Extract

Universidad de Murcia

Abstract: A prolific author of serial novels in the second half of the 19th century, Rafael del Castillo, also known artistically as Álvaro Carrillo, was not only a writer, but also a journalist and a translator. Although very popular in his time, Castillo has not inspired the critics’ affection. In fact, since the very 19th century his work has received fierce criticism. Without losing sight of his creative side, in this study we focus on his work as a translator of French texts. We analyse his adaptation of Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes, by Balzac, and his translation of Mademoiselle de Maupin, by Gautier. Our intention is to find out whether the fact that he was a serial novelist influenced his task as a literary translator/mediator. We also want to find out whether the negative reviews that he had as a writer can be extrapolated to his work as an importer of foreign literature.

Keywords: Spain, 19th century, translation, novel, Honoré de Balzac, Théophile Gautier, Rafael del Castillo

Rafael del Castillo es un escritor y periodista cartagenero extremadamente prolífico de la segunda mitad del siglo XIX.1 Sin apenas rastro de referencias a su trayectoria creativa, las que hemos localizado son del todo negativas. Ya en 1867, el también periodista y escritor catalán Luis Carreras, coetáneo de un todavía joven Castillo, decía de él: “Habiéndose propuesto reformar la sociedad, escribe novelas...