The Quest (1922)

By Pío Baroja and Isaac Goldberg

Book Overview

The Quest, written by Pio Baroja and first published in 1922, is a novel that explores the themes of identity, purpose, and the search for meaning in life. The story follows the protagonist, Andres Hurtado, a young man from a wealthy family who feels unfulfilled and dissatisfied with his life. He embarks on a journey of self-discovery, leaving behind his privileged existence to travel through Spain and France, seeking out new experiences and perspectives.As he travels, Andres encounters a variety of people, including artists, intellectuals, and revolutionaries, each with their own unique worldview and philosophy. Through these encounters, Andres begins to question his own beliefs and values, and ultimately discovers a new sense of purpose and direction in life.The Quest is a deeply introspective and philosophical work, exploring themes of existentialism and the search for meaning in a rapidly changing world. Baroja's writing is characterized by its vivid descriptions of people and places, as well as its exploration of the complexities of human nature. The novel has been praised for its insight into the human condition and its exploration of the struggles and challenges that come with the search for identity and purpose.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1165106922
• ISBN13: 9781165106929
• Release Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing
• Length: 298 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Pio's genuine masterpiece

As the first of his novel trilogy, "La lucha por la vida", Pio Baroja spawns the Forrest Gump-like character of Manuel Alcázar whose tribulations and improvisational spirit identify the trademark individual character of turn-of-the-20th-century Spain. "La Busca" ["The Search"] kicks off this saga with the main character dealing with hoodlums and the social unwanted. In the background of a saturnine misery, Manuel resorts to his creativity and good fortune to unwillingly climb the social ladder. His tendency to hesitate on decisions and his considerable aloofness turn out to be his greater allies. Manuel is the behind-the-scenes character, following events in the lowly suburbs of Madrid, coyly eyewitnessing the tension and survival among wanton groups. Baroja's work earmarks an era of historical disaster in the fading Spanish empire following the 1898 defeat to the emerging American empire. His story cranks the volume of the agonizing voices of helpless creatures underlining the scope of social and political disaster.