The smile of the saints

The smile of the saints, Llor Miquel, Barcelona, Ed. 62, 1947 (1987)

Always a good time to reread readings made during the race. On this occasion, the second part of Laura in the city of Santos (1931) becomes a useful tool to remind the author of the original objectives: portrait reflects a psychological transformation in the context of a realistic space asset. All this is now gone. The author’s will to overcome the conflict that the novel was created with its population of birth, Vic, cause the realization of a story that has attractions for those who have read the earlier book but losing the basic essence of his work. There is social criticism, there is no psychological transformation, just a touch of verisimilitude found in each of the actions of the characters, especially Laura and Muntanyola brothers, Tom and Teresa. Thus we find a protagonist who repents of their previous actions and to recover conjugal life with surprising ease by the hand of her husband and the constant opposition of his sister: “You have to have patience and know-silent” (p. 9) this is the motto of the new Laura. And the goal, marked by the symbol of the city of Comarquinal: “it was time to penetrate closer to the smile of the Saints, which is offered to all men, good and half bad, all children of God.” (P. 32).

The most innovative and interesting is the new historical framework deployed in the novel: the thirties, with the outbreak of the Civil War and the victory of the national side (p. 50). A social and cultural context that demonstrates the ambiguity of the landed classes Catalan within the conflict as a direct criticism of anticlerical excesses (p. 129).

The other plot lines of the first novel takes up or have their defense, as the sudden death of Llibori uncle, with great skill to configure the two novels as a continued without any break.
On the technical discursive note is the increase in orality, particularly in some small fragments that are likely to be located in the inner reported speech of the characters (p. 43). Similarly, and this binds the film version of the first novel, there is an increase of eroticism in the relationship between Laura and Thomas. (P. 47). But a second part of the absolutely essential, is highly unlikely, which leads to expressions of surprise of the same characters as “What about that, Laura?” (P. 154).