Two Spanish Picaresque Novels: Lazarillo De Tormes and The Swindler

A pair of tales that helped lay the foundation for the Spanish novel. The first, “Lazarillo de Tormes,” was written in 1554 by an anonymous author and tells of a rambunctious young man from Salamanca who schemes against his various masters. Cervantes was a big admirer. The second, “The Swindler,” was written in 1626 by Francisco de Quevedo, and paints a darkly comic picture of the criminal underworld and a servant who tries in vain to achieve the status of gentleman.