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La Narrativa Breve De Carmen Laforet (1952-1954)

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La Narrativa Breve De Carmen Laforet (1952-1954) Universidad de Barcelona Facultad de Filología Departamento de Filología Hispánica Programa de Doctorado : “Filología Hispánica” La narrativa breve de Carmen Laforet (1952-1954) Autora: Santa Ferretti Directora de la tesis: Dra. Anna Caballé Masforroll Barcelona, Septiembre 2013 1 Quiero dedicar este trabajo a mi familia, con gratitud; por su comprensión, amor, ayuda y acompañamiento; y a todos mis amigos en Barcelona por haberme facilitado libros, artículos y ánimo para llevar a cabo esta empresa. 2 Quiero expresar aquí mi más sincero agradecimiento a la profesora Anna Caballé por haber accedido a dirigirme la tesis. El apoyo que me ha prestado durante el proceso de investigación y su acicate durante la escritura de esta tesis han sido un gran estímulo intelectual para mí. 3 Laudato sie, mi Signore, per sora nostra matre terra, la quale ne sostenta et governa, et produce diversi fructi con coloriti fiori et herba. Laudato sie, mi Signore, per quelli ke perdonano per lo tuo amore, et sostengo infìrmitate et tribulatione. Beati quelli kel sosterranno in pace, ka da tè Altissimo sirano incoronati. “Il Cantico delle Creature” (San Francesco d'Assisi) Cuando uno decide ser escritor, no tiene la menor idea de lo que ese trabajo supone. Al comenzar, escribes espontáneamente de tu limitada experiencia. Estás lleno de exuberante ingenuidad. Pero trabajar en ello casi todos los días desde hace cincuenta años resulta ser un trabajo muy exigente y cuesta verlo como una placentera actividad. No quiero seguir siendo esclavo de las estrictas exigencias de la literatura. Philip Roth Siempre hasta que me muera estaré volcada en los demás. Los querré y me querrán. Y al mismo tiempo estaré sola. Carmen Laforet (Fragmento de una carta original de Carmen Laforet a Lilí Álvarez depositada en la Unidad de Estudios Biográficos de la Universidad de Barcelona) 4 Índice 1. Introducción pág. 6 1.1. La escritora y la crítica pág. 14 2. Contextos pág. 38 2.1. Tradición de la novela corta en la literatura española del siglo XX y análisis de la narrativa breve de Carmen Laforet pág. 107 2.2. Semblanza biográfica pág. 135 3. Novela corta vs. novela larga en su obra pág. 165 3.1. “El piano” o la dignidad en la pobreza pág. 193 3.2. “La llamada” o el fracaso de los sueños pág. 209 3.3. “El viaje divertido”. Un retorno al pasado pág. 223 3.4. “La niña”: radiografía de la mujer beata pág. 240 3.5. “Los emplazados”, ¿burlando la muerte? Pág. 254 3.6. “El último verano” o la idealización de la maternidad pág. 268 3.7. “Un noviazgo”: un apunte de rebeldía femenina pág. 280 4. Conclusiones pág. 307 5. Bibliografía pág. 314 5 1. Introducción En estos últimos años se ha recobrado el interés tanto por la figura de Carmen Laforet como por su obra literaria. Se ha recopilado toda su narrativa breve bajo el título Siete novelas cortas, que acaba de publicar la editorial Menoscuarto; en 2010 también vio la luz la biografía a cargo de Anna Caballé e Israel Rolón Carmen Laforet. Una mujer en fuga (RBA Editores); amén de distintas publicaciones surgidas anteriormente, desde el retiro de la escritora, por ejemplo la obra Carmen Laforet de Roberta Johnson, publicada por la editorial Twayne en Estados Unidos, en 1981. La profesora Johnson seguiría ocupándose de la obra de C. Laforet en los años siguientes. Recordamos también su ensayo “La novelística feminista de Carmen Laforet y el género negro” (publicado en Arbor en 2006). Un año después de la obra publicada por Johnson, en 1982, el hijo menor de Carmen Laforet, Agustín Cerezales, publicó a su vez Carmen Laforet, un trabajo biográfico que contiene una selección de textos de la novelista además de otros de crítica literaria sobre la obra de su madre hasta aquella fecha. Y que marcaría un hecho característico y es ubicar a Agustín Cerezales, albacea de la obra de su madre, como el principal suministro de la información tanto biográfica como editorial relacionada con la escritora. Más recientemente, en 2002, apareció Mujeres de la posguerra, de Carmen Laforet a Rosa Chacel. Historia de una generación, obra de la periodista Inmaculada de la Fuente, que añade importantes noticias y sobre todo una nueva interpretación en relación a las anteriores, las someras biografías de Johnson y Cerezales. Al año siguiente Israel Rolón editó Puedo contar contigo, que contiene la correspondencia epistolar mantenida por Laforet con el novelista español, afincado en los Estados Unidos, Ramón J. Sender; y en 2004, apareció la novela inédita Al volver la esquina, segunda obra de una trilogía siempre anunciada pero nunca publicada como tal que, junto a la publicación de los cuentos Carta a Don Juan, nos descubren una nueva e inédita Carmen Laforet. Es decir una escritora más prolífica y versátil de lo que a veces se nos ha querido hacer creer. Hay que matizar, sin embargo, que, en realidad, el título aportado por Rolón, Carmen Laforet/Ramón J. Sender Puedo contar contigo. Correspondencia, marcó el punto de inflexión en los estudios laforetianos. El libro aportaba por primera vez la voz auténtica de 6 la escritora, opinando sobre su obra, sobre obras ajenas (principalmente la del propio Sender) y sobre las dificultades que representaba para ella seguir manteniendo en pie su carrera literaria. Es decir se ofrecía una visión poliédrica de Laforet desconocida hasta entonces. De ahí que los estudios sobre su obra adquirieran una nueva profundidad, como sucede siempre que se incorporan nuevos materiales biográficos al conocimiento de un escritor. Israel Rolón, tras la lectura de las obras de Carmen Laforet y para lograr explicar los enigmas de la escritora y los aspectos biográficos que no se perciben a simple vista, siguió investigando a la búsqueda de nuevos materiales epistolares que ayudaran a configurar su trayectoria desde un punto de vista interno. El origen de la pesquisa epistolar de Rolón fue la lectura de Paralelo 35. Rolón comprendió que tenía que haber una correspondencia entre la autora y Sender. En primer lugar la buscó en EE.UU., especialmente en California, para después encontrarla en España, en la ciudad de Huesca donde se encuentra depositado el archivo de Sender y gran parte de sus cartas recibidas. Rolón aisló los manuscritos originales de entre unos seis álbumes diferentes en los que las cartas habían sido colocadas por orden cronológico. Luego tuvo que enfrentarse con la carencia de fechas con que algunas cartas fueron escritas (antes de transcribirlas con no poca dificultad debida a la escritura a mano, al deterioro de la claridad de la tinta y al uso de ambas caras del folio). Al contrario de Laforet, Sender escribió (excepto dos) toda su correspondencia mecanografiada. Gracias a la familia Laforet se han conservado y se pudieron incluir en el libro casi todas las cartas que corresponden al autor aragonés. La importancia de las cartas reside en el estilo natural, sencillo y espontáneo, no exento de matices poéticos propios de la sensibilidad artística de ambos autores. Las cartas también dan a conocer aspectos de la creación literaria de la autora así como de sus largos silencios. El epistolario, a pesar de que la correspondencia esté fechada de mucho antes, empieza en 1965 y va hasta 1982. Marie-Lise Gautier en “Carmen Laforet”, Interviews with Spanish Writers (1992) refiere las palabras de Carmen Laforet y Sender: “Nos conocíamos por correspondencia desde hacía unos veinte años: Cuando la publicación de mi primera novela, Sender tuvo la generosidad de escribirme desde [Nuevo] México. Yo le admiraba sin haber leído más que una pequeña parte de su obra” (Gautier, 1992: 156-157). Con Sender, Carmen Laforet encuentra a un confidente –no será el único- y le habla de lo difícil que es ser mujer y escritora al mismo tiempo y el 7 resquemor hacia una sociedad que parece rechazar a las mujeres que se dedican a un oficio distinto al del ámbito del hogar y la familia que tradicionalmente se les ha reservado. Comunica al escritor sus inseguridades y su constante actitud crítica hacia su obra, su deseo de ser buena madre, su búsqueda de alegría y felicidad y su anhelo religioso. Se dice apolítica, pero va creciendo en su interior una hostilidad hacía su país por los cambios que observa en él y por la incomodidad que ello le comporta. En 2004, Benjamín Prado y su esposa Teresa Rosenvinge publicaron en Ediciones Omega, en la colección Vidas literarias, una serie de biografías dirigidas por la escritora Nuria Amat, un volumen dedicado a Laforet. Incluye una selección de textos realizada por los propios autores y cedidos por los herederos de la propia autora. Cabe mencionar, al hilo de la aportación de los descendientes de Laforet, la valiosa aportación autobiográfica de la hija de Carmen Laforet, Cristina Cerezales Laforet, que en 2009 publicó Música blanca, libro en el que recuerda y honra la memoria de su madre en una escritura poético-biográfica que proporciona también algunos datos valiosos. Además de los libros mencionados más arriba, sería reprochable olvidarse de destacar una serie de artículos y trabajos sobre la vida y la obra de Carmen Laforet, aparecidos recientemente. Así, el artículo de la novelista Carme Riera “Hace 40 años, una noche como hoy”, publicado en El País el 6 de enero de 1985, donde se recuerda la noche del primer premio Nadal en la que resultó ganadora una joven Carmen Laforet. Destaca también el completo estudio de Nada que la catedrática de la Universidad de Barcelona, Rosa Navarro Durán, lleva a cabo en la edición de Nada publicada por Destino el año 2006. De nuevo Carme Riera publica, esta vez en 2012, otro artículo el que lleva como título “Relectura de Nada en clave barcelonesa”, publicado en Cuadernos hispanoamericanos, número 742, 2012, págs.
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