Martin Rivas

Martín Rivas is a novel by Alberto Blest Gana that is considered the first Chilean novel. It is a powerful story of romance, class, and national unity inspired by the social realism of Honoré de Balzac. The main character, Martín Rivas, is a poor mining community who travels to Santiago to take a job as a servant in the home of a wealthy aristocrat. He falls in love with his employers daughter, but faces societal disapproval and struggles to reconcile his emotions with her. The novel is a classic of Chilean literature reimagined for modern readers.

Format: Hardback
Length: 388 pages
Publication date: 15 February 2022
Publisher: West Margin Press

Martín Rivas, a novel by Alberto Blest Gana, is widely recognized as the pioneering work of Chilean literature. Written in 1862, the novel weaves a captivating tale of romance, class, and national unity, drawing inspiration from the social realism of Honoré de Balzac while remaining true to the emerging culture of Chile.

Born and raised in a humble mining community, Martín Rivas witnesses the constraints imposed on his friends and family. Generational poverty, instability, and poor health plague the workers in northern Chile, fueling his desire for a better life. With his father's blessing, Rivas embarks on a journey to Santiago, seeking employment as a servant in the home of a wealthy aristocrat.

Within this privileged environment, Rivas strives to adapt to the customs and desires of the affluent, but his attention is inevitably drawn to the captivating daughter of his employer. Overwhelmed by his feelings, he finds himself increasingly entangled in a web of societal disapproval and financial dependence. As he navigates the complexities of his newfound relationship, Rivas grapples with the challenges of reconciling his emotions with the rigid social norms of the time.

Furthermore, he must convince his employer to allow him to pursue his own daughter, a decision that holds the potential to alter the course of his life forever. Reflecting on his journey, Rivas acknowledges the immense obstacles he has overcome and ponders the worth of the relentless struggle that has brought him to this point.

Presented in a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Martín Rivas by Alberto Blest Gana serves as a timeless classic of Chilean literature, reimagined for contemporary readers.

Dimension: 203 x 127 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781513132396