Martín Rivas

Martín Rivas (1862) is widely regarded as the first great Chilean novel and a masterpiece of Latin American realism. Often compared to Balzac, Alberto Blest Gana portrays the social stratification of Santiago in the 1850s through the eyes of an impoverished provincial young man seeking his fortune in the capital.

The novel chronicles the rise of the middle class and the romantic and social conflicts that emerge as Rivas navigates the rigid hierarchies of the Chilean elite. It is an essential text for understanding the formation of the nation-state and social mobility in 19th-century South America.

This Edition: Edited and annotated by Jaime Concha, a leading scholar on Blest Gana, this edition offers critical insights into the political and social context of the work.