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Doña Barbara
Doña Barbara: A Novel | Rómulo Gallegos, Robert Malloy
2 posts | 7 read | 9 to read
Rómulo Gallegos is best known for being Venezuela’s first democratically elected president. But in his native land he is equally famous as a writer responsible for one of Venezuela’s literary treasures, the novel Doña Barbara. Published in 1929 and all but forgotten by Anglophone readers, Doña Barbara is one of the first examples of magical realism, laying the groundwork for later authors such as Gabriel García Márquez and Mario Vargas Llosa. Following the epic struggle between two cousins for an estate in Venezuela, Doña Barbara is an examination of the conflict between town and country, violence and intellect, male and female. Doña Barbara is a beautiful and mysterious woman—rumored to be a witch—with a ferocious power over men. When her cousin Santos Luzardo returns to the plains in order to reclaim his land and cattle, he reluctantly faces off against Doña Barbara, and their battle becomes simultaneously one of violence and seduction. All of the action is set against the stunning backdrop of the Venezuelan prairie, described in loving detail. Gallegos’s plains are filled with dangerous ranchers, intrepid cowboys, and damsels in distress, all broadly and vividly drawn. A masterful novel with an important role in the inception of magical realism, Doña Barbara is a suspenseful tale that blends fantasy, adventure, and romance. Hailed as “the Bovary of the llano” by Larry McMurtry in his new foreword to this book, Doña Barbarais a magnetic and memorable heroine, who has inspired numerous adaptations on the big and small screens, including a recent television show that aired on Telemundo.
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review
Sapphire
Doña Barbara: A Novel | Rómulo Gallegos, Robert Malloy
Bailedbailed

I rarely dnf a book, but it feels good to let go of the two that were killing my reading mojo. Third time in one year. But since it is a year with so many winners and already we‘ll past prior years totals - it seems to fit. So I picked up a monster of a book that had been intimidating me and I love it already.

review
Butterfinger
Doña Barbara: A Novel | Rómulo Gallegos, Robert Malloy
Pickpick

In the mood for a western? How about a western set in the Amazon? Wow! It was so weird having alligators eat roaming bronchos and monkeys overhead. If you watched The Man who Killed Liberty Valance, you would see certain similarities.1-fighting for the right to fence 2-a lawyer who wants to fight with justice, not violence 3-a friend who kills, but lets the lawyer have the fame 4-menacing villain (but a woman) Differ -native superstitious fetishes

Texreader Haven‘t thought about that movie in years and I love the song! Stuck in my head now... 5y
Butterfinger @Texreader I'm a huge Jimmy Stewart fan and I kept going back to how much it was like the movie. It just seemed too similar to be coincidental. I'm going to get out my copy tonight and make my girls watch it with me to see if the book is mentioned in the credits. 5y
Texreader @Butterfinger John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart in a movie together. It was amazing. 5y
29 likes3 comments