
A lively narrator guides listeners through the buzz surrounding Spain’s newest warship, the España, and the chatter about forthcoming trans‑Atlantic liners. With a sharp, satirical eye, the commentary drifts from the glitter of naval pomp to the uneasy coexistence of Catholic rites and Protestant services aboard foreign vessels, exposing the paradoxes of national pride and religious tolerance in early‑twentieth‑century Madrid.
The second part shifts to the art world, where critics clamour for a showcase of Ignacio Pinazo’s paintings. The speaker muses on the tension between fleeting fashions and enduring truth in visual art, using vivid analogies about clothing and nudity to illustrate what they consider genuine beauty. Throughout, the prose mixes humor with earnest reflection, offering a snapshot of cultural debates that still resonate today.
Language
es
Duration
~4 hours (244K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Carlos Colón, Josep Cols Canals and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries)
Release date
2018-12-26
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1866–1954
A leading figure in modern Spanish theater, he wrote nearly 200 plays and became known for sharp, graceful comedies that quietly exposed the manners and morals of his time. His influence reached far beyond Spain, and in 1922 he received the Nobel Prize in Literature.
View all books