The oldest extant editions of Lazarillo de Tormes are dated 1554, but there are no copies of the editio princeps; critics do not agree on which genre Lazarillo de Tormes belongs to, who the author was and what intentions this authorial figure may have had in its composition. This leaves us with a text with no date, no author, and open to countless interpretations, which, by virtue of its innovative nature and artistic excellence occupies a preeminent place in the Spanish literary canon. It is Europe's first picaresque novel and arguably its first modern novel. For all the above reasons, Lazarillo de Tormes is also perhaps the most critically problematic text in Spanish literature.
Lazarillo de …
2850 words
Citation: Ardila, J. A. G.. "Vida de Lazarillo de Tormes". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 December 2009 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=14722, accessed 03 April 2025.]
