

Prledenberg believed that Baroja was Induced to abandon

the theme of the outcast In hla picaresque novels when he

1%

discovered the personality of his unci©, Eugenio Aviraneta,

who bad begun a® a boy fighting the Hapoleonic invadera of

1809* Afterward this m&n b©caa«s a liberal, a Mason, and a

nationalist and fought in his own native province against

tha Basque traditionalists* .Later ha went to Oreeee and on

erne occasion seems to feat® volunteered for tha Mexican War

for Independence. In 1830 ha appeared in Paris during tha

revolution, wherein ha supported tha Republicans. Finally

ha returned to Spain and fought against tha Carlist element

•a a liberal. As prevlcualy seen, tha extraordinary Ufa

of this ploturea<gue individual, so adventurous and yet

Spanish, acted as a catharsis on Baroja, oauslng him to

writ® his autobiographical and vary raallstle series, Memoriae

da u» h m b m da aoclon.^

fat in contrast to his realisa was his romanticism. Ha

was a romantic writer in that his novela had variety in them,

a variety in tha types of people and places written about.

His works of this nature, novels of adventure and voyages.

Included la.l&eafa el aventuraro (1909), 11 Mar (1910), and

Memoriae da un feombre da aecton (1912). tn tha latter of

thaaa novels Baroja aaya of hlaaelf, *Yo aoy un escrltor sin

eseuela clara, en parte realleta, an parte romanttoo.

^•Priedaabarg, eg., clt., pp. 18-19.

rl< P<

X^Josa' A. Balsairo, Cuatro indlvldualietas dm Em»mrn (Chapel Hill, forth Carolina, 1 9 W , p. 220.

' 1$

The trilogy El mar Is on® of Baro^a1* few works- of pure

Imagination, an adventure story which remind# tha reader of

Stevenson's Treasure Island. Evan though the author was not

much of a seaman, his atyle mid descriptive ability for mari-

time atorlee la good. Also indicative of thla are his books

Laa Inquietudes de Shantl And,la and SI laberlnto de lag sIrenes,

The eharactera in M s novels usually are Basque people

in their own and in foreign countries* So authentically are

the Basque provinces and their Inhabitants described that

critics have often classified Baroja as a "costumbrista."

Claud E» Anibal, in his introduction to Paradox, rey. statest

BaroJm*s genius for recapturing atmosphere and mood la by no means limited to contemporary life, lis sense of period Is eo delicate and true AS 1B hla feel-ing for pine®. • • • M aelva obacura, a trilogy deal- , 1«S with contemporary conditions In Spain—an even more difficult task—is splendid evidence of his knack for grasping the complex spirit of tha tine

Other novels about the Basque country are La eaaa de Alggorrl

(1900), El BUtyoraggo de Labras {1903), and the romantic Zal-•

acaln el mventurero (1909).

All that has been said about Baroja*s style of writing

indicates that his works are interesting and original for

precisely the same qualities that have been pointed out aa

weaknesses, since out of those weaknesses or error# came hie

unmistakable atyle of writing.

^Anlbal, 0£. ©it.» p. m ,

u

Sis printed work* total about on* hundred mid twelve

volumes, many of whioh btT* bicn translated into such foreign

languages «i English, French, Russian, Italian, Portuguese,

Polish, Dutch, and 3erman*

Baroja began his literary career with the book of short

stories entitled Vldas soabrfas (1900), His first novel, La

case de Alggorrl, appeared that same year, and a second vol-

one of Basque sketches, Idlllos vaacos. was published In 1901,

Most of Baroja*s novels were grouped in trilogies, some-

times for no apparent reason. The first trilogy was La vlda

fantastlca. Began in 1901, It included Aveaturas* lnventos

I mlxtlflfeaelones de Sllvestre Paradox (1901), C—too de per-

feoolon (1902), and Paradox. reir (1906). Other trilogies are

Tlerra vasea (1901), La lueha por |« vlda (190M, El pasado

(190$), J« rasa (1908), Las oitadadea (1910), snd A«onfM dj.

tl«ap@ (1926)*

Apart from the various trilogies, the Important series

of novels published in 1913 under the general title of Me-

moriae de un hoaibrc de ace Ion should again be mentioned* A

third type of work, of a orltlcal nature, is Juventud. ego-

Is, tr fa (1917)« In this book Saroja discusses a great variety

of things--the state, religion, politics, litersture, and ed-

ucation# In fact, few topics were beyond his consideration#

Aside from the types of writing discussed above there

were numerous other novels, short stories, salnetoa, and farces•

17

Considered by the majority of critics as on# of the

truly great figures in all Spanish literature, f{o Baroja

died in Madrid OR October 30, 19£6, at the age of eighty-

three . For raany people his death was both a personal loss

end a tragic event of world-wide significance. •//

CHAPTER III

BABOJA'S m i w m w w m lot

Standards of Good and JBrtl

Typical of iaroja Is hit profound admiration for what t« ®lno#rt®» his Xo*e of the tatiiteX# and modest, of the pleasantly, and perhaps oven ridiculously, plebeian, hi® immm tomem for the lover ela»#e## bit hatred of the affected and ostentatious, Including things aiartiaX, his rather surprising feat genuine sen-tiaentaXity, the noetaXgic reminiscences of Baaque Xlfe.1

\ ' According to BeXl, the fact that many of Baroja'a char-

actera ara egotiatlo, eynicaX, immoral, and repulsive, it hat

a subtle Irony, or an aet of sincerity on tha part of thair

inventor* an ixsmoral author wouXd have presented these char-

actara aa attractive,* indeed B&roja sought to talX tha

truth aa ha aaw it—tha reality of tha vorXd and tha paopXa

In it* Many of hie characters vara thoroughly repulsive,

for inatanca thoaa in La huaoa. These vara paopXa of tha

Madrid underworld at tha beginning of tha twentieth century.

Mala hlerba and Aurora ro.1a complete thia triXogy of La

Xucha por Xa vida, Baroja a aye of the vagabond in Aurora

rojat

1 *AnibaXf 0£» alt». p* xlvii, 9 fcAubrey F* CK Ball, Contemporary Spanish Literature

(lew York, 192$), p, XX7. '

X8

It

Ira este xa\ tipo vulgar, mi tad mendlgo, mjUad ladr<<nj poco inteligente, per© habll, Ho tenia nufa que un sentimlento fuertei el o£io por el labrador, unido a mn inatlnto antisocial energlco. En un pueblo donda se calabraban ferlas, al vagabundo, raunldo con unos gltanos, desparecio con alios.3

Dorotao Segret©, alias Cornejo, In EJ. cantor vaggtbiando la

described as followsi

Dorotao Negrete, alias Cornejo, ara pequeno, menudo, moreno, eon la cabeea grand®, la frente abombada, loa ojos negros, wuy brlllantaaj loa labloa abaltadoa y lo« dientea del que tiana m£a afici<6a a anjuagarse la Jbooa con vino qua eon agua. Oomo tipo fleico era raqultico, tartamudo y surdo. Su cabeisa ara extraBas loa p<£milos, salient®®! loa ojos, obllcuos, y al aire febril; la

, barba, eepesa, nagra e irregular.^

Baroja was well acquainted with Spanlah hucksters, rag-

pickers, beggars, and thieves* He felt sympathy for many of

the men who formed the joultltude of outcasts, a group of rag-•

gad| persecuted human beings. In Vldaa sowbrlas this tragic

throng paaaea aimlessly across the stage of life. The au-

thor** attitude toward the life of the poor was that society /

was to blame for the vice, fraud, and brutality In which such

people lived and worked.

In La caaa da Aisgorrl, there is a picture of a simple

Basque life gradually being undermined by the curse of alco-

hol which ruins the Alsgorrl family as well as others of the

little village of Arbea. Don Julian, the doctor, and Agueda,

*Pio Baroja y Kessi, Aurora roja (Madrid, 190%?, p. 19.

**Pio Baroja y Heasl* Obras completes. Vol. VIII. 8 vols. (Madrid, 1 9 W , p. 4%*

20

owner of a liquor factory, clarify the situation m they

carry on the following conversation:

Don Julian -- /Si lo digo aieraprel Eata fabrics vuestra concluira por devorar al pueblo. / .

Agueda — Pero oiga mated, don Julian, porque a ml taatblen me Intereaa eeto. dTan malo ea el alcohol?

Don Julian — <0hi Ea el produeto m^a terrible, el enemlgo mayor de loa hombrea. Is el eepfrltu da la lo-cura y da la smerte. Ya iresj tod as eeaa furies, como la dlnamlta y la melinite, y otraa que ae agaaapaban ante a antra substernal ae, al perece;r, aln roaldad, en la glicarina, en el asucar . . ., pues todoa esoa exploalvoe raodernos, que lie*an una eola larguislma da eataatrofea, no son tan terrlbles .como el alcohpl•

Agueda •- Pero /quien lo dlrial Don Julian — Ea que los efectoe del alcohol eon

lentos. El d«3io que bace en el padre ae nanlfieeta en el hijo o en el .nleto*

Agueda — <"Y usted cree que en nueatro pueblo ha sucedid© algo da #ao?

Don Julian — iYa lo creoi Arbea era uno da loa jraeblos aaa fuertes de las Provlnclas fuseongaiaa, pueblo de agrieultores, semlbarbaroa, que en eate talle hundido» Loa Aisgorrls, tua antepasadoa, eran loa seriores, loa jauchos, como lea llaaaban aqui, gente eguerrida, con la hermoaa crueldad del ealvajej hombrea mm*glcoa, de aaseulo® y a®, coraaon duroa ©on© el a©«r©« Vino tu abuelo y puao la fabrica, excltadio por al lucro, y pocp a poco,el alcohol i W lnfiltrandoae y la degene-raclon cundio po#r todaa partes*

Agueda — tfT de loa padres ha paaado a loa hlloa, irewladf , ,

Bon Julian — Ahl esta', preclaaaente, el mayor ssal* la® «• ®1 aspecto am trist# de los efeet©# del alcoholf no mate, pero hace degenerar a la descendeneia, aeca laa fuentea d# la vldiu Asf, log hljos n a c l d ® » e < p t - ' llbradoa y enelenques, pagan laa eulpas de loa padrea, por eaa fatalldad Inexorable de la herenola. (Conten-plando * Agueda, que esta penaatiTa y ensimls»ada«) din que plenaaa?

Agueda — Plena© en la obra funesta de mi familia* (Sonrlendo con trlsteaa,) Porque, para uated, noaotros . hemoa aido l©a/ envenenadores del pueblo*

Don Julian — /Que" qaleres qu® t# digal # * « la© he creldo alempre*

a

Agueda — Yo me lo flguraba tapblen. Waeha® m e m ha pens ado que, ®i pudlpra, mrr&ritt Ijt fabrlea.

Don Julian — /Qua beneflelo serla para el pueblot5

In hi® fanatical devotion to truth Baroja proceeded to

tall about Spain aa a wholes not only lta cowion paopla and

Its economy but lta writers, religion, and It® polltlea* Hla

Meroorlaa contain one or two sections dedicated to giving hla

opinion of other writers and himself, Juventud. egolatrla

contains his Ideas about religion, the government, war, and

many other subjects. Seedless to say, his novels were based

on Incidents of the time*

Naturally, since Baroja was devoted to the truth, he

considered pretense and hypocrisy abominable! to him aoclety

and politics were hypocritical. In Yltrlna plntoreaca ha

offered this opinion of social llfet

. . • no ore© que pueda estar basada an la vertadg por eao, la franca aa »e pareca una palabra nada mas. In la elejiola, la verdad as Indispensable para segulr eenstruyendola; an la fllosofla sa busea la verdad, aunqu® no aa la enouentre. In la hisjtorla, la verdad as lnaegura y aleatorla, y en la polltlea y en la vlda aoclal no exlste.6

Helmut Demuth, quoted by Baroja In his Meiaorlas. says of

our author t / /

Solo una cosa abomlnaj la mentlra, la hlpocresla* por una neeesidad salIda de 1® mas profundo del alma, ©ontidera la verdad cos© ®1 ma® elevad® da todo# loa

Pl© Baroja y Keesl, La easa de Alggorri (Madrid, 1931), pp. 89-90#

Baroja, Obras eoaipletas. VIII, 853*

22

valoras, la iwdlda para Juggar la vida, y 1© qua ha da sar tmleo guJta. da la stay*#'

Ona finds Plo Baroja'a philosophy of Ufa naatly aua-

marl zed in of ®A Spanish iovalist funis bis land to

Aphoriama.* Tha following two paragraphs wall llluatrata

this philosophy!

In ay books, as in almost all modarn books, ona ob~ sarvas a nota of rancor against lifa and aociaty* Ran-eor against Ufa is mora anciant than rancor against society. The formar has long bean a aosatonplaca among philosophers. tifa is absurd, lifa is difficult to di-rect, lifa la lika a disease—a© say most philosophers* But, whan human bitternaaa turna Itself against sociaty, it it attempting to axalt lifa, to aay that Ufa la good, that man la naturally magnanimous, and that only soolaty make a nan aril.

I am convinced that lifa is naithar good nor bad* Xt is Ilka natura—nacassary. lor is sociaty aithar good or bad. A man who is too sensitive to tha time in which ha la living finds sociaty bad, butfia man in har-mony with his surroundings finds it good*8

However, for Baroja lifa was a stupid thing with a tona

of fatality? and man, in general, wae of a low ordar, loath*

soma because of hi® lack of oooiprahanalon, his agolsm, and

his fanaticlaa. On tha other hand, tha Basque writes* was

not without respact for tha nonconformist, tha man willing

to revolt against tha state and society* Consequently, many

of tha characters in his novels ara fraa from social pre-

occupation*

^Baroja, Measorlaa* p. 1317*

SPlo Bar©Ja j Basil, "Myself,* Tha Living &«©* 33? (Saptambar, 1929), 111}.. '

23

Among til® eccentric types found In M s works are tramps,

beggars, adventurers, and Bohemians, These appear to hate

no aim in life, no ideals to live for. Through them Baroja

mocks people's laek of ability to find happiness in their

goals. There is always a certain distance between mm and

his aim. This, of course, was the very way that Baroja felt

about his own life.

In the early trilogy, La vide, fantastica» tine reader

finds the best examples of this paradoxical philosophy of

life. The first novel of the mentioned trilogy is Aventuras»

lnventos j mlxtlflcaclones de gllveatre Paradox, Bailiff

and Jones state that, like most of Baroja*a books, it is

somewhat autobiographical, Silvestre Paradox, the main

character, goes through life without much change; he neither

progresses nor degenerates in character* lis motto 1st

veees 1@ Que deb# ser, es mas verdad dentr© del esp/ritu fti©

lo que es," There is a note of resignation in this para*

doxical eoneept but sueh resignation is not complete. One

must make an effort to achieve "what ought to be,* and yet,

at the same time, resign himself to be ever rejected, even

defeated* It is a resignation brought on by accepting life

as a struggle which in all its phases means defeat for the

individual. Paradox is unfit by nature and for that reason

he is pessimistic,^

l°B»lliff and Jom., 0£. clt.. p. 3,

2k

Si® second novel of the trilogy is Camlno §m perfection.

The protagonist, Fernando Osorlo, is typical of Spanish youth

at the beginning of the twentieth century. • Her® again is «t

man unfitted for life} this time, modern life# Be cannot

find peace with himself or with society. After several die-

appo int»en ta he fall® in love with, end marries, his cousin,

a country girl, who is attractive and sensible* For a time

M s life seems worthwhile. Out of the marriage a son is

born, whom he determines to rear with care, so that he will

not suffer as his father has. In spite of all of Fernando*a,

precautions, tradition slowly but surely takes possession of

the son. Fernando sees that he cannot prepare man for a new

end different life. He is forever a slave of the old and of

the past# This novel is definitely pessimistic, but again,

it Is a stole pessimism.

The third novel of the trilogy, Paradox, rey, which con-

tinues the same theme but with some variation, is perhaps

Baroja's most direct and compact piece of writing. It Is the

one book for which he elaimed a certain unity of thought; and

in It the reader learns all about his likes and dislikes, al-

most his complete ideology. In Paradox, rey, the author

seeks to create a utopia, an Ideal state of "what ought to

be,* and he reproduces, in addition, a satire on civilization,

on "what is.* Here again Is the theme of futility of even a

Utopia as a means of escaping the evils of contemporary

2$

eul tura and c i v i l i z a t i o n . Por axampla, a® Paradox, Dig, and

othara wait to board the Cornucopia, Paradox beeoaea Impa-

t i e n t ami tha S«a aayas

Daaaeha t tu ippaolancia, Paradox. Olvida tua prpyactoa. • /Rat i ra ta t iHuyal Pronto, a i no, aobra dabi l bstjel* an l a ancha »ar da l o t midos tautpautiiosoa, ta varaa aatramaeldo da eapanto y t» axlatanoia aara" Jtiguata d© la# gpmadaa y ebseuraa olaa assotad&a por #1 aoplo dal AqttilotwiA

Than, In tha a una t r ag i c tona, I lka an oaan, tha Wind th rea t -

aningly beglnaI

To aoy a l l a t i g o da eataa grandaa y obaeuraa olaa qoa eorren aobra a l s » a r « To laa asoto, laa empujo haata a l c l e lo , laa hundo haata a l ablamo. * . !«

The Sea answers:

It© no tango albedr/o; no tango voluntadj aoy maaa i n e r t e , aoy l a fttaraa eiega, l a fa ta l idad qua aalva © oondana, qua araa o qua destroy#.13

The author1a "Elogio aent iaanta l dal aee©ri#miw aa Thady

Bray play® tha accordian aboard tha Cornucopia hae a sadly

poetle tonai

SI Autor. dl© habala v ia to , algun domingo a l eaar da l a t a rda , an aualquier pue r t ee l l lo abandonado dal Cantibrtoo, aobra l a eublarta da ua nagro queehemarin, © an l a borda da un pataehe, t ree o euatro hombraa da boina qua atcuchan imdv i l aa laa notaa qua un grume ta iurranca da un, Tlejo aoordaon? ,

Yo no aa' por qua", par© esss aelodfaa santiai@»t®l#g, repat ldas haata a l i n f i n l t o , a l anoettaeer, an a l mar# ant© a l horlsonte ain l£* i t aa , produoan una t r i a t a s * solesun®. . .

i l P l o Baroja y Natal , Paradox, ray (Haw York, 1937), p. 21*

^ I b l d . . p . 14.1.

^ I b i d . , p . I|.l*

26

/Ob la enorme trlstesa de la voa caseada, <3e 1® vos ni©rteclnay que sal© del pwlmop 4© ®s® plebeyo, de ese poco roiaantlco instrumental *4

Definitely pessimistic Is the "Eloglo de los viejoe caballoa

de Tiovivo,* Paradox decides to teach horseback riding in

the schools of Bu-tatat

11 Autor* /Oh nobles caballoa1 . . . Alll' donde vais reina la Alegrui, cuando apareeeis por los pueblos, formados en elrculo, colgand© por, una barra del chirrl-• ante aparato, todo el nundo sonrie, todo el sundo ee regoclja* Y» sin embargo, vuestro eln© es cruel; cruel, porque lo alswo que los howbres eorrels, oorr/is des~ esp@rad«s®»t# y sin desseanso, y If jalam© que loa hombres corr/ls sin objeto y sin fin. . »*5

This theme of futility that is found In Baroja's work

is perhaps strange in that it is compassionate. Onla, la.

hla "Introduction" to ZalacaJLn el aventurero. has this to

say about Baroja's ideas of life!

, Hay en el fondo de este arte de Bart Ja una filos-ofla, una concepcidn de la vida, que serla peslmlata, «1 no fuera tan ingenua j sincere, si no llevaae dentro de si tanto amor y coraprenslon de todo lo grande y lo pequeSo, y si no eatuvlera toda ella tenlda de bumorlarao consolador»lo

Hope for the Future

The attitude toward life of Baroja and hie h©r©«® 1# ex-

pressed by * shrug of the shoulders and a muttered "What la

the use?" Yet, the author published and continued to publish

many books. Why, In view of his spiritual nihilism, did he

%b&a.. pp. 34-35.

^Ibld,. p. 125, 1'onH, oj>. clt.. p. it.

2?

createt ftie anawer If found In hi* own word# in Ranaodlaa

as he writes m the subject of "Optlmlaao a id#*!1**

Yo as toy eonaldarado como ua escrltor da vision un poeo negra# 1© trie aar un peaislsfca alstematleo, tconpofio un optlmlata. £1 pealmiamG © #1 optimism© 1© lle?«Bios eada un® en ©1 cerebro y en lo® ji#ft1os# quarer feacar an balance da placaraa y da iolora# da' la vldjR al estllo de Schopenhauer a® una pobre a Instil aatadlatiaa*!?

Perhaps the beat clarification of Bar©Ja»e paradoxical

peaalmls» la found In hla own Memoriae Where he quo tea Helmut

Deumtti* saying t

Todoa loa peraonajee de Baroja vlenen a ser re-preaantaciones de &% atlsmo, haata en oasos que no alude dlreetaaente a alio, como en el Andrla Jfurtad© ("El arbol da la elenela")* 1© declaoe qua puedan Identlflcarae con <fl aal com© as! • Baroja hace doji gvupoa de aua llbroa I "Bnos loa be escrlto con maa trabajo que guatof ©troa loa he eaorlto eon maa gusto que trabaj©*" Son loa unoa los llbroa an que lueha con loa problamaa que a el wlsao le apreralan, y de loa cualea bucaa llbrarse an aua haroee, no aleapre lograndolo y, por le alsao, •olvlendo eonatante»ent© a la empreea. Son loa otroa aqualloa en que el que ea com© autor, en qua bajo la flgura de un hero© trabaja para dar una realidad a loa auenoa que en la vlda no ©onelgulcf' encontrar* A estoa doa grupoa pueden reduclrae las flguraa da Baroja, Hay antra amboa freauentee tranaferenalaa, daaoatrando que aon Inseparables. Del aeoplamlant© da mtrmbon ®al© la trariadara flgura da eu ereador, qua a® dlferencla considerablemente d« la real.

Sa aata dlaoordla resultan las fracuantaa contra-dlcelones an la peraonalldad y an la ©bra da Baroja* M*y fiellseals, al espaetador superficial aa Incline a reproebaraelo, y al a extrenar la nota.*"

Demnth continues*

la el xutbral de la vlda conaclanta aa pone delante dal joiren Baroja la gran pregunta, la que lo abarca todox

*^Baroja# Obraa completes. V, 867.

^Baroja, Menorlaa. p. l llj..

28

•1 aentldo <3e la vidaf Sua objetivoa no acaban da toanar cuerpo, 1® fait® ®1 impulso ene'rgico, el «p© guia* S<£lo sabe ana ©osa? <|u© no est/ dispmaai© a que su ? W » m agote ©a la vulgaridad* *Vive con intenaidad,* aim que **a pop poco tleiapo, sin preguntaree nada del maHana, tail es su Ideal, Ansla lo extraordinario, las aventuraa

' y peligroa, y •• siente con fuertaa suficientes para arrostrarlos* Ho la intimlda lo a«p«i»o da la batalla

• 4e la vlda#*? '

BaroJa«» vorka prove Demuth's words to ba truej bla moods

changa from sad pessimism t© Jovial optimism* His firat book*

Vldas aombr jfasand even M a first trilogy, La vida fantagtlca.

were conceived and written In an extremely pessimistic mood.

Also* the third novel of the trilogy tM raza, 11 &boi da la

ciencla» ia autobiographical* Tha protagonist, a physician

naoad Andrea Eurtado, la really Baroja, tha Baroja iftio prae-

ticed ««i4ciija in Cestona,. Amdraa does net mm t® get along

with anyone in the little town of Aloolea* Ha ia independent

and has new ideaa too liberal for tha conservative villagers.

He returns to Madrid, marries, and seems to be on the vay to

happinaaa ifoen hie wife dies. Life then loaea all attraction

for him and, seeking peace of mind, h# comita suicide* Tha

principal idea to be drawn from the book, m idea that ia

constantly emphasised in Baroja*a writings, ia the uaeless*

neaa of life and tha futility of straggle* A few yeara later

the author wrote hia picareaque novel Zalacaln el aventurero,

in which the protagoniat haa an inoentive for living! and aa

^ibia.. p* 1317.

29

hat already been stated, lis Memoriae da «a hoiabre da aeclon.

the series of booka dedicated to hla adventurous moel©# ha

again appealed somewhat optlatatie*

Much later, la XI cantor va&abundo. a fatallatle note

once mora aounded aa la Haestra aaked Linoet

-A vr 9 oamarada, J que' opinion tienes tu da la mareha dal ratmdo? </ Queues lo qu® raaev© la sociedad, la eeonomfa o al eapfritut20

Llnea'a answer foiloval

Yo no voy a dar aquf la clave da una cuestlon tan obseura, tan dlfieil, qua no crao qua, por ahora, haya raaualto nadiej paro ma inclino a creer qua al wundo actual no va a ninguna parte, • * porque no deacubro aaa qne brutalidadea por todaa partes •«

Mora fatalistic than any of hla other works is a ahort

assay eallad "8in Ideal,* from which thla dialogue is takem

11 viajo — J Ka qua no crees an Dlos? x Uno »«• Crao haata donde puedo. Antes was qua ahoraj

paro dasda qua estoa (Senalando al joven) mm oonveneleron de qua el olelo aataba wf@, huyeron «i» creenclas* Ta no slanto a Dios por ninguna parte*

11 jo^tn — Sf. Is verdad. #« hemos arraiicado ilualonea. <s Paro no te hemes dado, en eambio, nuevos entusiaaaosT a Mo crees 4 en la Huaanidadt

JGfno «« ifia «n«tlf </En la Taestraf 3 0 ®n la de es# rabano de hombres que os slrven eono bestlaa de carga?

11 vlejo — /Y en la patriat dSeras tan miserable para no creer en ella?

$no »»- /*ta patrlal Sif» £s el. altar ante el eual saeriflcaia xraeatros hiJos para lavar vuastras deshonras.

El Joven — /*o tienea fe en la oienela? Un© »« Pa, no, Crao lo que he viato. ta clencia

as un conocialento. Un conocimiento no ea una fe. Lo que yo anhelo as un Ideal.

20Baroja, Eg, oantor

niM£.» p. 79.

3«

y SI jovan — Yifir. I* vlda por la flit, Ahi ttaaaa

un astasias®© nuavo* # x , U»o — Vlvlr por vlvlr, /Qua pojwa, qua pobra Idaal

Una got* da agna #a,al osuea da un rio saoo* Ho qularo darochoa, ril praamlnanelas, ni placarasf

qulero tin idaal adonda dlriglr als ojos turblos por la tristasa, tm ldaal an donda puada dasoansa? ml alma harlda

ffatlgada por las lapu rasas da la *lda. dto tanais? o* » • Puss-dajadai®# Dajadma, qua major que oontaaplar

TO««tr©s lujos y vu;©stros aaplamiora®# qularo malar #1 past© amargo dt mla pensamlantes j fijar la mlrada am as# ©lal® negro, no tan nagr® erao© mla tdeaju t0h som-brasI / Fuarsas daseonocidasi , cfl® hay un Ideal para una pobra alma sadlsnta como la ala? • • t22

Ball a ays that Baroja'a novsla also praaeh tba llfa-forca,

action, and human atruggla against soolaty, Ail© tha author

hlrasalf was paaslva and Inclined toward axtrana malancholla,

Yat as a Basqua* ha sat out to gain universal admiration and

ao became a prolific and outstanding writer in spits of many

obstacles, such as his financial condition, hla radlaal ideas,

and hla hostile critioe.23 lhi» attltuda Is axpraased In • +

Zalaosln si mfomturaro as Brlonas talks to Zalaeains

—SI no estoy dascontanto—dljo al eomandanta~-paro Vd v aalgo Zalaealn as al qua avansa eon rapldtfs si slgua aal; si an astos aftos adalanta ustad lo qua ha adalantado an los einco pasados, va Vd, a llagar donda qui era.

—<iCr©era ¥d» qua y© ya no feamga oasl aiabiaida?

«Ho. Sin,. duda aran loa obstaeulos los qua ma daban antas brlos y fuersa, al var qua todo al wmn^ sa plantaaba a al paso para eetorbanM. Oatf una quarla •lvlrj al obst/culo; qua un© quarla a urn mujar y la asijar lo quarla a uno; al obataeulo tsabl an. Ah or a no tengo obstaeulos y ya no sa qua'haear* ¥oy a t@nor

^Baroja, Obraa eomplataa. VIII, 858-859.

23bo11, SE# olt>> p. 107.

31

que inventarzaa o t r m ® m p & c t m m y o t r o a <guatox»ader©a da c a b e a a . 2 *

*

ZaXaoaln adds:

1® ©reeldo saXvaje com© l a s h l e r b a s y n e e e s l t o 1 * a c c i o n , Xa jaecldn, c o n t i n u e , Yo> aucbaa veoet plans© que XXegara \m d l a en qu« Xoa teonibras podgrfn aprovechar Xfts pastones 4e l o t demas an aXgo bueno*25

From the Masaorlag and the Xlpa o f t h e German c r l t l e ,

Helmut Demuth, e i n t t Baro ja *a dynamic i d e a l :

Ba m p r o p l a v i d a 1# f a * vedada X® a e e l ^ a i por eat© miamo defe© pr@»B$ar®®X® com© eX o b j e t l v o a u dign© d© aua a n a l a a , Ve aX id^aX an Xa d l n a i i e i , fa© enearna aX p r l n o i p i © da Xa aec lon por Xa aocl<m* •

t a aaelrfn aa todo i Xa v l d a , eX pXaoer da e o n v e r t l r Xa ^ i d a e s t a t l e a an t i d a d i n a a i c a , a a t e aa aX probXasuu A a i * 0I mp@r~ft.mihr® sp e o n v l e r t e m eX bombre da a e e l o n .

Be , an p r i m e r a X l n e a , Xa d i a p o e l c l d n n a t u r a X , "Xa eaXidad da tin a la tema n e r v l o e o y da Xaa aecree ionea l n t e r n a a , * X© determlnante an aX ho»b$e da a e c l o n . l i t © aa Xo^que Xo eXeva aobra aX nlveX comun, l a a rasonea aon m u l t i p l e s ; a menado es aX hombre da a e c l o n aX p r o -duct© da un cruca da m i l , daX ehoqne da doa © © r r l a n t e a da faerss&a dealga&l®®#®©

Aa t o the t r e n d of f o r e i g n o p i n i o n about B a r o j a U I d e a l ,

one aXao raada I n h i a Memoriae the author * a c o n v e r s a t i o n v i t b

• v a r y cuXtured peraon i n Surope, who bad read Spanish X l t -

e r a t u r a ex tena lveXy* Baro ja asked t h i a peraon f o r h i s o p i n i o n

o f Spanish l i t e r a t u r e and the anawer waas

*-M@ Jim parec ld©,una l i t e r a t u r e nsuy p^slraista# ~~<fMaa qaai Xa m i a t

^ P l o Baro ja y R e a a l , ZaXacaln aX aven ture ro (BareeXane* X 9 0 9 ) , pp* 270 -27X . ^ —

2 S B M * » P* 2 7 1 . ?A

B a r o j a , l ienor l a g . p . X325.

31

••Sin ccmparaaiorw Para ml uatad m aa pa»imitta. Da «rua libroa aa daapranda una aonfianca an al porvanir y an loa otroa no* 1# aata litaratara aapaSola dal siglo XIX y dal XX, aattftica, inaovil.27

Finally, in his romantic trilogy, L&® inmlmtadm da

Shanti Andjjt. thara ia found tha motto or pbiloaophy nhich

ia Baroja'at

Marohar siempra adalanta, •• ««& la trfdaf tanar la ilmai^b puasta an lo vanidaro, aunqua la axpariancia noi danaiastra con lo falibla y lo ingrato da lo actual lo poeo propieio dal porvanir} aoSSar aobra la marchitaa del praaanta la losania da lo futurof vivir an la ai-paransa, aianpra dafraudada y aiampra animcaa«2o

It aaaaa, after all, that thia ia again aasantially Baroja*a

previously axpraaaad thaory—tha raal and tha idaal rauat ba

blandad to aaeura tha baat in tha novelf and ao nust thay

likaviaa ba blandad in U f a .

^Baroja, Ma»orlaa> p# 1312.

Bailiff and Jonaa, o£* elt., p. 7.

CHAPTER FT

BA!tO«TA*S POLITICAL IDEAS

'f

' The Spanish Republic and Democracy

When Spain proclaimed her Second Republic on thm four-

teenth day of April of 1931* Baroja, 1#*® did not believe in

it at *11, stopped writing for the newspaper Ahora. He re»

fused to write anything concerning the new government from

its beginning.

He was no longer the same young man nho, as a medloal

student at the University of Valencia, had believed himself

to be wholeheartedly a Republican, He believed then that a

revolution and war such as the French had had was a very nec-

essary spectacle in all nations; he also believed that terror

and the guillotine were necessary vaccinations for all peoples,

The Republican creed did not endure in Baroja's ideology.

In "The Mistakes of the Spanish Republic," he says of the

new regimet

' The new regime ought to have set about its tasks cautiously and even fearfully, but instead of doing so it made an imprudent beginning, displaying a lot of •w««er, and showing m i immoderate desire for easy triumphs, together with bitterness and a foolishly des-potic attitude towards its enemies*

Another example of our Republicans1 ignorance of psychology was, in my opinion, their eagerness to follow the revolutionary tradition. I believe that a revolution should be as untradltlonal as possible. They did not

• 3 3

3%

think so« They wanted to play the game of the French Convention, to make dogmatic declarations resembling thoae of the Rights of Mam "Spain is a republic of workers, ate."*

Latar, in tha same work he addat

It waa alto harmful and miataken, to create a ra* public with a aoeialiat or communiat ting®. If tba elections resulted in a aoeialiat majority, the Republi-eana should have aatabliahad a dietatorahip. Thia thay did not dare to do*

Instead thay talked and talked. First thay aaid that they wanted a conservative republic; later, that waa not enough! It had to be a leftiat republic; then it became a aoeialiat republic; and now it is communist and anarchist* As the situation grew mora®, the color of the semaphor changed; at present it ia a vivid red.2

Claude I, Anibal mentions•that thia republic that Saroja

spoke of waa the result of a long struggle by the Spaniah

people* It went back to the Carliat party that supported

absolute monarchy and claimed the Spanish throne for Carloa

de Borbon and his descendants* Their contentions caused civil

war twice; these were the guarras carllatas in which Baroja

found a source of inspiration, particularly for his series of

novels entitled Memoriae de nn hombre de aoclon«3

The first Carliat War broke out in IQ33 at the death of

Fernando VII, whose brother Carlos refused to recognise Fer-

nando »s primogenital daughter, Isabel II, as the heir to the

crown* The fighting ended in 1839, and Isabel reigned, very

^ o Baroja y Raul, "a® Mistakes of the Spanish Re-public,® fclvin* Age, CCCLI (January, 1937)# k23*

2Ibld*. p. l^*

^Anibal, ©£, cit.# p* 151.

35

badly* until she was dethroned in 1868* k provisional gov~

ernaumt finally offered the crown to the son of King Victor

Emmanuel of Italy, Aaadeo I of Savoy* who abdicated in l8?3»

The assumption of the crown by a foreign prince had by 1872

provoked a second Carlist War, in which another Carlos de

Borbon disputed Aaadeo*s rights. The latter1* abdication

allowed the Republicans, who had gradually gained strength

through the growth of liberalism, to have two years of power.

After their failure the Republic fell in 18?%* The Bourbon

Monarchy was then restored*

It was the Second Republlo, proclaimed In 1931 as a re-

sult of Alfonso XIII*a flight from the country, to which

Baroja referred In Paradox. rey, Being neither a Monarchist

nor a Republican, he consistently scorned and distrusted both.

Fernando Osorlo In Qaatlno de perfection says *

Ml tl© es especlslista en vjjlgaridades deraocr/ticasj »1 tfo es republicano. Yo no se si hay alguna cosa maa estUplda que ser republican©r creo que no la hay, a no «ar el ser socialists y democrats*

11 ml tfa, nl mis prliaas son republicans. Esas son «itorltarias y reacclonarlas, como todas las sxcjeres} per© «m autorltarlsmo no les hace ser tan. despoil©«» como su democraola y «i libertad a al republlcano tfo.fc

In Paradox, rey, the fturopeaas discuss the government

that they prefer for the people of Bo-Tata. Sanerecu la the

first to speak)

JjPf® Baroja y Kessl, Canine de perfecclon (Madrid, 193%), P« «3"•

36

Qanareau — Senores: To no comprendo pop que varaoa a segulr al pie de la letra lo dicho por loa sublevados•

Al pedlr estos un reyt lo que quleren lndicar ®s qua necesltan un gobleraoj jr creo qua major que un go-blerno personal as una republican

Golsueta — A al ma parage todo lo contrario. Hardlbras — A sjf tsmblen. Simpson — Aderaas, ®1 desao #® alios a® explfeitoi

quleren un r@j« # • Gsneraau — itfn reyt ^ Para que airve un rayT Paradox — Hombre, slrre poco maa o menoa para laa

mismas cosas qua un presidents da la rapublicaj para casar conejoa, para matar plchones y hasta an algunos casos, aagrfia a# die*, ban sarvldo par® gobernar»5

Don Fausto, in Los ultimoa roaantlcoa. talks to Mudarra

In the Cafe Universal?

En al fondo, los buenos republicanos no estaban con-tent oa* La Xnternacional y la aparicion dal Soeialismo les amargaba la dlcha.

Elloa habfim creido dar an al fondo da las tdaaa radlealesj habian saludado la Repisbliea y la Democracia eoao la aurora da una *ida oueva y sj> encontraban eon qua a sus pies gevminaba una Idea. mas radical <p@ la tuya*

Era, elertamenta dejBagradablej un ehasco pared da al dal toombre qua despuea da raucho ejapeno, eonaigua wa» entrada para una fiesta da invltacioh y g« enouentra daspues que todo el rmindo pasa sin billet##®

In Zalacafn el aventurero, Baroja tells about the Garllst

War caused by Aaadeof s abdication of the throne» The Republle

sought to gain strength and stability; but Instead, the author

says about the political situations

11 carllsmo se extendla y raarchaba de trlunfo en trlunfo. En eataluna y en el pais vasco—navarro lban haelendo progr©sos. La Republica espaiiola art una cala-mldad. Los period!cos hablaban de aseslnatos an Malaga,

Baroja y Hessl, Paradox. ray (He* York, 193?) > P* 109.

%£© Baroja y Masai, Los ultlsios roaantlcoa (Madrid. 1930). pp. 6?-68.

3?

de incendios en Alcoy, de aoldados qw# deaobedecfan a los Jefes y se negaban * batirse. By* una ver^aenaa.7

It was no wonder Baro;Ja was ashamed of the new regime

for h# despised cruelty and ahaa. Pretense in any form was

contrary to truthfulneaa and honesty, and he believed in the

truth at all times, in word and deed. As to the matter of

Republican oratory, he has the following to add:

La oratoria republicana hace pooo efectoj es una cos* anodina; formal, una d® tantaa »tt»Ifeisfcaei©ia#i /el culto Semitic© por la palabra. Esa palabrerxa, retorica, flatulenoiaa de ateneo o de juegoa floralea, dejan frfo a todo el raundo. AeC so pueden dar raftlns republicans de quince © yeinte ail hombres, que salen detpues <S® wa toatro o de un fronton como borregos, menos exaltadoa ft que si hubieran ofdo a Plata o iris to boxear a tffccudun.0

With the Republic came democracy* yet Baroja did not con-

sider it genuine. To M m it was simply a brutal system used

by the Republicans* In the prologue of Caaar o audit, he statest

Una deraocrecia refinada serfa la que, prescindiendo de lot asares del nacimiento, igualara en lo posible los »@dios de ganar* de aprender'y haata de vt-rtr y d#,iarm en libertad las inteligencias, las voluntadea y las con-ciencias, para qua ae destacaran unas aobre las otraa* La democracy aoderna, por el contrario, tiende a apla* nar los espiritps, a impedir el predominio de las capa-cidados, eafuwdndolo todo en un ambiente de vulgeridad. In cambio, ayuda a destacarse unos intereses sobre otroa.9

In spite of its defects the cowon people of Spain stub-

bornly supported the Republic. BareJa has some very wise

^Baroja, Zalacairi el aventurero. p. 99*

®Bar©jaf Obrag completes, V, 691*•

9Pio Baroja j N*ssl, wProlo.<*ue," Cesar o nada (Madrid. 193*1.), p. a.

m

vorda to i*7 About this, iihlch could bo applied to tho poo-

plot of all doaooratlo nations, Ho atataas

. • ' I bollovo it eaa bo abovn that all ocuntrloa llvo undor a dictatorship, woro or loaa vollod* 1® llko a back-drop whfefe gliroa perspoetlfo to;tho naaaoa, and which aakoa thorn bollovo tbat thoy tako part in tho govoronont of tho oountry. But tho truth la tbat tho polltlolan, one® ho i* In povor, broaka looao from tho majority and atoera hla ahip tho way ho liko#**® * ^

Elaouhoro ho addsi

F 1

/Oh la domooraelal Ea la pal&bra ma» lnaulaa quo m ha lnvontado» , Mm tsomo la plruota dol edhloo do ml •uobloj la mayorfa nl sabotaos le quo e@ doaoeraela nl o quo algnlflea, y, aln ombargo, noa augoatloaa y noa

haco ofootcu ' ' Hay algo quo ao llama doaooraola* una oapoolo do

bonovolonola do unoa por otroa, quo oa oomo la oxproalon dol oatado actual do la Huatanldad, y oaa no ao puodo donlgrar} oaa dontocraela oa un rosultado dol progroao.

la otra domocraela, do la quo tango #1 honor do hablar mal, oa la polltlea, la quo tlondo al doalnlo do la maaa, y quo oa m abaolutlaao dol muaaro* eomo ol aoolallaao oa un abaolutlano dol oatonago*

£tlatologlo«aonto# algnlflca goblorno dol puoblo paro yo oroo—qulaa' no ongaSo—quo ol puoblo no ha man* dado nunca, . » .

Una do laa tondonolaa quo parooo onrolvor la ldoa dawocratloa, y oon alia la aoolallata, aa la do la oqul~ dad y la do la Juatlola, A cada uno aogun au capaoldadj a oada eapacldad aagun sua obraa, ha dloho nn aoolallata, T oata formula aorla logloa oowo nlnguna al la laturalosa fuora tanblon oqultatlva y juata*^

la jh|von1N|d» pftola^rln Baroja again oxproaeea hla pollt*

leal attltudo, aaylngi

In la domooraela actual no hay waa quo doe aanclonoa: ol roto y ol aplauao*

108aroja, "Tho Mlatakoa of tho Spanish Ropubllo," p«

**BaroJa, ®bra& ooamlotaa, VIII, 863.

39

1© hay ma's qua «®t% lo qua ha hacho qua, aal" ccrao antaa loa hombraa eoaatian una aaria da Tilaaaa para , aatiafaear a loa rayaa* ahora coaatan otraa paraoidaa para oontantar a l a plaba.12

Socialism and Caasaunlam

Baroja considered t w pol i t ica l ayatama mora of a thraat

to bia indlvidualiaa than democracyi

Daapuaa dal rapublicaniaao danocratico vianan otroa partidoa aaa radioalaa y no aanoa abaolutiataa, cosbo al oomuniaao y a l aocialiaao, qua bo aa difarancian antra alloa gran eoaa aaa qua an au tifctioa, Daapuaa aparaea «1 iuaarftiitet#*

ffinguno da asto® aiataaaa quiara tanar an euanta 1* raalidad, y^todoa alloa aon utopicoa, todoa noa pro* natan un paraiao con Adah y Eva, y ain aarplanta. Ba daeir, sis eapitaliataa,

S3. aocialiaao y eomuniawo, por abora an ninguna part* han predpcido grandaa banaficioa, . : I * wiyoria da lag concapcionaa dal aocialiamo son iio®orl&#» 11 loa aocialiataa n i nadia puadata a&cap da, 1® nada una aooiadad nuava a fueraa da dacratoa, Habrla qua tranaformar laa eondicionaa da la t iar ra . haeer cul~ tura intanaa intalactual y aanti»antal«*3

Ha alao baliavad that eorasuniazs and socialism Mara bypo—

cr i t i ca l and tbua incompatible vith h i t doctrina of trutbt

e@n loa aocialiataa aunca ba quarido nada, Una da las eoaja qua aa ha rapugnado an alloa. maa qua au pa-dan tar la » am qua au charlataniano, maa qua au bipocraafa, •» inatinto inquiaitorial da avariguar laa vidaa a j anal ,34

S t i l l apaaking of aocialiaia and eoramuniam, tba author

latar ooamantadt

^Baroja, Ofogaa cowplataa. V# 215#

P* 921,

% M d . * p. 217*

lj.0

Otro ail to g»® socialists® y oonunlstas no# quieren dar co»o una realldad m el ie la aabldurfa del, Estado. £1 Eatado paternal ottando »® implante, lp aabra todoj lo mists© si eata' constituldo por grandes tepnlcos qua por „ grandm lgnorantes. El jwapleado holgaisan, ae convertlra ©a trabajador y ordenara la vldaf el agolsta, an gene-roso, j el arbl^trarlo, an Jus to. El Eatado ieglalara haata an los mas pequenos detallesj as culdara da loa bibaronea de loa chlcoa y da la cantidad^de aaplrlna qua tianen qua tomar loa carcamalea reuraatieoa. Eata utopla tan vleja noa la quieren dar corao algo maravllloso, Inventado ayer, loa comunlstaa y loa faelstaa,^5

In Aurora roja. the fo:

the aaaia subjects

lowing statement la made on much

A1 bando ane.rquleta Iban solo loa convencldos j exaltados, j ®1 Ingresar en Si sablan que lo unico que lea esperaba era #®r perseguldos por la Justlelaj m eamblo, an 1»# agrupaclonea socialists*, al entraban algunos por convenclmlento, la mayorla lngresaba por lnteres. Eatos obreros, soclallstas da oeasion, no • tomaban de laa doctrinas maa que aquello que lea slr-vlera d# a w i para aloanxar ventaj©si el soeletarlsmo, en forma de Soeledadea de socorros o de reslstencia. Bate aocletarlamo lea hacxa autorltarlos, despotleos, de un egolsmo repugnante. A consecuencia de loa oflcloa coaaensaban a cerrarse y a tener escplafonesf no se podfa entrar a trabajar en nlnguna fabrlca sin pertenecer a una Socledad, y para ingreaar en eata habla <toe some terse a su reglaaento y pagar ademaa una gabela.*6

Baroja mocked the virtues of communism In one of his laat

books, a picaresque novel, in which a typical Bar©jIan char-

acter, Cornejo, declares;

— La hlatorla de hoy, la que se ha escrlto haata aliora, tlene poeo valor—-decfa Cornejo, Irgulendose en el^banco en que estaba aentado, con aire suficlente y dandose lwportancla, coso si estuvlera enterado de todo *•» La hlatorla grande aera la que se eserlba por loa

iSibid*. p. 9074

16p|© Baroja y Kessl, Aurora roja (Madrid, 1935), p. 202.

ia

horabres que se inspiren en las doctrinas ccn&mlstas, que h«n venido a decir las verdades fundamentales a loe hos-bp©s de buena voluntad, .

Dentro de su estupides, tenl^ aquel hombre un fond© de ironfa amarga y burlona, El merlto para el grand®, era el falsificar. • • ,3J

Another picaresque character In the novel Juat mentioned

expresses the following opinion of communism:

Lince--Porque d/que'es el comunismo? Is la apli-cacion del materialismo que intenta aer reallata en la vida. &a aplica^idn de un materialicmo anticuado, Pero • * <f,que ea el materialismo? 11 materialismo ea un si#tenia de teorJTas que no acepta que en la ia-turalesa exiatan caprichoaj pero hay sablos que ban comprobado que existen caprichos inexplicable*

Anarqulsm and Liberalism

If Baroja was not a Republican, Democrat, Socialist, or

Communist, what was he? The answer to this question ia found

in a dialogue between Dfas and Yann in La casa de Alsgorrlt

Dfa* — (a Yann) tested aer/ de loa nuestroa, 6 verdad? Yann — {con ironfa,) fce quieneaT Dlas — 1X0 ea uated aoeialiataf Yann — 4 Oh I Mo, Dlas — d No tiene uated ideas polfticasf Yann — Hada • , ,, nada • • . Dfa* — Sin embargo, sera"usted algo, Yann — Sf, Soy Yann Liabaert, hijo de Max Liebaert*

nada mas* , Bfaz •» l Mo ea uated partidario de alguna cosa? Yann — Ho soy partidario de nada, at de nadie.

CVt elir® la eabeza a dale,) Lo «|u@ ha dieho usted-d® las maqulnas me ha pare el do blen* d Que" es uated, companero?

0alo — Yo . • •, Carlista, graciaa a Dios. Yann (Sonrlendo.) Casi igual que yo. Yo soy

anarqulsta,19

^Baroja, Obraa completas. VIII, I4.6I*

l8Ibld.. p, 14.83,

^Baroja, La caga de Alssgoprt, p, 182,

tlJ

In Ju van tad* eatolatrlV tha author t t j a alnoat tha a ana

thing of hlaaalfs

Yo ha jgii© aiawpraun l ibera l radical* indivi-dualist* y anarquiata.2 0

Llberalian had produead a aoeial form that waa ar ia to-

era t i c and intal l igant* Tha l ibera l regiaa had coma cloaaat

to tha formula given by Saint Si&ont "A cbacun aelon aa^

capaelta, a ehaqua eapaeita suivant aaa c w w t , * ^

fhara wara many, nany indieationa of Baroja'a individ-

ualiam and anarch!am in hia novala • In Aurora ro.1a tha

author t a l l a what kind of anarchism ha baliaved im

El anarquiano dal l iba r ta r io ara a l lnd!vldua£lai»o rebalda, foaco y huraSo, da tm caraoter aaa filoaolfieo qua practico.2*

Tha following quotations i l l ua t r a t a tha forcafulnaaa of

hia anarobiatio idaaa* In Aurora ro j a . Prata and another

man speaks

Con la anarqufa ya no habra" holgasanea* — it por qua' noT — Porque nof porque la holgaaanerfa aa un product©

da l a organitaeitfh aocial da hoyj auprima uated as ta , y ya no babra' holgatanea •

— <?Por qua"? , , — Jerque nadia tandra interea an no t raba ja r , come

no habra avaroa taapooo* ^ ** E» qua come loa obreroa aatan aaociados, aa inponen. — jt tu no eatabaa aaoeiado antesf

2®BaroJa, Obraa ompltt—« f $ 234* 21Saint-8imon, Hie Heaolra of Loula da Reuvroy Stt# da

galnt»S taion WewTorSt 195917

2 28aroJa, Aurora ro ja , p . 101*.

ks

»» YO| is@» — <(*© area aoclaliata?

fatoht , Aparquiata y 7

— iff me ea maa aimpatica la anarqttia que el sooialisaio# , , /

»» df eual #« la anarquia que tu defiendea? •• He) yo no defiendo nir gtma. — Haoe? Men? X* anarquia ,para todoa no #s nada.

Para uno# ait •» 1» libertad• d Y aabaa ooaio ae eon-algae haeeree libret Priaaro, ganando dineroj luego» penaando. £1 monton, la »aaa, nunoa aerif nada.23

In Paradox • Fey Coronal Ferragut declares to lingot®s

»» Porque ante a loa oaballeroa, aeBor Mingote (coge un hlgo da papal), <u>*la*bm a loa a«atrea» a loa sapateroa, y a la M s gentecilla aenudaf pero ahora alia gentecilla aa noa ha aubido a laa barbae, aeftor Mingote# y ea la qua atanda, y la qua gobleraa y por aao deelaro qua aoy anarquiata.«q.

®be following paragraph, from Aurora roia. eehoea B A P A J K ' S

own baliafat

Hablaba con un tono un tan to aarcfcatico, nanoaaando oon arua dedoa largoa y dalgadoa au barba da procor, auave y flexible • Para el, lo principal en el anarquiamo era la pro tea ta del individu© contra el £atado; lo gamut* la cuestion eeomsabioa, ®aai no 1® importaba; #1 problem®, para el eataba, an jpoder librarae iejt yugo de la auto-ridad* £1 no queria obedecer; queria que ai <fl s# aa» ooiaba oon algaien fueee por m voluntad, no por la fueraa de la ley* Afiraaba tamblen que laa ideaa de bien y de nal tenian que tranefomarae por oowpleto, y oon elloa, la del deber y la de la virtud.25

Mmdan® Roobe and Mr. Araeil have the following cower-

aation in Jg| eluded de la nleblai

* * ! & £ • * P * 1 2 8 -

^Baroja, rey, p. 2k*

^Baroja, Aurora roia. p. 96.

if4

-- tlatad hablft 4* anarquiaao* da r a v o l u e i o n — r « p l i » cmba aadama « Y yo no quiaro al anftrqulatao, K1 anarquiamo m la t*ndoncia do dattmii* tod© 1© hernoao para aubatituirl© eon lo fa©* Haear do Londraa t m Whit# Chapal grand*.

~r No. no #« eiartoj an tftl caao, @3. anarqulamo no quarria auu» qua aoarearaa * lft lay natural.

*•» Pero ac^rcaraa a la Hatniralacft «« aeerearaa a la baatift«-*daeia m u M m * Hoots#,

Jaaua and Manual, In Aurora roJau axohanga thaaa raatarka t

— J Ho vaa a ir hoy a "La Aurora"? Vamoa * tanar junta* . .

«*«* <*®n doada? <?fi» la tabarna dal ehaparror *>*•' /sit — To n o voy» dA qua? y

' / $n*' burgees ta aataa haeiandol Alia eatara fcu haraanof ta todat laa noohaa•

* - I*# #®t|iij..fe«t©md© la paaeua a Juan, jiatfaaioaa an aaaa eoaaa iftj anarqpiaiao* «fu© no aim b u qua mamadaa*

— if* haa ranagado tamblajpi da la ldaa? x » • Hombra, a mi la anarquia »a paraaa bian, oon tal

da qua va'nga an aaguida, y 1# d«f a eada tmo 1#® madioa d® tanar u n * caaitft* un huartaaillo y traa o cuatro horaa da trabftjo; par© para no haear a u qua bablar y hablar* eoao haea'ia roaotrqa, para llanaraa oowpaftaroa y @®lia.* daraa dieiandot "/*8aludl#" parft aao prafiaro aar aola impraaor* „ ,, x

•• aon anarquia o a in anarquia, aaraa alaapra fenrgwa# inafae.to*

— Par© </aa qua aa naeaaario aar an«rqulata y a«» borraeharaa parft •ivirT«t

Anibal found tb«t Baroja eonaiatantly ridiculed anarefaiata,

not only for thair futila and unaettled eraad and for tbair

atupid daatruetion of U f a and proparty, but alao for their

generally daapicabla paraonal qualitiea* thair aowardice,

thair fanatictaw, thair narrou^windednaaa, thair agotiatie

vanity «nd thair paraonal intereata. Hevertbeleaa» ha Justly

2 ^ P i o B«rojft y Xasal, ta eluded da la ttiebla {Saw York, 1931$.)» p . %©.

27BaroJft, Aurora rola. p . 99#

k$

distinguished different sort® of anarchism and rebelled against

the principle of established authority. The anarchistic phi-

losophy, destruction for constructive change, was to him much

more alluring and less to be feared, than socialism* He rec-

ognised, however, that though the former Is acceptable as a

theory or even a religion, it is impossible to carry it into

practice as a political, social systems "Para todoa no es

nada* Para uno, si; es la l i b e r t a d . " 2 8

In the first volume of Memories* Baroja recalls his con-

versation with a friend ten days after the advent of the sec-

ond Spanish Republici 9 y f s *

-- <4, Que anda usted?—me dljo. d Per©, ©omot d&@ va usted?

— Sf| aie voy al pueblo, ooroo fcodos los anos. — Pero no se va usted a presenter al Goblerno. — /X© al Groblernol <£Para que? — /Pero no es usted republican©? — Muy poop republlcano , ^ — Pues, que'es usted? i Monarquico? — So. Haste ahora he sido de los del lndlvlduo

contra el iSstado.2?

On another occasion, in Juventud. egolatrfa. he remem-

bers the following meeting and conversation also indicative

of the fact that his individualistic ideas about anarchism

did not change completely}

Hace unm mesas, mn una librerjfa <Je vie jo d® la vieja Calle del Olivo, nos encontramos tres amlgoat un literato, un impresor y yo.

— I»©8 tres eramos anarqulstas hace quince anos— dljo el impresor.

2®Anlbal, o£. clt., p. 190.

^Balseiro, o£. clt*. p. 20?.

m — Hoy# ^que' «cm©af—pregwsit®' yo« -» iosotros soaos ee»servadores<*«>c0nfcesto ®1 lite-

rate.--* JUstedT »• To ere© que tengo las mlanat idea® qua entotac©®,. — St que listed no ha evoluclonedo«»repllc</ el ©«•

critor* eon clerta sorna.30

In his search for truth and justice Baroja gradually

turned from anarchism to the Darwinian cult of action, energy

«nd ruthless power. I© admired men of intelligence aai

strength* this inclined bia to favor as a losses* evil, tbs

one-man authority of benevolent socialistic dictatorship*

His negative criticism and his aspiration for social and po-

lities! change might in tbo broadost sense of tha term be

called anarchistic# hot ha was entirely pacific and quite out

of sympathy with the unoriented violence of the classic anar*

chistlc systems. We read in Rapaodlaat

fampoe® cogi" del anarquisao su pretepdida parte constructive. Me bastaba su esplrltu erifcleo, medio llterario, medio cristlano, Despues reaeclone"contra estas tendencies* y ne sentl darvinista, y considered ««*© espontaneaaente oonsideraba en la infancia, que la lucha, la,guerra y la aventura eran la sal de la vida.

x Para at, aptea y ahora, el anarquisao no ha sldo • aias que una crltloa de la vida social y polltioa, un llberalismo extreme•

Adeaas de este caraeter, me hlcleron encontrarlo #»* tlaable la defense individual y el sentlalento de pledad,31

Dictatorship and Militarism

III 1936 Baroja found hlaself involved in the Spanish con*

flict of the tlae, the Civil War*

3®BaroJa» Obras completes* V, 166,

p. 883.

hr

1# m i (till the same individualist ae before, though

aoaewh&t inclined to indifference, and had begun to ration-

all *• in tha laat years of his Ufa. However, he still classi*

flad himself at that exact time aa a liberal. Hia liberalie*

waa not a religious or politioal one. Instead it waa avidant

in hia love for tha humble, in hia loyalty to troth, in hia

dialika of fraud and farce.

Anibal atataa that tha author believed that Spain had

not progreased but had gone backward! If tha militarists won

tha war, ha fait sura tha Spanish nation would ba fortunate.

For that reaaon, and fro* that time on, ha daelarad himself ft

to ba in favor of a military dietatorahtp baaed on pure au-

thority, and ona that would ba strong enough to dominate the

threatening instineta of the socialists. Thus ha waa again

not for one party or the other easentially because he did not

truest politicians.32

In Paradox, reya when he refers to a "paternal govern*

mmt,B though preauaably speaking only of tfganga, he is really

advocating political diotatorehip for Spain*

In Suevo tablado da Harlegujtn. he sayst

. • . un afniau* da ley y . , • un mmzimmt da au-tori dad . . . U gran ventaja que ties© ®1 gobiemo por uno, cuando ese uno es btieno, es <jue puede conocer a loa hoabrea, lo que nunea conoc© \ma asa&blea, y aderaaa

puede obrar fuera de la ley cuando oonvenga . . * Si neeeaita an buen tirano, buaqu<6toele.33

32Anibal, 0£. clt.» p. 193.

Baroja y Heaai, tfaeva tablado da Harlequin (»®w Yoi^i X$i)»0} f JU £0&*

m In Aurora roja Baroja repeated that thia type of govern-

ment was fea«t for Spain, la vhoae population he had m m a

strong African element. Ha concludes hia argumentt

La tiranfa da laa ideas y da las maaaa ea para mi repulsive • • • la democracia al prlncipio da una ao-ctedad, no al fin.3*

Avlranata, the protagonist in B1 aprendia da conaplrador.

arguet thualyt

lo# Martini no eatoy conforae, B«p«Ha no neceaita naa qua una dictadnrai la da la juatieia, la da la lit* teligencia, la da la libertad. Wada da foersa, nada da aoldadoa qua quiaran imitar a lapole^n# SI Poder civil debe eatar aiaapre por eneirna dal Poder milltar*^ £1 Ejlrcito no dab® aar mas qua el brase da la nacion, nunca la cabesa.35

Apparently Baroja did not with to permit any one group

to monopolise authority. At one moment he would aay ha de-

sired a military dictatorship and the next he would aay ha

did not think highly of the amy, aa aean in jfuventad,

egolatrfat

To aoy un antimilitariata da, abolengo. Loa vascos nunca ban aido aoldadoa an el ejercito regular,3©

Also, in I* aenaualldad pervertlda. ha deelarea that

even if one were anti-military, one would have to reeognisa

that armies ara decorative and that, aa they aareh in paradaa,

they provide the beat poaaibla entertainment for baby-sittera

^Baroja, Aurora roja, p« 101*

3^pfo Baroja y fa®si* 11 aprendis da eonapirador (Madrid. 1931)• p. 162.

3%®ro|at Obraa eompletaa. V, If8#

and ehildrea* 1® adds# however, that Ira Spain, at least,

neither vara nor armies have brought any benefits to tha

country aa a whole*37

I»ike Paradox, Baroja was motivated by what ha ealla "HI

patriotism© da da«aar«n Thia ha tells in tha following wayt

Yo pareseo poco patrlotaj «jln embargo, lo aoy • « • tango noraalmente la preocupacion da desear al mayor ft bian para »i pa£sj paro no al patriotisao da menUr*-*0

Ha had vary atrong word® to aay on tha subject of poll-

ties and politicians and to a certain extent was undecided

as to nhat ha really wanted for Spain. In his writings there

are many contradictory passages which indicate that his ideas

about government changed. The book Cesar @ nada offers a

good illustration of this point* Cesar conea face to face

with a politician *ho» he fights to destroy. He succeeds in

this endeavor, and Bsroja takes satisfaction from the fsct.

The confusing thing, however, is that though Cesar has fought

tha evllness of the politician, he himself exhibits many of

the other*s faults* Nevertheless, in the end, he is rewarded

with happiness*

Baroja's strong dislike for politicians is revealed by

the following lines from 11 aprendls de conaplrador* where

Zurbano and Avlranata argue violently*

* V o Baroja y Xessi, La senaualidad pervertlda (Madrid, m k ) * p. 50.

^®BaroJa, Obras completes* V, 168,

50

*»• <jpian§a# tu quo lot politicos ospanolos son buanost , *©» /Corao voy & ponsar ®§®f So qua son aaloaj

per©. so quo ti#pen xwchos do olios tanta buona fe com© X©« do loa te&i p&i#w*

— Rntonoas 5a© oonprondo por quo'lo hacon »®1* — I<0 haeajp »«il porquo on IspaSa. as isiposiblo baeorlo

bion. Lo» politico* son malos ouando ml paia es nalo. — Ho, no, Espana no as poor qua etra naeidbu

Ho sora""poor individualaontof lo «* colootivamant* • — So ontiondo, oso. Ho parooo lo que dices tin* #»

•**s frasas do politico quo no quiaron doclr nada. — Vn hoatbro puedo sor buon ho»bro y mal oludadano. — Cuando so m mal eludadano so as aal hoaibr«.»»

eonto»to Zurbano, dsndo un puSataso «n la mosa* • •• Ho* On Crisjso quo viviara antra nosotros sorla

un buon hoabro, aoria un real ctudadane, •• Argucias* *- Rasonos *

D1 %p quo quioras. To as toy co,nvoncido do quo •on lot politicos loa quo not raatan. <iPor quo'no so aoaba la guorra civil? for olios,39

Baroja'a patriotism «ust bo sought outsids tho area of

political idoas. It is to bo found In his sincerity, in his

loyalty to tho individual, and in his lova for fraodoxu

His attitude# regarding tho outcome of tho transitional

ago in irtiich ho livod w r o , however, loss pos stasia tie in his

lator yoars than oarlior in tha century. With tho passing of

ti«o ho grow loos aggreasive and individualistic, giving up

bis idoal of action for its own safe® in favor of a mora peace-

ful existence. Sociologically and politically, ho raaaina

an agnostic*

**BaroJa, gj. aprondis do consnlrador, p. 161 •

CHAPTER ?

SOCIAL IDEAS 4MB ATTITUDES

\

X Society and Social Institutions

Baroja has definite moral and social Ideas, and he uses

his novels to project these ideas. In his prelude to La

nave de los locos he states that he is aware that critics

believe that the author should never speak his personal con*

victiona through the mouths of his characters; then he states

that be himself intends to take the floor whenever he wants

to, whether the occasion seems to demand it or not.l That

is exactly what he does• He uses his characters to voice his

observations on the social problems of his country; however,

he seems to give only the worst side of the picture. Instead

of calling attention to the good, he picks out the most ob-

jectionable features and satirises them.

A critic is of the opinion that there is in Baroja**

novels little "sweetness and light" and little insistence on

orthodox morality. He is touched with the healthy paganism

that comes with intellectual renascence. He has eaten of the

civilising yeast which makes men doubtful, if not cynical,

and which, by dispelling blind faith, causes them to lose

l H o Baroja y Kessi, H0n the Making of a Hovel," Living *«.. 325 <M«y 23. 1925). U2!t. *

51

51

their reepect for Institution! that have grown corrupt or

have outlived their reason for being* Be punctures the va-

lidity of conventional respectability end calls for changes,2

ffi# saoe orltle adds that Beroja waa quite willing to

take men as he found them, accepting their shortcomings and

even their crimes as a aatter of fact. Be made no attempt

to reform than and even allowed virtue to be victimized by

triumphant vtce or wickedness« To hlra, a novelist who assumed

that human nature could be turned fro* its time-worn ways by

either preaching or force violated actual reality# 3

What Baroja would correct and did protest against was

not the poor wretches at whom an Ill-ordered society looked

•o unreasonably, tout the Institutions that constituted the

fundamental evil, the crushing remains of feudal and medieval

civilisation, particularly the unjust distribution of power

•nd wealth, that made poverty and crime inevitable.

His writings are a revelation of a frankly anti-social

nature atoatly opposed to the existing social order. To hi*,

the aristocracy and the clergy, the amy, and Inefficient

government official® were the real enetales of society, ft

was their hypocrisy, Ignorance, and futile Ineptitude that

Baroja hated and decried above all else.

*A»lbal, ©£. clt«« p« xxvl, //'

^ibld., p* xxvl•

S3

ffaa ariatooraay la Spain had m r t u o n for existing,

Baroja thought, aa thara m nothing of advantaga to Spain

that i t aould off or* The aris tocrats had advantagaa in l i f a

otha* paopla did not, yat thay did not alvaya aara *onay

honattly. In Laa teoraa aollt&rtan ha haa thia to aay about

social elassaai

SM I I laa palabraa qua aa amplaan nraeho an &an , Sebastian aa l a palafepa elaao.* "Wo aa da m elaa#,w

*8i at da an alaaa," . 8a *a aomo al aantido ariatoarrftiao ' c« daaarrbll* an Im pnabloa mi«voa,

.. 11 donoatiarra -eiifiafdara qua la. olaaa .•£#?***- a# f®»« aon al dlnaro y id* padraa. to lot abueloa ya »»<• *1} a® f SJaj IMMpo# a pa-star da a t t a faallidad -da aer *ria» toarata, no por aao,al ariatoaratiauo aa laxo, a l ra*aa*

' Yo no soy damocrata i# aatoa dat *©to y dal aufyagfo* p#**b ma parte# my Men qua no haya elaaas soetalas mien-ttraa laa alaaaa aoalalaa no1 ofraaian algasa vantaja* Una

• claaa daba podar defanderaa por algo* Paro Vqua'objato puadan tanar tanoa cuantoa ariato'crataa raunidoa an aaa gran hotal , an eo;npa3la da unoa anarieanoa rieoa, da unoa cuantoa politiooa ehanQhullaroa da Madrid y da a l -gtmoa naviaroa bilbalnoa? cJFor qua'va a tanar t>riri-lagloa aata ganta? dQua'utilidad noa praata a loa danUia?

. • . So tlanan tampoco aantido aocial, inatinto da dlr igirf gaatan au dinero ronoaamanto, y »iran eon tamer y con auapicaeia a laa gantaa qua no tianan madioaA

Later ha addat

Pasda la familia raa l , con an aira burgue'a, hasta al warquaa pont i f ic io , la ariatooracia aapaSola as funda-nantalnanta raorplona.

&a vardad aa qua, a pasar da lo qua aa habla, loa ariatoarataa oada va* t? anan man© a prarrogativaa y llagaran a no tanar ningnna«

X* daaigualdad da l a naturalaxa aa l a qua v& mumido tarrano* La Juvantud, l a ballasa, la intaliganeia, la "*«*«*» «»o aa lo unieo <jua ya puada tanar prtvilagioa, y «»o no aa axeluaivo da ninguna claaa.5

^Baroja, Obrmf coamlataa. V, 3^0*

£lbld». p, 3%l#

$k

Tha state of aoaiaty in Spain 1® daaeribad for tha raadar i.

*».Igr*9q»fW. M . « P % fiflt* / z

•.•,•;• For » » parte, X® monarqula, qma Iba daaacrad itandoaa y «iwllaetandUMMfc» rodaada da una ariatoeraeia aorrempidaj

, ' pop • otra, ' ml ®|®roit© mm. tm anblante da favoritism®, y #1 aXaro aa£a va* »aa ineXinado a Xaa sttparatioionaa. . « La aituaaion era da'»a»tr©a«U ' I# wmm fu® Xea< piXaraa daX mundo antigao a# ouartaaban* ••' - , Arriba, an las altag, aafaraa da la «©'©i#d*d# no • babia mas qua xriaio. aaoandaXo, Xioaneia). &foaj©# bn» tali dad ampere tie Ion, aiaaria* HanoXaria da aada y , isanoleria de harapos. Unieaaente com© raraadio #@ v@ia «n fpropo axiguo i« gwt# eulta, daaXigad® da Xoa unoa y da les otroa, hombrea entendidea, pero egoiataa; inoa-» paces da arreatrar a nadia,. incapaaea da eomprendar aX puablo, ©rgulloaos y aX miamo tiaap© et&tupdaa *

ProbabXamanta no habra'habido pariodo, an Eapana an q«a aX puablo aatyviara tan muarto. • AX oido ®m£s' fino X« bubiara aido difiaiX aneontrar an aquaX gran cruorpo daa* organieado aXgo ooao tm Xatido ravaXador da Xa *ida.®

Thla diaaatroaa aoalaX attention it aXao tha ona r®»

farrad to In Jgi gamam&XidaC parrartida* tola ttai>gui*# tha

protagoniat, i*» undoobtadly, not a literary man but a curious

parson intaraatad in paychoXogy and fond of criticising ar-

chaic and routinary aooiaty*

fh« parpoaa of thia paradoxieai book ia to give an axaet

inpraaaion of Spaniah aooiaty at tha and of tha ninataanth

cantury and tha beginning of tha twentieth* It pictares a

aooiaty atiXX ruXed by cmpitaXiaa, militaries, and theocracy*

Btrdj* diaanaaaa Spaniah aoeiaty in a aatirioaX manner.

Ha aaya that ona auat have raapact for tha rleh n*n, even

Himigfe ha *ay ba a soneyXender* tha military man, even though

& BareJa, |gj, aprendla da aonanirador. p« 2X3,

55

stupid; and the magistrate, even though he may constantly

commit errors* He then says that one must do these things

because the priest, who represents God on earth, says to

do them.

thereafter he reiterates!

La sociedad debe tener una base flrsaej y que los clmientos suyos se apoyen sobre roca viva, o sobre un raont<6i de fierro, es igual. Deberaos respetar la obra d# los entepasadoe, aunque esta ©bra sea una mesela de extravagancia y absurdo.'

In Los ultlmos romanticos Baroja attacks the aristocracy.

He says that the aristocrats cannot forgive anyone Who might

have had the talent, energy, or fortune to become rich. Be

adds that in these social groups, particularly the Spanish

aristocracy, Which is one of the most Ignorant, the only

strong feelings existing are vanity, selfishness, and conceit.

All the real qualities of a fine person such as beauty, grace-

fulness, kindness, and distinction are insignificant compared

to rank.

Baroja voices his disgust for the aristocracy over and

over again. In the case just mentioned, frow Los ultimo#

romanticos. Clementina end her daughters want to belong to

the highest social class, but the aristocrats of the town,

refusing to recognise their rights, turn them down. Clementina

and her daughters are financially qualified to oceupy a high

^Baroja, La sensualldad pervertlda. p. 17.

*6

aoaial position but thay hava m "rang©* of high quality .

which ifoald anfcitla tham to j©ln* tee® mora ha brings «mt

hit ©antral idaat • • '

~«aata «©©i©dad ftrl«t0cr4tle«i*~dljo ml primo fll&ofo—aaUf s»? Man organiaada. Ba la tfniea qua tiana huan aantido y touan gaato. X*« marldo* and an galfaando eon una y ©tra, da aea' para alia, da ©aaa da Lucia a aaaa da l»rea<S®s> y d# aata a oasis. d# !«ta, M a pobraoitaa d# las amjaraa s# quadan sbandonadas, y *r laa va vaoilar tafcttit* mete® tiawpo y p&mmr eon loa ©Jo® triataa. lst#t» :#»'.«» dia a#'d#©ld#ii* y haean blan# toman im q«a»£dlto,~.y a vlvl* alagraraeafea*"

t&fct thara flora Individual d£ff#r-

mm a in pa©piej sow® at*# »©w» giftad than ©thara* What he -

oppoaaa ia tha f€®t that toeltfcy ioaa not divlda ita elaaaa*'

according to talanta Imt'liitiaaft-ooly according to runic#-

Madaaia Roche and Sanor Aracil diacuaa thia reattar in

M c i^ d e a is M **»*>*»»

—• ^Bntonaaa por qoa'aa qaaja natad da la moral tradiaionalT

— Porqtia #• aboard** iY %«#"#• an al fond© lo absurdo tin© 1©

antinatural? — JSa qua aa natural la daaigaaldad* Lo dica al

miaao Evangelic: "Hay qua dar a Dioa lo qua aa da Oioa y al Ca'aar lo qna aa dal Ca*aar,*

«•*» £« qaa hoy Dioa aa ha ©oxrrartid© an mm paraonaja diacptido y problematic© y al Caaar an un autonoviliata ridtculo, m tan matador da pichonea o an »m via J ant© da costercio* x

— Uatad no qpiara raconocar eatagoriaa* par© laa hay an todo—argUia aadaaa Rocha*

»• Claro qua laa hay, par© n© aon laa qua aoapta la aoeiadad—©ontaataba ad padra*

•«*> Par© laa ©atagoriaa aa m m , aa iap©nant dal ohampagna, no aa major qua al agctaf

®Baroja, Camino da p»gf»a»l«u p* 30*

*?

— lo* Bale uated a l aedlento que aeaba de andar ma din a l so l una b o t e l l a da ebampagne o una Ja r ra da agaa; vera 'ua ted l o qua p r e f l e r e .

•» S I , an e l e r toa oaeos• Pero yo no hablo da l o que ea major an a l dea ie r to , aino da l o que aa » # | w an Londrea*

— Ea que Londree as un punto da v i s t a eomo a l de-a i e r t o aa o t r o . 9

Later SeSor Arael l deolarea»

— 81 jm l o aa» Yo e re i ' qua a a to a ra o t r a ooaa; pero aa un suable e«t<ftldo j an t i pa t i po . Aftti, l a ldaa da ca tegor ies l o r iga todot eategoriaa da hombres, da arajerea, da unos da f r a t a a , da juegoe, da eport* iffo pueblo ,que t lana tra Ideal da d l c i p l i n a y da orden! /Qua cosa waa repugnantel*®

In C&ar £ na<3.& Saroja #»#»« to con t rad ic t the views

previously given, ye t doea no t , aa Ceaar aayai

— Quiero demostrar qua debajo de eae aundo d i a t i n -guldo no hay isaa que diner©, y que, por l o t an to , no i spo r t a qua aa deshaga. El bombre nae ingenioao y nuts f i n o , a l no t lana dinero se nnere de bambre an un r ineon j esa sooledad ch ic , qua aa laa heoba da e e p l r l t u a l , no l o acogerrf' j aaaa , porque t e r a a p l r i t u a l a Intel1genta no ea un va lor en l a p l a sa ; en eamblo, a l aa t r a t a da un animal wuy r i e o , l l e g a r a ' a aer aeaptado y f e s t e j a d o por loa a r l s t o c r a t a a , porque e l dinero ea;un valor r e a l , ea un valor cot*sable , major dleho aa e l unleo va lor eo t laab le ,**

Elaeifttere Ceaar proclaims $

To no nlago e l v a l o r , n i aun l a eategorla* Hay grandea valorea en l a v ide , unoa n a t u r a l e s , cow© l a Juventud, l a b e l l e s a , l a fuerxaf otroa mm a r t l f i e i a l e s , eomo e l dinero, l a posiolrfn s o c i a l j pero eao da l a d l a -t lnei r fh , de l a f l n u r a a r l s t o e r a t i o a , ea una f a r s a . l a una leyenda l i t e r a r i a por e l e a t l l o de aaa que oorre en novelaa da qua loa a r l a toe ra t aa da l a v l e j a gfpa a l e r ran sua puertaa a loa rleaehonaa amerloanoa» «

^Baroja, La oiui»d de n l ab la , p# 1*1 • P* H I ' u B a r o j a , £ nada, p . 133* **Xbld». p . 137.

58

Municipal official® were another group which Baroja crit-

icised severely* According to him they were in a large measure

responsible for the wretched living conditions of Spain1s

lower classes.

La casa de Alzgorrl. an account of the opposition of in-

dustrialism and agriculture in a Basque town, offers a criti-

cal analysis of local magistrates. In it Baroja gives a lecture

on the evil effects of alcohol and describes with disgust the

deplorable conditions prevailing in the town#

The owner of a liquor factory finds himself penniless

and forced to close the factory. The alealde of the town ar-

gues against closing the factory for no reason other than the

fact that the factory workers live in houses he owns; if the

factory closes there will not be jobs for the men and the fam-

ilies will move out of the houses, depriving him of his income

from rent.

In the following dialogue two workers discuss the sit-

uation I

, Garraiz^— Pues no te ehoqwe. Para mf, j sab®s quienes estan dlrigiendo esto de la buelga? LOB rleos del pueblo de,al lado•

Sal© — j Bahl Ctarrals — Si, hombre• Uno de alios, el alcalde,

que saca una buena renta de las casas que alqulla a los obreros de la destllerfa.

Oalo — SI alcalde de Arbea no necesita de eso« Qarralss — Ho, pero le gusta la moneda, El viesrlo

y los dos cures piensan que, si pierde importancla el

St

Ayunt<Rsil«nto do alia* lo uaom *1 d« aquf, como ra ban dloho, f mm&m, 1®# liboraliis.ll

In another novel, Outgo de i>#rf®cetoa» one flnda the

following wordsi

Solo por el aapeoto artfatioo do im elndad podfa •liglfit una fo quo las conclenolaa ya no txiitft*

Loa caciques, dadleadoa al ehanohnllof lot oew clantea, al roboj loa curat, la aayorfa, do olloa eon ant barraganaa, paaando la vtda deade la iglosla al ©af«j Jngando al monte, laaontandoae oontinoanente do mi poeo TO#Id©| la iiworalldad, relnando; la fet entente, y para apaelgaar a Dloe unos onantoa eanonlgot centando a vox • a f*;ito »n al eoro, mlentraa haofan la digestion do la eoaide abundante, aervida por alguna buena he»bra,l5

Still another doaeriptlon of dlahonest and oruel am*

ninipal offlelal» la given In Cogay o nedai

' ,?* if® " w ® h o A « o n clarldad* Segtm ol» la cattaa do tod© lo malo dol paeblo era la cobardfa.

a m o trot caciquee dol Caatro y el padre Martfn aandaban, arbltrariaaente, on el partido, j loa demaa a# ao atrevlan a reaollar,

2 ? m® ttnlondoao podran eon. U lnfl«oncla do loa riooe y haata llegar a

dontlnarloa* Adeaaa, el ni^do no loa dojaba moverto, mm & 1*$J*0 d# mm

— Kledo a todot a quo loa oargtten la oontrlbuclon. AmX* ? a*, d # n * <*u» 11 even ol hijo aol-««do# a que lo metan a nno on la eareel por cualqtxier '

S ^ i A A X J J J I ? @ S 5 t m u *•*??•• •«**» »1 aorviolo «• lo* eaeiquea lea don una palisa* — rfJPero a tanto llega la dominaol£n? •• Haoon lo qpe quleren«l£

X^8aroJa# jU eaaa do Alagorri. p. 178.

^Baroja, jgjptlny do perfeooion. p,

15BaroJa, Cesar © nada. p. 255.

m

\

\

8 w o J * «!*• wroto of rtllglwi wottox*, ###tfug pcrtfott*

lo*$y wtoot t*o M n » i 4 » N 4 obtioSv# proetioo* of ttio C»th~

# H f ofetttttu i# f t H o *otf Intoaoo 4!«11V« for H w iter A

of tpifii# fho BOVO! e»«.w £ mfli oontotno lilt n M t vf#i«Ml

Hum*t ot prfooto* I» It ho M M ' »f la thooo ftnr m v i i his

•OBFEMPT f«s» tt# olorgjrs

/fiotoo #» oo* *ivir 4oo4o hty t«nl*

®w»l» •iowo* #f m m , m 4 « t»te ar**opul*r 1* M a y « M 9 »

ten. In Jar.Bafta, a*ol*kr{* h. « * » • ®f •zp.rlMieea 1b *•««

*o »i«A*#o# ittoro to® H w « » it ooooo tiuit tii# #tiif«i or

mm i#*m called Mm *tt»o aoa of Xt«o** booonoo of hit

X*o* «f »*llglo«w Ho «••&««• mm fcho f t M l i *»« tbo tmml

W»9» y w p o m U O o foif tn# M l l M I 0f tfo> ©MMWliS*

Its# a m o 4«y ho twl»«« in tet«% tho prioot, 4o

Ssfftfli *«»o o»t to M « ooa**ogotio«i • book ontttto* i » w «

M S M SB$IE£ 1 attUfr *» «M«l> It no* o%«f«x «i»t ft*, »«r®Jftg

*00 ft violro4 m < i m * ^

Ai to hlo roUgiotto bilJtfi, 8«roJ» 0*70 in *&oftnfttofoslft"«

A «»m4» *• mjpmtMi 4H« 14o«t mttgtmee t©ag## *ig» «to i w og»o«%loo—»o fpota »*r m» IHMO p*6ftl»tO « M loo fll^fl«Ml « h 9 N V0JT O O M I l f fB«y

" M I . . ». u .

a m sssaaisa. », iS6.

Ill

Mi primer moviraiento en preaeneia de tin dogjaa, sea r e l i g i o a o , p o l i t i c o © moral, ea ver l a maxim, it mas-t i e a r l o y i@ d iger i r lo*

El pe l ig ro a® eate ape t i t o deaordenado de dogate ee gas ta r deaaeiado tat go g i a t r i e o y tpe i a ree diaprfptlco par* toda l a vlda.l™

Throughout l i f e he displayed tremendeue eonrage by pre*

claiming h ia athelam a t every opportuni ty . In "La defenaa

de l a r e l i g i o n , n in Jnventud. egolatr i fa . he a ta tea i

I»a gran defenaa de l a r e l i g i o n eata en l a ment i ra . I'M mentira ea l o mtt v i t a l ip® t i ene e l ho«bre. Con l a o e n t i r a vive l a r e l i g i o n , eo»o viven lea aoeiedadea eon mm aaeerdotea y ana a i l i t a r e a , tan i n t i t i l e a , s in «*« bargo, loa nnoa eono loa o t r o a . l v

m Hapa.odla«.» loa degaag c r i a t i anoa are r e f e r r ed t o in

the following manner*

R«specto a loa dogmaa e r l a t i anoe , no aon en an origen any construetivoa* maa Men pareeen diaolventea• 11 que qtiiera aegoir a l p ie de l a l e t r a loa preeeptoa de l Evan-g e l i o , a in hacer caao de in terpre tac ionea eapeioaaa, no podra"ear eon l a concieneia t r anqn i la n i amy conaervador, n i amy r ioo , n i amy a i b a r i t i e o , n i amy aenanal#20

Tb» "Reflexionea acerea de nn aandaaiento, * in B1 ascue-

del Brigante, f u r t h e r l l l u a t r a t e the au thor ' • a n t i -

r e l i g i o u s ideasi

fCuantaa veeea, a l reeordar aquel la epoea* he pen-eaio en eae t<5pico Que tanto ae r e p i t e t l a i n f luene ia de l oriat ianiamo en l a dnl tnra de eoatumbree y en l a e l v t l l s M l o n t /

JDot ailamea eacr i to rea inpioa y rao ione l i a tae aaeguran fue e l^er ia t ian iawo haee a loa howbree mte dnleea y anavea. <j Sn dondef ^Ctiando?

1 8ISM»» P* 3158. P*

2®BaroJa, Obraa cosapletaa. Vf 902.

62

SJL al cabo de dies y nueve aigloa de predlcacion apostolica no® ©guimo® acuchillando unoa a otros ain piedad, } ©» que s© conoce la ©ficacia del crlstlanlamo?

to* qua hemos visto tan toe boabrea eon las tripaa al aire, con loa seaoa fuerpj loa qua hemos preBenclado caai diarlawente al eapectaculo da ahorcar, fuallai*, acuchlllar, abrir un canal prealdldo pop genta catollca j resadora; loa qua hereof conocldo a curaa da trabuco qua aabfan enarbolar major el punal qua la cruej los qua hamos encontrado laa aacrlatfaa convertidaa m focoa da conaplraclo'h, y loa conventoa preparadoa como cuarteles, no podemoa^menea de pefirnoa un poco da la aficacia da la religion. ^

L m aelacticoa noa dlrans I® qua aaoa son los males curaa. To las conteatarfa que ni atfn loa buanoa han aabido dap laeeloaaa da bumimidad y da hondad*

En cualquier pert® aa oyan predlcadoraa qua noa quieran da«ostrap qua una paquena aanlfestaelon da aen-aualldad aerece al infierno. II hombra qua alra a una mujer con amor, qua la baaa o la abraxas la smjar qua aa adorna o cubra aua mpjlllas con un poco da bianco o da rojo papa papacap mas bonita, coaeta un pacado horrendoj an caablo, aaa cabecilla carliata £ua sa dedica a fuailar, & degollar, a incendlap pueblos, esa as un bendito qua trabaja per la mayor gloria da Dlos,

/Qua'eatupldefcl i Qxuf tal^ajlaa©.! Si al &anoa los sacerdotee da todaa las sectag

cristianaa hubieran tanido la precaucidh da aaegurar qua uno de loa mandaaientos da la lay da Dlo® m 1© xaataraa . . . en tlrnyo da pac, y no No m&tar&s aolo, eataplan an m terreno bendioiendo eapadaa, fusilea, banderaa y canones; pero aaoa libroa aantoa son tan incompletoa, que han hecho qua los qua creen en alios tengan qua dlvldir al aandaalento No aataraa an doa aeeclone%. la da la pas y la da la guerra.

Cuando aa dapande del minister!© da la pas, matap e® un crimen j en ca»Mo, al te depend® del minlaterlo da la guarra, matar ea una vlrtud. Kn el primer caso, aa-tando aa aerecen el garrote; en el aagundo, al Tedeum*

Alguno dlra qua eato es dif fcJ 1 da entender y ab« eurdo; pero otros absurdoa maa diflcilea da entender hay en nueatra religion, y, aIn embargo, loa creemoa,21

Madariaga aaya that BaroJa*a hatred for priests and all

kind® of religion could only be compared superficially with

pi • / . M o Baroja y Naaal, II eacuadpon del brl«ante (Madrid.

1932)» pp. XOJ-lOk*

.61

that shallow rationalism which the Indiscriminate spread at

so-called education tended to foater in Spain aa elsewhere*

It 1# ft hatred best explained by Vn*mno'* penetrating re-

mark that moat rationalists, possessed by the rage of being

unable to believe, fall Into the Imitation of an odium

antltheologicunu &&

He adds that, • <3©prlve*3 of a religious explanation of •

the world, Sareja turaad to «ete»e®« He cane to tolenee be*

eaitae It la made of the very stuff of truth and also because

he proudly felt that in seitaea *«& behaves- a® as-adult* look-

ing straight in front of hire, rather than upwards, as la the

eaaa in religion*^3

Oelaar Barja believesi

lite es to- earaeterlstte© del novellata vaseo; poner frente a frente la rellglrfn y la elenela, y a la elenela, per enolaa de toda religion y de todo siistieleme religiose* La frase aonara irreapetuoee a vuohoa, pero eata ya eserltat Si Dies esta en alguna parte, esta', aobre todo, en loa laboratories* Aal' en tra lugar de Myag&elenea apaalenadae. T en otroa lugares de Horaa lpiSarla|;"y jjii|"'"p; la elenela* *ta elenela''la §4#w»reiial® a lae ref igfonea elenela es la unlea oonstraceion fuerte de la ffuaanldad* * .Bay que refrse* 'Oh, querldo arunetiirsi,* euando dleen que la elenela fraeaea* "Tonterlai lo $ue fraeaaa es la aentiraf la elenela »areba adelante arrollandolo todo* "EH-

g%adarlaga# m* eit*, p* 183. J**"r v WWW tpwi'iaMpfc m - PW

*>• 3^*'

2*kj#0ar Barja, Llbroa % autores eonteporsheea (New Tork, 1935)» p* 3©©» "

%

All has been mentioned before, the novel Cesar o atttfm Is

the most anti-Catholic of all Baroja1* books. The following

quotation is taken from lti

c/sar /Cfcue' religion adw admirable la nueetrat Para cada dia la Iglesla tiene su santo y TO plato it* peoial. La verdad es que la, Iglesla oatoliea es aaiy sablat ha roto, toda relaeion con la eiene£a» pero slgue en buena arnonla eon la coeina, Como deoia haee u» memento Preciosi, eon gran exaetitudt es eeenaovedora esta estgecha relaeion que existe entre la Iglesla j la eoeina.25

Later Cesar and Preciosi are looking at the tower of the

Basilica* Cesar speaks firsti

— / Que' admirable pajare tienen ustedes en esa hermosa Jaulsl, ,

I Que pajarot — pregunto Freeloci. — J81 Papa, aaigo Preoloxi. el Papav »® el papa

gayo sino el papa bianco, /Que pajaro mm maravllloso! Tiene un abanlco de plttmas como el pavo real; habla como las eaeetuas; pero se diferencia de ellos en que es in* fallble, y es infalible porque otro ptfjaro, tambien maravilloeo, que se llama el Espfritu Santo, le cuenta pot* las noches todo lo que pas a en la tierra y en el e£*lo« /Qw®" cosae mas pintoreseas y m£s extravagantes

Preeiosi, the priest, amased at clear*s remarks, asks)

— Pero id# veras es usted anticat&icof •» Pero veras eree usted que se puede ser

eatollcof — /1J© C*sar, — Yo si) si no, no serla eura.

Pero /es usted cura porque eree o haee usted como que eree porque es usted <mra*2?

S-ua ana and Cesar converse as follows*

Cesar — Ho, porque me pareee una Candidas de ese buen seHor novelists. Para ser eat<£lleo no eree que se memltmi raas que mas en ante® pesetas.

Cesar o nadsu p. 73.

26I£M-. PP- 75-76. % H . . p, 76.

45

Styiana — It uatad un data«tabla eobrino da Cardaaal* €•••J? — la fa© yo no vao qua Xe pongan a nail®

obataeuloa para sar catollco, como ja los ponan par* «ar rleo* 'SI oolno da la aabiclonl 'Aap^rar a «•!• ©atolicol T an toda« parta* no, baean ait qua /airaa da lo» oat&iaoat y ya as aabldos pal a gatolleo, pala p « mareba indafao-fciblaaiaiafc# a la wfna#«®

I>an*a and Xannady dlscusa raligloua axtravaganaaa t

Imnm « . . • por laa tlarraa vera'ustad anulatoa, <su»tom, »anoa da ear ml, o harraduras para qui tar la mala *uarta« • . £a e«l©a taata raliglon y tanta auparatlalc&u

Paro uatad oonfonda la rallglcfh y la superatlaldn, aaigo £aasea* dl|© Xannady,

•» 1® igttal--eonfcaafco'' al vlajo, aonrlando eon tint aonrlaa auava a ironlaa—»© bay itufr qua la naturala*a,29

Bafarring to aooa of tha practieaa of tba Roman Catholic

Cburch, Caaar aayat

— Eato, an al fondo, ba aid© magntfloo nagooio • • • Monopoliaar al cialo y al lnfiarno* eobrar lat aeclonaa an la tlarra y pagar loa divldandoa an al olalo* No bay baneo blpotaearlo ni oaaa da pra'ataaoa q»®, da' tanta ranta. 7 a au sombra, ieuahtoa negoeloa se ban daaarrplladol Aqui, an aata piaaa tango un amlgo qua •a un Jodlo vandador da roaarioa y »e faa dicho qua aua aauntoa van wuy bi«n. fin traa aauanaa ha vandldo elanto elneuanta kllogramoa da roaarioa bendaeldoa, doeiantoa kllogramoa da madallaa y caraa da madlo kllomatro euadrado da aaaapularloa•3v

fhara ara othar novala In vhlch faroja attaoka tha

Sbwrob# Among tha* arat Camlno da parfacolon. In which ba

"ma rapugna la eleraeia"j31 Paradox. PIT, In Khlch

2 S M M f* 128.

P» 152.

3°ibld»« pp. 190*191#

3*Baroja# Caalie da parfaccl^i, p. gQf<

66

he says Hlstas borraacas del tropico ton com© los dlneros del

sacristan, qua cantando a® vlenen y oantando se van"!32 Au-

rora ro.la. where ona reads ^R© as que los curas sou malosj

es qua la religion at mala";33 and B1 cantor vagabundo. wherein /

it is charged that "Entre los catolicos y comunlstas no hay

dlfereneles."3i|.

\ Spain a® seen through Saroja1® booles 1® a nation mad®

up of tramp® who have turned against social laws and Catholic

beliefs. Most of Baroja's protagonist® axpras® and represent

Baroja himself. Tha crltlo Nicolas Gonzalez Ruls argues In

his "Baroja y la Espana da Barojaw that tha Basque novelist

attacked the Church and Its ministers because he disliked an*

thority and order In Ufa, rather than for any other reason.35

A very sincere and truthful person, Baroja firmly be-

lieved that the priests as wall as certain legal Institutions

were taking advantage of the Spanish people of all social spheres. He was particularly eon

of the lower classes and blamed t

trol of wealth, and the clergy fo

cerned with the conditions

he bourgeoia for their con-

r their tendency to frighten

people into doing things of which they often did not approve.

— /f

32Baroja, Parados* ray, p. 55.

^Baroja, Aurora ro.1a, p. 10.

^Baroja, Obras completes. VIII, ij.79.

Nicolas 0onsalas6 Ruls, "Baroja y la Espana da Baroja,* Bulletin of Spanish Studies. I (December, 1923), 9.

6?

The Zioi»r Classes

It ft the opinion of Anibal that Baroja championed the

Individual and looked upon the erring ways of tbe underdog,

m m When mean or criminal, with amused complacency or iron-

ic*! indulgence.3* Ha had a ayapathetic attitude toward tha

people of tha Spanish underworld and recognised that this

riffraff, largely tha fruit of a miserable•environment, km

not at all aa bad aa it sight seesu Hie concern for tha

lower classes la expressed in Sllveetre

— Qsa© ven a hacer el debil, impotent*—pensaba Silvestre Paradox--en una sociedad cowplicada eono la que aa presents; an una sociedad baaada an la lueha poi* la vlda, no una lucha brutal da aangre, pero no por ear intalactual nenos terrible.37

Silvestre continues pessimistically*

'»Tener el palenque abierto y acudir a el y ear vencido en condicionea iguales por loa contrarloa, volver otra vea, y otra ves quedar derrotadal i Batar an continmo sobresalto, conquistar un aarpleo a fuerxa da inteligencia y da trabajo y toner que abandonarlo porque otro »a« Joven a€® faerte, maa Inteligente, tiene maa aptitudes para iasastpeSarlof /

Ifunoa ttvmo an ese tiempo da prograao habra mayoras odioa ni maa grandes raelancollas. 11 consuelo da achacar la culpa a algo, a algo fuera da nosotroa, desapareeera', y el sucidio tendra que ser la aolueion unica do la hxmanidad cafda*

T *• si 1* molestaba estos las grandes eapaeidedee orgullosaa, y mas aun la vanidsd de la mesa iwbecil hoy dominadora, qua tantas m®as destroy# por #1 <fmmn<9 por ®1 abandon®, por el dasprecio* fin csmblo ae antusiasmaba con todas las grandes virtudea de la gente pobre, da la

3^Anibal# g£, olt». p. xxvi.

Baroja y Kessi, Aventuras y alstlflcaelonea da Sllvaetra Paradox (Madrid, W & ) , p. 96.

m

gente huaildes per© no era demoorataj lo hablera »ldo solo d« una nanarat tietiio rico y aiendo isuy noble•3°

Another critio mj» that Baroja relied heavily <m i««»

erlptlona of "natural* condition® to expreaa his attitude

toward society* Life In Spain was portrayed not only by

aseana of the creation of abulie characters, bat Also through

tho sensory descriptions of dwellings and streets. Misery

waa perceived in tern* of atoaoaphere a» BO eh or perhaps mm

»oro than In terns of behavior. To penseate the Uvea of tha

novallatle oharaotara ona wast paae through tha phyaieal world

thay occupied.3*

Onoa inalda tha filth of domiciles, ona readily pane*

trataa tha Uvea of paopla who inhabit than* tha exterior

raflaota tha interior. Inner life la in harmony with it®

outer appearance.

Klraner*a atatamenta are illustrated by tha following

dialogue from Mala hlerbas

JBra gante astroaaj algunoa, traperoa; otroe, aea-digoai otroa, naaertos da hambre j oaal todoa da faeha repulsive. Peor aapaeto qua los hombres tenian sun laa wujeres, suelas, desgrenadas, harapoaas. Xra una baaura humans, envuelta an goinapoa, entumecida por el frfo y la huaedad, la que vomitaba aqaol barrio infect©. Era la hejrpe, la lacra, el color aaarillo da la terciana, al parpado retrafdo, todoa:loa estigaaa da la enferstedad y da la slseria*

»» Si loa riooa vleran eato, eh? —dijo do® Alonao.

^Ibid., p. ff *

^Robert Klraner, *8paln in tha Hovale of Cala and Baroja," Klspanla. X M (March, 195®)•

Bah, no harfan nada —<wxvmvo <7ssue. — Por qu*? -- Forqua no. SI 1® quite uatad al rieo la satis*

faccion <!a §ab«r qua mlantras 4l duarma otro sa fai@l& y qua miantras ll coma otro s® wuere da hambre la quit* uatad la^altad da au dicha. ^

^ — <j.Craes tu asof —pragunto don Alonao mirando a Jesus con asorabro v y

— Si. Adama's, /qua noa Imports lo qua jpiansan? Silo® no ae ooupan da nosotrosf ahora dorrairan an aua eamaa limpias y jsullidas tranquilamenta, miantras noso-troa . i «

Hijso van gasto da dasagrado al loafer® So»f 1® molts* taba qua m hablara aal da los ricos#U®

Hara again tha author accuaaa the r!eh in Spain of re-

sponsibility for tha misery of tha poor? but Baroja doaa not

fail to raalisa that illiteracy, a product of a aalfiah so-

ciety, i® alao raaponalble for tha conditions of tha lover

claasaa in Spain, tvldano# of this la saan in his hoys!

Mala hiarba<

~~9uanoi figurata tu qua an Eapania bay carca da traea villona* da individuoa qua no aaban laer y as-cribir. I© ma ©nttandas?

h&sbrst sf» / —Puas bianj asa lobulo an loa hombraa ilustrados

sa aaplaa an asfuarzos para antandar y pansar an lo qua a® laa, aqui no lo utilisan traea millonas da habitant®®# Esa fuerza qua dabifan da gastar an diseurrir, la erapleas an inatintoa fisros. Consacuancia da 4bto, al crlman auaamta, aumenta al apetito aaxual, y al aumantar esta, creca al consumo da alimentoa y ancaraca al pan.nJ>

Utatavar mis for tunas existed among tha poor paopla in

Spain Baroja blamad on soeiaty, Tha paopla in his novels ara

wuch too angroasad in living out thair livaa in aecordanes

Baroja y Rassi, Mala hiarba {Madrid, 193k)» p. 17$.

J*1 Ibid., p. 89,

?©

with their environment to emerge its anything mop# than th®

products of ecus* Bad effect. The characters are the pup-

pets; social conditions* tho puppeteer.

This pees age from Aurora ro,1a illustrates to mhat extent

the author believed people are controlled by society*

—In estos caaos—repuso el Joven togado tfmida-mente—, es cuando so pregunta uno si la socledad tiene d@r©ol»o para ma fear J porque, jjodudablemente, eat® hosaibr# no ha estado nunc* en posesion de su eonciencia, y la soeiedad, que no se ha cuidado de educarle, que le ha abandonado, no debfa tener derecho. . . • /

—La cuestion de derecho m una cues tt on vieja, de la qmt nadie se ooupa—replico" el viejo eon clerta irri» tmelmi— * Exiate la pen* da muertef Pues matemos• Considerar la pena oomo medio de rehabilitacion moral, aquf entre nosotros, ©s tana @»tapid@«* Sraviar a uno a que se rehafeillt® a un presidio • • • SI derecho a la pena, el derecho a ser rehabilitado . * M muy bonito para la catedra. El presidio y la pena de amerte no son mrtTs que Medietas d® higiene social, y d@sd@ est® punto de vista, nada tan higienico comp cumplir la ley en todoa los casos, sin inaultar a nadie.*M=

Our author's heroes were individualistic like himself.

One of them thus voices his individualismt

Par«e# menttra que ®1 hombre valga. tan poeo j quo tenga tan poca orlginalidad, que le sea indispensable vivir acoaodahdose al peneamiento de los wuertos.

Yo no querlTa tener una rebeldfa sin sentido, ni aparecer corao descossunal o extraordinario* j21 satan isao, la parversidad y la neurastenia, que en algun tiempo me eonrieron, xae empezapon a parecer repugnant®#, aceptados de buen grado. Yo soy un hoabre vulgar —me dij#— f no quiero enffsmadttdes, ni la# d© los grandes hombres; ©so si, querria tener las ventajas da la mediocridad. Me par®©© tsuy logic© tcnitem® a fcodo lo que es racional; ^pero someterme a una organ!sacion instintiva, vieja, que se hunde por todos ladoaf Ho.

^Baroja, Aurora ro.1a. p. 177.

71

Para xalT, anadla, no hay posibilidad de Menestar, dentro da la sumlslon. Es, puss# una condieldn indis-pensable la llbertad, la autonomfa ©spiritual.k3

El mend! go In ly. m m o r m m de Labrag, apeaking to the

Mayoraggo and Marina, says* . /

—SI se puede vivir al aire lib re, Jpnru. que en-eorrarse en una d© mm madrlgueras que se 11aman pue-blos? El mendigo saco" un pedazo negro de pan; lea ofreclo' A Marina y al Mayoraago•

— c o m © jmedes vivir sleispre a#f? —pregunto est®# —If® dan socorros en los pueblos por donde eru*o» —-JEpee eapanol? —Si, 'ere© que si, —iKo lo sabes a punto fijo? / —11 me imports tampoeo; para el que no tlene nada,

toda la, tlerra es igutal* — h a o e raucho tlemrpo que vires err ante? —Desde que naef. Ml padre endaba de pueblo en

pueblo coaerclando con baratljas que llevaba en un carroj yo he suprlmldo el carro y el comerelo*

—<iPero no eehas de awno* las easasf —!fo| profiero JOB »©torrales y las MMM, la her-

aosa liber tad y el carapo. A vosotro#, los que vlvfs @n la® oiudades, la gana d® poseer ©a plerde; querela tener vuestra easa, vuestra raujer, vuesfcros hljosj si no tu~ vieraluf»ada y no d©s#arala nada, serials felloes,

—dDe aanera que te conslderas mds fell* que esos que vlvea ©is las eludmdes?

—Sfj esos son desdlehados que no tienen fuerta para vivlr la vlda natural,

—Me asorabra tu dlscurso; 70 ere fa que los vaga-bundos ©ran easi todos ladrones, mas qu© fllosofos.

—Se pued© ser las doe eoses al nlsmo tienpo* —Ea verdad, --Yo, cuando no tengo que cower, robo, Deflend©

ml v Ida ,e onto puedo. —^tobas? ,, —8f, j por que te as rabras?, Co jo lo que neoesito;

algtmas feces voy a la eareel, t Pset^ to« dfas qu® eetoy enoerrado me hacen encontrar waa hermoaa la libertad,

—Me admire el ofrte,

^H'o Baroja y Messl, ta sensualtdad pervert Ida (Madrid, 193^)# p« 116#

12

• • t 'C la ro l l a s v l v l d o l l e n o da p raooupae lonas , an~ tw> gan ta s u p a r s t l e l o s a , £ r e s aac lavo da l a s o e l a d a d ,

••JS# e i i r t o * ' ^

In ffag&yoa Baro ja o la lms t h a t I nd iv idua l i sm l c a t y p i c a l

c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of tha Spanish p a o p l a :

Sotsos loa aspanolaa»~por a b o r a , a l menoa-«poco c a p l l l a d o a p a r a l a v l d a e o l e c t l v a , j « a l praparadoa p a r a e o l a b o r a r l o a unoa con l o a o t r o s , 4 5

The n o v e l i s t haa a s o l u t i o n to the s o e i a l problems of

Spain* This s o l u t i o n I s g iven b r i e f l y I n Inteawais^loaI

Y® c r a o qua l a s soeladadea sa tendraia qua I r aeer~ ©and© an l a p r a c t l e a a l a f o r o u l a da loa sanalmontados t a cada uno sagun «u capac ldad , a eada capaeldad segun ana o b r a s i fonnu la qua sa p o d r f a s l m p l l f i c a r d l e l ando t » «* d * «no au produceion a o e l a l , a l qua r l n d a much© y a s m y u t l l , d a r l a aueho j a l qua r l n d a poeo , d a r l a poco«^®

l a Y l t r l n a p i n t o r e s e a t ha sa f i n a l words a r a addad»

Sn e a a i todo l o s o e l a l paaa l o mlaao* Estaraoa an ma c a l l e j o n a ln a a l l d a , Bn un extremo hay una o rden , una n o r a a , d u r a , un poco e s t u p i d a , v u l g a r , d e f i c i e n t s , qu# p a m l t a l a v l d a j y an a l o t r o extreajo , una u top f a » a s b o n l t a , & t i l u n l n o s a , " e o n l a eua l no sa puada T i v i r «

hot&bre, eoao una r a t a we t lda an un auwidero , va de l a norma a l a u t o p f a y da l a u t o p f a a l a norma, s i n podar e n e o n t r a r o t r a s s a l l d a a y a l n r e a o l v e r ramea nadaAT

?" » • • • ! . & M W « K 9 d» Labr«i ( N u l r l d ,

193D# i*9~$0*

^ B a r o j a , pbraa comple tes . V I I I , 880,

^ S a r o j a , Obraa coaroletaa. ?» 707#

P* §59#

CMPfll ¥1

GQUCX&SXOM

What is It that diatinguishea the novels of ?£o Baroja

f M those of tha many other wrltera ©f our century? Why li

It that Ortega y basset* perfcapa tba greatest critic of mod-

e m tiaaa ami ana given to fair compliments, eallad iaroja* "A

fraa as# pure matt" and claimed ha would be raad seventy-five

years hence by those desiring to underatand Spanish aocietyf

Friedenberg answers this question by saying that ana

important raaaon ia tha relation of Baroja to hia native land*

In Spain* a aoeiety of primitive economic structure* tha

available prefeaaion# art few, and a roan ©£ Imagination suf-

fering from spiritual tension baa fewer outlets for hia in-

nate talent than in perhaps any other western country. Thia

partly aocounta for tha explosive and extremist character

of Spanish political life. Baroja aoutely felt these ten-

sions, the rage of frustration induced by aucb an anaehronistie

aoclal system, and sought to picture ita life-denying effected

In one aansa, BaroJa*e books might be described as a con-

tinual flagellation of Spanish eoclsty, one which forced him

^Priedenberg, og# olt»« p« 19*

7J

%

to turn to the vagabond and adventurer, tha only vho break

their bonds in order to find freedom.

Bar©|a, though vary Spanish, is in a larger sense uni-

versal . He, like Hemingway, emphasises action In the devel-

opnent of plot and considers with distaste any word fonu

that night seem flowery. Hemingway regarded hi* as the great*

est modern Span! sh writer«

What is most oats tending about Baroja's writing is an

inverted irony, like a spiritual isolation that mocks man •

because he cannot find satisfaction In his limited goals•

As a mm of letters, Bsroj* was revolutionary until his

death. His rebellious individuality has established him as

the most representative member of the so-called Generation

of *98, a position for which his only rivals would be the

more philosophical Unsamno or the less active Asorfn.

In his political philosophy, he was Individualistic

rather than revolutionary. His early works had an anarchistic

flavor, for example, Paradox, ray in which he attacked mili-

tarism and extreme Catholicism.

There is evidence in his later novels that Baroja re*

malned an agnostic and an anarchist in his political philos-

ophy. At one time, he thought Spain would respond better to

a military dictatorship based on pure authority, end one that

would be strong enough to dominate the threatening instincts

of socialists, but he was again not completely convinced of

n

this* Therefore he remained neither for on# party nor for

Hi# other.

His liberalism and anarchism wore of a different nature.

Be ridiculed anarchists for their creed of destruction of

life and property, recognising that though anarchism ia ae-

oeptable m a theory or even a religion, it it impossible to

carry it into practice as a political, social system.

Baroja's anarehism was a mild and passive one* la spite

of the seemingly apparent changes in his political ideas,

he never really changed* His was a search for a remedy to

alleviate Spain's misfortunes.

Sociologically, Baroja was an individualist. His writ-

ings reveal an anti-social nature opposed to any kind of

order* To him, the bourgeoisie, along with the aristocracy,

the clergy, the army, and inefficient government offiolals

were to blame for the pitiful state of the Spanish people•

Re defended the underdog, the poor wretch at whom so-

ciety looked so unreasonably. Such types make up the char-

acters in his novels• He was troubled not so much by their

sins as by their sufferingi the sight of humanity dishonored

by disease, divided by crime and brute authority, left to her

weakness, tricked by nature, exposed to the shame of hunger.

Although he never pretended to be a rebel, he rebelled

against Franco*s tyranny. About to be executed after being

captured by the Franco forces near Pamplona, he was released

76

at til# last atoaient and escaped across the French border.

Wh«n the fteraans Invaded France, he returned voluntarily to

Spain, inhere he lived with a nephew. A few years ago he

aaidt *1 hare been . . . an individualist and liberal, which

i® to iay# apolitical. I have net avoided wy political re*

sponsiblllty, for I have none."1 If Baroja, the »an, denied

political responsibility, Baroja, the writer, did not. He,

aore than any other writer before him, stimulated Spaniard*

to analyse the political and social system tinder which they

lived.

^Robert B. Knox, "They Honor Another Spain," The Nation eiXXXIII (December 1, 1*71. ~ &

BXBLIOGKAftrr

Sooks MlIff# D* «ai Hmo *Xat*o*ietl«a»*-

* MNii. & Wmatj Awain, »• e®«* Msviro, J©»«T ».* dt wain. Chap«l

Hill# 'flat Smlwrsl •? iiort& fcaroitna Fpm#, 1$|9« ££•**» l&frrot x i» %*»•&*& . Hw York,

## £* StsliEeys i#®,4# **•, Jaxsst t&H# a. caw> in«t#f

— M r t t f i s s s s i & r i r K r a g P & g i 3 i a g a a

—r—^ J&SSS & **$&» *•«*!#» T*lUr«« £*)>••*• CfclJMI'f 8# A#§ l®3%# ..m 1 •••«JSgSL tt%y ff kin® •dlt«d % £«eob ». rrwmrWmmf, %mi*

>**•*+.. s: t , 6 ! ^ & « a ^ a E . «"«« <S>V, 6. *.. i ? | t 6 6 2 1 5 4 1 4 £42aaiS' ***rld> B*p"-^ m b . • a «saa S£ aasii *"~i <=•«

» kt ism. *»***, »«f»i ewe »«®tie, i«n.

fc.ii», S. 'A.'.'I I? a a a s 3 4 4-,SSPai' K*drl<' *•""*"

M m S 'Sb'ni'rLlr,2? !? a M a i a H i ' tWMlan» Thra""

77

?8

* l»ii aananalldad porvertlda. M«drl<3» ap*aa~Galpa, S* TZ, 193U#

» Leg tragedlas Madrid, l«p»#a* "c al pa', fe * 1A«, 193"' •'

, LOB ultimo® remanfcieos, KMTFPTD, Rafael E&RO Saggi©; 1430— —

* Mala hlarba* Xtdrid, R, Caro Sa«l©» 153K ' WP»i # ^pr^Mp' W

* Kemoriaa. Madrid, Ediclone* Minotauro. '* fggf7*"' """ m"m,m*mmm '

^ Qbraa eoaapletaa» light ?©!«««-«* Madrid, — 1 'iMieiiesfeifii,!!^*]

.. . ..... » Paradox, ra£, aditad by Cla«da E» Anlbal, Haw York, Tha Maaalllan Ootnpany, 193? •

• lalaoalfj al avantarapo. Barcelona. Oaaa — ' " " S H t w M TUAECI.-RM:—

Ball* A»bray ?. 0«« Contemporary Bpaniah Litaratur*. Haw TOP*, Alfra<!

Caro, Baroja, Plo, La aoladad da Ft® Baroia* Maxieo City, Flo' Capo Baroja, lff5«

Kaplnoaa* Auralio K«. Laeelonaa literatura aapaiiola. Stanford tfniTarai%, 'California, .Stanford"^iTerSlty Press, 1929.

Piteaauriea, Jaime, JBlatorla_ da la liters. tara_ ggpaliola. Madrid, Libraria Ganaral <ja"Tiatori«no, I W

Gomez d®, 8a$a#r@, IdmsM®, Iwttofy noTallifeaa. Madrid, Li braria Ganaral da Tieiopiaiio, l9l8»

Laborda, £* X>o A Blatojr^of gggtlib Lltaratura. London, William H«ine»#aa»

§E4iS $25 2psc llgsia a, L©ni®»- Oxford lXnl«

Madarlaga, Salvador da, Ifta Oaniwa of Spain and Otha:

Horthup, Oeorg. Tyler, to Intro*ietlmn to Spmteh Mtar«tur«>. Chicago, Univapaifcy of Chleago Praaa, 1925*

Pattiaon, Walter T«, R#w«»nt»tlv# Spanlah Authora, Voluna I, law York, Oxford fcnivara ifcy Praaa, 191|2•

79

iaiat-Sta»m. The Memoirs of Louis de Rouvroy Da© do Saints 81»on Covering the T#ars 1691*172:3. edited by Desmond

C ' l i over, *ev York, Heritage Press, 1959.

Articles

Baroja y, Hessl, Pfo, *The Madrid Ragpicker," Hew H»xtco /) (foiarterly* XXX (Spring, 196#), |» ",""'*1"*"*

* " K m t t , * tiding Afre. CCCXXXVII * * . a l M m x i w u w i n i . W M » n « m » 1 » *

(September, If 19), lllflXQ,

. "The Mistakes of the Spanish Republic," ""the ;,Hyj^'Ii:'K»re^I>I (January, 1937), to-%t7*

. "On the Making of Rovels," The Living • Affs. e a c m {Kay, 1925), ^ 9 * 4 % . '

Triedenberg, Daniel N«, "The Death ©f a Systbol," The Re* Retmblie. CXXXV (December 3» 1956), 18-20*

donsales, Hois, Xlcolas, "Baroja y la Sspaaa de Baroja.* Bulletin of Spanish Stadias. I (December, 1923), 4*11 •

Xlrsner, Robert, "Spain in the Hovels of Cela and BaroJa," Hispanic. U»1 (March, 1958), 39-%l.

Knox, Robert B., "The Structure of SI Mayorasgo de Labras," • i, XXXVIIX (September, 1955), 20-29.

"**"? H° n oF sPii n> * lilts* TTTTDeseaber 1, 1956) * «

Sender, Ramon, "Posthumous Baroja," Sew Weacioo Quarterly. XXX (Spring, I960), 6-10*