Belen Gopegui

This book is the first major study of one of Spain's most celebrated younger novelists, Belen Gopegui, whose work stands apart from other writers of her generation for its uncompromising focus on the social function of literature. Gopegui's social commitments find expression in her concern for solidarity and collective projects. These become more radical over time in response to a disenchantment with the evolution of the left in Spain and to the global impact of the capitalist economic system, giving rise to increasingly interventionist narrative strategies. The core theme of solidarity is explored in relation to the collective experience of Spain's largely consensual democratic transition and to the apparent erosion of collective goals in post-transition society. Gopegui's discourse of solidarity is examined through engagement with theorists of advanced modernity, including Ulrich Beck's 'risk society' model and various contemporary reflections on the concept of solidarity. Centred on Gopegui's first four novels, the study situates analysis of these within the perspective of her later works and illuminates her artistic and intellectual trajectory by drawing on an extensive array of her non-fiction writings and personal interviews, one of which is published here for the first time. Hayley Rabanal is Lecturer in Hispanic Studies at the University of Sheffield.