Conversation in the Cathedral (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Mario Vargas Llosa
- First Published: 1969
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Social realism
- Time of Work: The late 1940’s and early 1950’s
- Setting: Lima, Peru
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism, Political fiction
- Subjects: 1950’s, Family or family life, Class conflict, 1940’s, Upper classes, Servants, South America or South Americans, Peru or Peruvians
- Locales: Lima, Peru
Characters Discussed
Santiago Zavala (sahn-tee-AH- goh sah-VAH-lah), also known as Skinny and Superbrain, who is progressively transformed from the favorite son into an aspiring Communist and finally into a columnist in a dead-end newspaper job. He is the novel’s protagonist, and much of the narrative is rendered in his voice and from his perspective. He is a disillusioned intellectual and self- disinherited son of the bourgeoisie who is determined to forge an authentic existence. When he is unable to break with his past, however, he slowly sinks into despair and cynicism....
[The entire page is 757 words long]
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