Summary of Nada: A Novel
Andrea, a young orphan, arrives in Barcelona in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War to study at university and begin a new life. She has vivid memories of her family’s home on Calle de Aribau, in Barcelona’s Eixample district, but soon discovers that her family’s circumstances have dramatically declined. She is forced to live in an overcrowded flat with her grandmother, uncles and aunts, whose relationships are fraught with tension, hostility, and even violence. Against the backdrop of the hunger, austerity and conservatism of the early Francoist years, her situation proves all the more challenging. Yet Andrea finds moments of escape, as she wanders through the streets of Barcelona and spends time at the university, where she befriends Ena, a wealthy young woman whose family history appears to be mysteriously connected to her own.
Reasons to read Nada: A Novel
“Nada” is an intimate and moving coming-of-age novel about a young woman who tries to build her own future amid difficult family and social circumstances. It offers a vivid portrayal of life in Barcelona during the bleak years following the Spanish Civil War under Franco’s dictatorship, while also exploring family conflict, social inequality and a young woman’s search for identity. Widely regarded as one of the greatest Spanish novels of the twentieth century, it won the Premio Nadal in 1944 and was later included in El Mundo’s 2001 list of the 100 best Spanish-language novels of the twentieth century. Published when Carmen Laforet was just 23, the novel is partly based on her own experiences.
Setting: Barcelona (Spain)
Book set in Barcelona: The novel is largely set in the family’s apartment on Calle de Aribau (Carrer d’Aribau) in the Eixample district. Carmen Laforet was born at No. 36 on this street. A commemorative plaque on the building marks it as the birthplace of the author and the inspiration for “Nada”. The building stands near the corner with Calle del Consejo de Ciento (Carrer del Consell de Cent).
Original title: Nada
Year of publication: 1945
Nr of pages: 288
