Galician aspects in four novels by Elena Quiroga

Elena Quiroga was awarded the Premio Nadal in 1950 for her novel Viento del norte which, with its description of the environment and people of her native Galicia, established her as a regionalist writer. Her portrayal of the Galicians continued to dominate four of her early novels. Since in her later novels Quiroga moved consciously beyond regionalism, we have chosen to study the regionalism evident in four of her early novels, the only ones up to the present time in which regionalism is really significant. They are Viento del norte (1951), La sangre (1952), La enferma (1955) and Plácida, la joven (1956). We have also touched upon the Celtic ancestry of the Galician people, and we have looked at the writings of two other Galicians, Pardo Bazán and Valle Inclán.

We have focused on various regional traits that are prominent in the four novels studied. Through her description of the Galician land and people, Quiroga emphasizes the strong ties that the Galicians have with their environment. Their character takes on the qualities of the atmosphere that surrounds them and this union with nature affects their ability to communicate effectively with others. The Spaniards' desire to emigrate to other countries to seek opportunity is particularly noticeable in Galicia. The accepted Galician tradition of emigrating to Madrid and the New World affects almost every Galician family. In the absence of her husband or son, the Galician woman assumes responsibility for maintaining the unity of her family. She works in the fields or on the sea shore in addition to managing her home and children. Quiroga's complete portrayal of the Galicians includes their festivals and celebrations as well as their preoccupation with superstitions and death. The settings of the stories and the perspectives from which they are told are particularly suited to the plot of each novel.

Quiroga's regionalism is developed within the atmosphere of the trend back to realism that was in vogue in the 1950s. Quiroga's accurate presentation of the Galicians and their environment reveals the characteristics of the remote region of Galicia which continues to reflect its Celtic heritage.