El Buscón (Manuscript B)

El Buscón (Manuscript B)

One of only three-surviving original copies of this significant novel of the Spanish Siglo de Oro: El Buscón by Francisco de Quevedo. The entertaining picaresque novel with the title Historia de la vida del Buscón, llamado Don Pablosamazes with its refined repartee and shrewd social criticism. The original edition of the novel, which was written ca. 1604 and first published in 1626, gives a glimpse into this significant piece of Spanish literary history!

The Famous Author

Francisco Gómez de Quevedo y Santibáñez Villegas (1580–1645) was an important author of the Spanish Siglo de Oro, the Spanish Golden Age of literature in the baroque era. He was presumably hot-tempered, and maintained an enmity for numerous poets and writers, and was imprisoned shortly after he was employed as secretary of King Philipp IV. Nonetheless, Francisco de Quevedo is famous to this day for his satirical writings, above all for his only novel titled El Buscón, which he wrote in 1604.

History of the Life of the Swindler

El Buscón (translated as either ‘swindler or ‘rouge’) tells the story of Don Pablo. He pursues one goal in life: to become a noble and virtuous caballero. This is something that –without giving too much away – he does not accomplish. Francsico de Queveda wrapped his story in the raiment of a refined and entertaining picaresque novel. It amazes with its sharp-tongued satire of Spanish life and society. Additionally and above all else, El Buscón is riddled with wordplay and sayings. The novel is particularly famous for these cryptic games with the literal sense.

A Significant Edition

The manuscript known as Inv. 15513 of the Museo de la Fundación Lázaro Galdiano in Madrid is only one of three surviving original editions. The books is wonderfully designed with beautiful initials and headers in luminous red ink. The History of the Life of the Swindler unfolds on 440 pages measuring 10.5 x 7 cm. This specimen is presumably the last original edition, which is most suited to the will of the author – Quevedo never publically recognized his work and it was published in 1626 without his permission. The edition by Fundación Lázaro Galdiano served as a template for numerous new editions.