Martín Rivas

Arguably the most widely read work of Chilean Literature, Martín Rivas (1862) by Alberto Blest Gana (1830-1920) is at once a passionate love story and a keenly observed portrait of the manners and customs of nineteenth-century Chile. Martín Rivas, an impoverished but ambitious young man from the northern mining region of Chile, is entrusted by his late father to the household of a wealthy and influential member of the Santiago elite. While living there, he falls in love with his guardian's daughter. A poor provincial, Martin perceives his situation to be hopeless, so he immediately sets about improving his financial and social station. Along the way, he bears witness to the wide range of social and moral strata within Chilean society. Filled with unerring social portraits, animated dialogue, and sharply drawn characters, Martín Rivas is an engagingly spontaneous and a charmingly romantic novel that illustrates the enriching influences that romanticism had on nineteenth-century Chilean literature. This distinguished edition includes an introduction by Jaime Concha, situating the novel in historical context and providing both important biographical information on the author and a subtle literary analysis of the text.