Lazarillo de Tormes / The Guide Boy of Tormes
Why this book?
Modern literature owes a tremendous amount to forms established in early modern Spain. Miguel Cervantes’ Don Quixote is unequivocally the most famous, but even more popular were some of the short adventure stories of the day. The anonymously authored Lazarillo de Tormes is the source of the pícaro stock character, or the young boy who gets along by using his wits and tricking those around him (think Tom Sawyer). In addition to being a great example of the literature of the period, Lazarillo is probably the best testament to the façade of wealth during the period, and to the impoverished Castile experienced by ordinary people.