"La vida del Buscón," by Francisco de Quevedo, edited by Carolyn Nadeau
This picaresque work from early 17th century Spain was Quevedo's only novel. It chronicles the adventures of the swindler Don Pablos, who sets out in life with two aims: to learn virtue and to become a caballero (gentleman). He fails miserably in both.
El Buscón has been considered a profound satire on Spanish life, but also as a literary exercise for Quevedo, in that he was able to utilize word-play and verbal flourishes and his skill as a literary caricaturist.
ISBN 978-1-58977-043-0 $20 (PB)