Rómulo Gallegos is best known for being Venezuela’s first democratically elected president. But in his native land he is equally famous as a writer responsible for one of Venezuela’s literary treasures, the novel Doña Barbara. Published in 1929 and all but forgotten by Anglophone readers, Doña Barbara is one of the first examples of magical realism, laying the groundwork for later authors such as Gabriel García Márquez and Mario Vargas Llosa. Following the epic struggle between two cousins for an estate in Venezuela, Doña Barbara is an examination of the conflict between town and country, violence and intellect, male and female. Doña Barbara is a beautiful and mysterious woman—rumored to be a witch—with a ferocious power over men. When her cousin Santos Luzardo returns to the plains in order to reclaim his land and cattle, he reluctantly faces off against Doña Barbara, and their battle becomes simultaneously one of violence and seduction. All of the action is set against the stunning backdrop of the Venezuelan prairie, described in loving detail. Gallegos’s plains are filled with dangerous ranchers, intrepid cowboys, and damsels in distress, all broadly and vividly drawn. A masterful novel with an important role in the inception of magical realism, Doña Barbara is a suspenseful tale that blends fantasy, adventure, and romance. Hailed as “the Bovary of the llano” by Larry McMurtry in his new foreword to this book, Doña Barbarais a magnetic and memorable heroine, who has inspired numerous adaptations on the big and small screens, including a recent television show that aired on Telemundo.

Doña Barbara: A Novel

Literature & Fiction

Gallegos, Rómulo

United States

University of Chicago Press

Publicada por primera vez en 1929, este clásico de la literatura venezolana y latinoamericana narra el apasionado triángulo amoroso entre Santos Luzardo, doña Bárbara y su hija, Marisela. Cuando el abogado Santos Luzardo vuelve a Los Llanos de Apure para reclamar las tierras de su familia, descubre que éstas están en mano de su déspota prima doña Bárbara, que las dirige con mano de hierro y malas artes. La decisión de Santos de luchar por lo que es suyo y la aparición de la hija de doña Bárbara abrirán antiguas heridas y revelarán el trágico pasado de doña Bárbara. El conflicto que se producirá desestabilizará la hacienda y cambiará todo para siempre. Más allá de su ardiente historia, Doña Bárbara simboliza la lucha entre dos fuerzas, el bien y el mal; la civilización y la barbarie; el mundo de ayer y el de mañana. Una historia universal de amor, seducción y violentas pasiones.

Doña Bárbara (Spanish Edition)

Vintage Espanol

En la parte más desierta y bravía del cajón del Arauca estaba situado el hato de Altamira, primitivamente unas doscientas leguas de sabanas feraces que alimentaban la hacienda más numerosa que por aquellas soledades pacía y donde se encontraban uno de los más ricos garceros de la región.\n“Pues esta es la historia que se cuenta en Doña Bárbara: la del hato Altamira, el más grande del Cajón del Arauca, herencia de los hermanos José y Panchita Luzardo […] Este agujero negro del monte, ciénaga irresoluble en las letras de un documento, es también una suerte de Aleph de la llanura venezolana. Grado cero del paisaje que contiene la esencia del vasto territorio que Lorenzo Barquero, el desgraciado hijo de Panchita, bautizará como ‘la devoradora de hombres’. 
Con ambigüedad deliberada, la novela traza el paralelismo entre la llanura y Doña Bárbara, quien también es conocida con el mismo sobrenombre. […] Como un avatar del tremedal motivo del litigio, Doña Bárbara ha ido extendiendo sus dominios cual si la llanura hubiera acordado con ella castigar la codicia y desidia de los dueños legítimos.\nEs aquí donde Santos Luzardo, joven abogado de la ciudad, hace su entrada en el escenario de la infancia para establecer en esas tierras salvajes el imperio de la ley y recuperar lo que le pertenece.” –Rodrigo Blanco Calderón\nENGLISH DESCRIPTION 
Rómulo Gallegos is best known for being Venezuela’s first democratically elected president. But in his native land he is equally famous as a writer responsible for one of Venezuela’s literary treasures, the novel Doña Barbara. Published in 1929 and all but forgotten by Anglophone readers, Doña Barbara is one of the first examples of magical realism, laying the groundwork for later authors such as Gabriel García Márquez and Mario Vargas Llosa.\nFollowing the epic struggle between two cousins for an estate in Venezuela, Doña Barbara is an examination of the conflict between town and country, violence and intellect, male and female. Doña Barbara is a beautiful and mysterious woman—rumored to be a witch—with a ferocious power over men. When her cousin Santos Luzardo returns to the plains in order to reclaim his land and cattle, he reluctantly faces off against Doña Barbara, and their battle becomes simultaneously one of violence and seduction. All of the action is set against the stunning backdrop of the Venezuelan prairie, described in loving detail. Gallegos’s plains are filled with dangerous ranchers, intrepid cowboys, and damsels in distress, all broadly and vividly drawn. A masterful novel with an important role in the inception of magical realism, Doña Barbara is a suspenseful tale that blends fantasy, adventure, and romance. 
Hailed as “the Bovary of the llano” by Larry McMurtry in his new foreword to this book, Doña Barbarais a magnetic and memorable heroine, who has inspired numerous adaptations on the big and small screens, including a recent television show that aired on Telemundo.

Doña Bárbara / Lady Barbara (Spanish Edition)

This English translation of "Canaima", first published in 1935, includes five essays of background and criticism. The book describes life in early-20th century Venezuela, a world of gold, diamonds and raw rubber, white foreigners and African slaves.

Canaima

Reference

Univ of Oklahoma Pr

Canaima (Pittsburgh Editions of Latin American Literature)

"This new English translation of Canaima should be welcomed by all readers of Gallegos. In addition to Kirkland's translation (based on Charles Minguet's 1991 critique of the novel in Spanish), work contains his engaging and provocative translator's essay; an informative introduction by Michael John Doudoroff; essays by five specialists and Venezuelan writers who provide varied perspectives on the novel; and a glossary of terms that readers will find invaluable"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58. http://www.loc.gov/hlas/

Doudoroff, Michael John

History & Criticism

Univ of Pittsburgh Pr

"This new English translation of Canaima should be welcomed by all readers of Gallegos. In addition to Kirkland's translation (based on Charles Minguet's 1991 critique of the novel in Spanish), work contains his engaging and provocative translator's essay; an informative introduction by Michael John Doudoroff; essays by five specialists and Venezuelan writers who provide varied perspectives on the novel; and a glossary of terms that readers will find invaluable"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 58. http://www.loc.gov/hlas/

Deeply involved with the social issues of his times Romulo Gallegos crafted his representation of the stratified society around him by building upon firmly grounded and widespread images. These images highlight the underlying cultural and metaphysical beliefs (basis for a legitimized social order) from which the fictional world is finally drawn. But while doing so Romulo Gallegos offered new alternatives to those visions as he established and widened gaps in those socially accepted perceptions and values. The essential aspects of the social imaginaries and the characterization of the central feminine character are present in La Coronela, the first text that evolved into Doña Bárbara. This edition, carefully annotated by prof Flor Maria Rodriguez-Arenas, also includes entire sections of that previous text, as it shows the intrinsic aspects of "the terrible stalwart woman". Also present are the structuring, discursive and functional elements as the character develops to become "the devourer of men" as portrayed in the final version of Doña Bárbara. These aspects of the social imaginary allow readers from different eras, almost a century after its publication, to understand the novel and continue to generate interpretations that will certainly enrich its reception.

Dona Barbara (English translation)

Peter Smith Pub Inc

Es una novela escrita por el venezolano Rómulo Gallegos y publicada por Editorial Araluce, el 11 de agosto de 1929. Ha sido reeditada más de cuarenta veces y traducida a otros idiomas. Consta de tres partes y se desarrolla en los llanos de Apure en Venezuela, en los predios del Río Arauca. Doña Bárbara es la novela venezolana más popular: desde su aparición, en 1929, se leyó con avidez quizás porque entre líneas Gallegos expresaba su rebeldía al régimen dictatorial y al atraso que vivía el país. Superando ese momento, Doña Bárbara mantiene su gran prestigio porque continúa siendo el símbolo de la lucha que entabla en nuestro continente, el hombre marcado por la cultura occidental con una naturaleza violenta y con otros hombres rebeldes.

Doña Barbara (Spanish Edition)

Literary

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Doña Bárbara es una novela escrita por el venezolano Rómulo Gallegos y publicada por Editorial Araluce, el 11 de agosto de 1929. Ha sido reeditada más de cuarenta veces y traducida a otros idiomas. Consta de tres partes y se desarrolla en los llanos de Apure en Venezuela, en los predios del Río Arauca.Doña Bárbara es la novela venezolana más popular: desde su aparición, en 1929, se leyó con avidez quizás porque entre líneas Gallegos expresaba su rebeldía al régimen dictatorial y al atraso que vivía el país. Superando ese momento, Doña Bárbara mantiene su gran prestigio porque continúa siendo el símbolo de la lucha que entabla en nuestro continente, el hombre marcado por la cultura occidental con una naturaleza violenta y con otros hombres rebeldes.

Classics

A psychological study of rural life on the Venezuelan plains, Doña Bárbara depicts the struggle for control of an estate, symbolizing the battle between opposing forces. Santos Luzardo defends the law and progress while Doña Bárbara represents the darkness behind violence and passion. The confrontation between civilized life outside of the plains and the barbaric aspects of rural society accurately portrays early 20th-century Venezuelan life. This regionalist novel inspired the magic realism of modern Latin American literature.

Doña Bárbara (Clásicos de la literatura) (Spanish Edition)

Ediciones Norte

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Books by Gallegos, Rómulo

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Doña Barbara: A Novel

Doña Bárbara (Spanish Edition)

Doña Bárbara / Lady Barbara (Spanish Edition)

Canaima

Canaima (Pittsburgh Editions of Latin American Literature)

Canaima (Pittsburgh Editions of Latin American Literature)

Dona Barbara (English translation)

Doña Barbara (Spanish Edition)

Doña Bárbara (Spanish Edition)

Doña Bárbara (Clásicos de la literatura) (Spanish Edition)