Desire and Dissent: An Introduction to Luis Antonio de Villena

(Hardback)

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Description

Luis Antonio de Villena (b. 1951), one of modern Spain's best-known writers, tackles subjects as varied as the nightlife of Madrid, Renaissance art, sex, the nature of love, Plato, blue jeans, classicism and rock music. In this provocative new book, Chris Perriam places Villena's creative work in relation to the contemporary Spanish cultural scene, to 20th century homosexual culture and to significant gay and dissident figures of the past, including Lorca and Luis Cernuda, and explains how Villena has developed a radical new aesthetic out of the old raw materials of love, sex, death, power, and the primacy of art and desire.

Reviews

'This is an excellent study on an important writer ... [and is] academically impeccable, clearly written and fun to read. It is an important and original contribution to Hispanic studies and serves to introduce a major European writer to non-Hispanists, especially those interested in the popular fields of cultural studies and the history of sexuality.' Professor Paul Julian Smith, Head of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, University of Cambridge "Chris Perriam's timely and competent study ... (explores) from a critical perspective worthy of the moment a writer of today whose work engages with the cuestiones palpitantes of writing and living and so deserves a place both in contemporary European and international literature ... Professor Perriam's study makes a laudable and consistent attempt ... to link Villena's work to a broader European and international cultural tradition..." Tesserae "Chris Perriam's critique of the work of Luis Antonio de Villena constitutes a stimulating exploration of the complexities of his multi-faceted subject. [...] ...the text is elegantly written" Bulletin of Hispanic Studies

Author Bio

Chris Perriam Professor of Hispanic Studies,University of Newcastle upon Tyne