Year after year, reading continues to be one of the great hobbies and goals of the Spanish. Read more, get to know new genres or simply get started in the fantastic world of literature, are just some of the resolutions that we set for the beginning of the year.
For this reason, ALIBRATE, the largest platform for Spanish-speaking readers in the world, has made a selection of the 12 most read and best valued classic books by more than 100,000 Spanish readers to enjoy this 2021 of those works of universal literature that never go out of style
The Little Prince – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Published in 1943, the story of The Little Prince continues to be the order of the day, becoming an undisputed classic.
In this short novel, Saint-Exupéry talks about human idiocy and the wisdom that children let go of when they grow up, through the story of an aviator lost in the desert after having a technical problem with his plane. That will be where he meets a little prince from another planet.
The Metamorphosis – Franz Kafka
This work by Kafka, written in 1912 and published in 1915, is considered one of the masterpieces of the 20th century due to its undeniable pioneering features and the wealth of ideas and interpretations that it has always provoked.
It tells the story of Gregor Samsa, a commercial traveler who “one morning after a restless dream” is transformed into a monstrous insect, causing from that moment an enormous drama in his family.
Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
Among the favorite classics of the Spanish is Jane Austen, one of the great British novelists of her time. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen criticizes English society at the beginning of the 19th century.
Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lidia are five sisters who live with their parents on the outskirts of London and who must get married so that the paternal inheritance continues within the family. Her mother eagerly entrusts herself to this task, who feels hopeful when Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy enter the scene.
Don Quixote of La Mancha – Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
If there is a classic among the classics, it is undoubtedly Don Quixote, the most outstanding work of Spanish literature and one of the most important in universal literature.
In Don Quixote de la Mancha we will see the story of a man who sold his land to acquire books on chivalry, disguises himself as a knight and adventures with his companion Sancho Panza and Rocinante, his old horse. It is the first modern and polyphonic novel. Don Quixote de la Mancha was written in two parts, one published in 1605 and the other in 1615.
Romeo and Juliet – William Shakespeare
A classic that could not be missed and a synonym of hapless love. Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy begins with two Verona families, the Montagues and the Capulets, feuding since time immemorial. The hatred is so strong that it even takes the lives of innocent victims.
However, two young people from opposing families fall in love with each other and thus give themselves up to a fatal fate.
Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
Published in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell, Wuthering Heights hypnotizes and engulfs the reader in a tangle of passion, hatred, thirst for revenge, unrequited love, and disappointment.
It is a story of conflicting passions in the most conservative rural England. The plot opens with Catherine, the daughter of a distinguished family, and Heathcliff, a peasant adopted by that family, who go from being childhood playmates to falling in love. The aftermath of that impossible love will affect its protagonists and also their descendants for several generations.
The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde
In this work from 1890, Wilde offers the reader a work with a moral and artistic aspect, mixing irony, wit, elegance and aesthetics, which characterize him.
Basil Hallward is an artist who is strongly impressed by the aesthetic beauty of a young man named Dorian Gray and begins to admire him. Basil paints a portrait of the young man, who begins to be captivated by Lord Henry’s worldview which states that “the only thing worthwhile in life is beauty, and the satisfaction of the senses”. Realizing that one day his beauty will fade, Dorian wishes he would always be the age he was when Basil painted him in the painting.
The Lazarillo de Tormes – Anonymous
Published in 1554, the authorship of one of the most unique novels in Spanish literature remains unknown.
For the first time a character, Lázaro de Tormes, recounts his life in the first person from his childhood to his marriage, making a satirical portrait of Spain and the picaresque of the time.
Dracula – Bram Stoker
The beginning of one of the most popular myths: Dracula. It presents the role of women in the Victorian era, sexuality, immigration, colonialism and folklore.
Jonathan Harker travels to Transylvania to close a real estate deal with a mysterious earl who has just bought several properties in London. After a journey full of ominous signs, Harker is picked up at Borgo Pass by a sinister carriage that takes him, lulled by the song of wolves, to a ruined castle.
Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Considered Dostoyevsky’s first masterpiece, Crime and Punishment is a great psychological analysis of its protagonist, the young student Raskolnikov, who firmly believes that humanitarian ends justify evil.
It tells a philosophy of life, discusses what things can be justified to build one’s own destiny and what things cannot. And he brings guilt into play, often present in his work.
Les Miserables – Victor Hugo
Published in 1862, Les Miserables is one of the main classic works of world literature composed of five volumes.
The story narrates the life and adventures of Jean Valjean through several events that reflect the denunciation of the misery and poverty of the time, as well as his reflection on the great moral questions such as justice, good, evil or solidarity. , among other.
The Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
The story of a man who, after surviving a vile betrayal, returns to do justice, makes it the most famous novel written by Alexandre Dumas.
Its protagonist, Edmundo Dantés, unjustly accused of treason by his friends, is arrested on the day of his wedding and finally imprisoned. After a few years he escapes from prison, he becomes a rich man and adopts the title of Count of Monte Cristo. This work is considered one of the ten best adventure novels of all time.
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