{"title":"Ana María Matute","description":"\u003cp\u003eAna María Matute is a celebrated Spanish author known for her profound storytelling that explores themes of childhood, humanity, and the social challenges of her time. Her works often reflect the influence of the Spanish Civil War, which significantly impacted her life and writings. A creative force in the world of Spanish literature, Matute was recognised as one of the most influential writers of the post-war period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHer novel \u003cem\u003eThe Island\u003c\/em\u003e captures the imagination with its vivid characters and evocative landscapes, representing her hallmark style. Matute's ability to weave magical realism with grounded narratives offers readers a unique perspective on human resilience and innocence. Her prose is renowned for its rich and poetic quality, enticing readers into worlds that are both enchanting and real.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eExplore our collection of Ana María Matute's works and immerse yourself in her compelling narratives that combine the allure of general fiction with deep, reflective storytelling. Each book is a journey into exquisitely crafted stories that resonate with universal themes, making them timeless additions to any literature lover's collection.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-island-by-ana-maria-matute-9780241374283","title":"The Island","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA searing coming-of-age tale by one of the greatest Spanish writers of the 20th century, set on the island of Mallorca during the Spanish Civil War.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"This is an old and wicked island. An island of Phoenicians and merchants, of bloodsuckers and frauds.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAna María Matute's 1959 novel, \u003cem\u003ePrimera memoria\u003c\/em\u003e (translated as \u003cem\u003eThe Island\u003c\/em\u003e), is a stifling story of rebellious adolescence, narrated by Matia, as she struggles against her domineering grandmother, schemes with her mercurial cousin Borja, and begins to fall in love with the strange boy Manuel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSteeped in myth, fairy tale, and biblical allusion, the novel depicts Mallorca as an enchanted but wicked island, a lost Eden and Never Never Land combined, where the sun burns through stained glass windows and the wind tears itself on the agaves. Ostensibly concerned with Matia's anxieties about entering the adult world, this internal conflict is set against the much wider, deeper, and more frightening conflict of the civil war as it plays out almost secretly on the island, set in turn against the backdrop of the Inquisition's mass burning of Jews in previous centuries. These two conflicts shimmer at the edges of Matia's highly subjective account of her life on the island, where life is drawn along painful and divisive lines.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46298771652844,"sku":"9780241374283","price":29.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/25542163482273.jpg?v=1743041019"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/ana-maria-matute.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}