GENARO J. PÉREZ

[Campos de Níjar (1960) and La chanca (1962)] are travelogues of an unusual type since the narrator uses the genre to criticize the Spanish government for allowing the social ills he witnesses. As a consequence, he is highly selective in what he is showing to the reader, and the works should be considered as written documentaries of the social conditions of the people and the areas of Spain displayed. An important reason for studying the travelogues is their relationship to later novels; some motifs of these two works will appear in Señas de identidad, Don Julián, and Juan sin tierra, and it may be recalled that the novel in general is related to history and travelogue form. (p. 5)

In Campos de Níjar and La chanca there are one distinct dynamic motif and a large number of free ones. The prominence of the latter is the obvious result of the free aspect of the genre which does not need to follow any particular pattern in order to develop characters or situations. Since Goytisolo does not limit himself to static description of the landscape and its people, but instead dynamically asserts his views on what he sees and hears, the prominent dynamic motif in the narration is the attitude of the traveler-narrator; he determines the course of the testimonial presentation. Because of such an approach this travelogue verges on the thesis novel. Another dynamic motif, apparently uncontrolled by the narrator, appears in Campos de Níjar. The narrator oversleeps and misses the bus … so that he has the opportunity to walk several miles and speak to many interesting inhabitants of the region….

The most prominent free motifs recurring in both works are economic, social, and political criticism of Spain, a constant reference to the Arabic culture prevailing in the areas visited, the language spoken by the people in the region, the behavior of foreigners in Spain, and the narrator's feelings about the many situations encountered. Throughout both writings the reader finds examples of poverty, social injustice, and the failure of the political system to undertake the proper measures to remedy the situation. (p. 6)

The narrator's emotions about what he encounters in his travels are openly displayed: he may offer a verbal outburst about a particular injustice he feels should be corrected; there are moments when he describes his frustrations at not being able to remedy a given situation, and also a few instances of sentimentality in which the traveler weeps over what he sees. (p. 9)

The purpose of this study has been to examine other forms of narrative in the writings of Goytisolo in order to give the reader a better perspective of the transformation that has taken place beginning with Señas de identidad. What appear to be excerpts from these travelogues will reappear in later novels. In essence, then, Campos de Níjar, and La chanca could be considered as transitional, perhaps a hiatus, between the early works and the experimental, more mature ones. (p. 10)