La imagen de España en Vidas sombrías de Pío Baroja entre la búsqueda de la identidad y la crítica social

This paper has the aim of identifying the features and characteristics of the image of Spain as seen in the short stories anthology Vidas sombrías. In this work the strong criticism the author gives of contemporary society and of Spanish idiosyncrasies depends both on generational and individual reasons: according to Baroja, landscape is a basic part of Spanish moral and social life, and adds yet another feature to the drama of the nation. For this reason, Spain does not form a mere static scene but on the contrary, a living organism that induces men to live in a constant fight with their environment. For this reason the author’s focus on Spanish landscape and regions is widened by a psychological analysis of the characters. The two themes will later appear in most of the fictions written by Pío Baroja.