The short Narrative of Rafael Cansinos Assens

Towards a recognizable Universe

Abstract

Rafael Cansinos Assens is not only a minor writer between two generations: the first one, representings the classical style of the ninenteeth century, and the second one, being the new wave of literary language. He is neither a traditional writer in the broadest sense, nor a representative bohemian novelist. Thus, general criticism forgets the important contribution that Cansinos offers to the following novel of the twentieth century, not only in the technical aspect but also in the global structure, argumentation, lyricism and symbolism. When we study his short novel collection in detail, we observe many of these aspects. In other words, society is changing, and philosophers like Nietzsche are a powerful influence on life as an artistic category. The presence of the ‘self’ in the modern novel, as a reflective voice, as the construction of the being, is one of the substantial steps that we can sense in his narrative.