Lazarillo de Tormes

Lazarillo de Tormes occupies a privileged place in the birth of the picaresque novel and, more generally, the modern novel. Its unknown author concealed his name in anonymity, thus creating one of the most enduring enigmas of world literature. The work offers a scathing critique of the values ​​of 16th-century imperial society, values ​​that those who should have been their bearers and defenders had transformed into mere appearance and falsehood. Despite this, Lazarillo also reveals a space for compassion, piety, and charity, albeit only among the humblest of people.