This is the second edition (1st ed., Flor Nacional, Santiago, Chile, 1949, 62 pp.) of La novela histórica en Chile. In this new edition, José Zamudio incorporates some of the recent theories about the novelistic genre, and adds information about the novels published during the last 20 years.
In the first two chapters, the author discusses the relationship between history and the novel, and its meaning in the works produced in Chile. The other chapters deal with the development of the Chilean historical novel from the origins to the present. Alberto Blest Gana rightfully receives fuller treatment than other figures of lesser significance in the nineteenth century. Two historic-novelistic cycles are also studied: the War of the Pacific and the Revolution of 1891. The last chapter is devoted to a succinct recount of the latest novelistic production.
This reviewer would have preferred to find a detailed analysis of at least some of the important works mentioned in this book, but the author states in his Nota preliminar that he has followed the historical, not the structural method in his study. However, he does not fail to express his opinion about the literary merit of some of the novels. The information he gives concerning the literary currents and foreign influences predominant in Chile is very accurate. Zamudio has covered a lot of ground, and has done it with remarkable clarity and concision. We must welcome this second edition, because it is the only precise and inclusive handbook there is on the historical novel in Chile.
This new edition has a detailed bibliography, organized according to the historical periods treated in the novels. It also has an excellent index.
