Review: Station. There and back by Rosa Chacel

Review of the book “Station. There and back” by Rosa Chacel.

Estación. Ida y vuelta is a work by Rosa Chacel, one of the most important writers of 20th century Spanish literature. It is a text that combines narration, essay and autobiography, in which the author reflects on her life, her work and her times.

The book was first published in 1930, in the magazine Cruz y Raya, directed by José Bergamín. It was later reissued in 2020 by the publishing house Cuadernos del Vigía, with a prologue by José-Carlos Mainer. In it, the literary critic highlights the quality of Chacel’s literary language, which allows us to reconstruct the background, context and atmosphere of his life and intellectual experience.

Station. Ida y vuelta is structured in three parts: “Station”, “Going” and “Return”. In the first part, the author narrates her childhood and adolescence in Valladolid, her hometown, where she discovered her literary and artistic vocation. In the second part, she recounts her trip to Madrid, where she marries the painter Timoteo Pérez Rubio and comes into contact with the cultural environment of the Residencia de Estudiantes and the Generation of 27. In the third part, she recounts her return to Valladolid, where she faces the social and political reality of a Spain convulsed by the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera and the advent of the Second Republic.

Estación. Ida y vuelta is a personal and collective testimony of a crucial period in Spanish history, seen from the perspective of a woman who seeks her place in the world through words. It is also a work that questions the limits between literary genres and shows the originality and rigor of Rosa Chacel’s literary project.

The plot of “Estación. Ida y vuelta” focuses on the life of the protagonist, Erika, a mature woman who returns to Spain after many years living in Latin America. Erika is a complex and well-formed woman, and through her return journey, the author offers us an intimate portrait of her life, as well as a reflection on life itself.

Throughout the novel, we see Erika walking through Madrid’s Atocha train station as she reflects on her life and relationships. The author uses the train station as a metaphor for life and death, and in the novel, the station becomes a place of transition where characters stop before moving on with their lives.

One of the most notable aspects of Estación. Ida y vuelta is the way the author uses language and narrative to explore complex themes such as identity and time. The novel is written in a poetic and reflective style that often moves towards philosophy, making it an enriching read for those interested in literature that approaches deep thought.

Furthermore, the novel stands out for its realistic depiction of Spanish life and society at the time in which it was written. Through the characters in the novel, we see how cultural traditions and social values ​​affect the lives of Spaniards, and how love and friendship can affect people’s decisions.

In short, “Estación. Ida y vuelta” is a novel that offers an intimate and poetic view of life and death, as well as a reflection on identity and the passage of time. Rosa Chacel’s poetic prose and thoughtful narrative make this novel an enriching read for those interested in literature that approaches deep thought. Without a doubt, a masterpiece of contemporary Spanish literature that must be read by any lover of good literature.