Ramón del Valle Inclán

Las Sonatas de Valle-Inclán se publican en libro en 1902 (Sonata de otoño), 1903 (Sonata de estío), 1904 (Sonata de primavera) y 1905 (Sonata de invierno). Narran fragmentos de unas memorias ficticias del marqués de Bradomín (inspirado al parecer en el general carlista Carlos Calderón). El personaje, alter ego del propio Valle-Inclán, es descrito como "feo, católico y sentimental, [...] descreído, cínico y galante como un cardenal del Renacimiento". Es uno de los mejores ejemplos de prosa modernista.

The four plays by Valle-Inclán are Blood Pact, The Paper Rose, The Head of the Baptist, and Sacrilege. The originals were written in the early 20th century.

The words of Valle-Inclán were culled from his numerous writings and arranged under categories.

"Collects the ingenious adages, axioms, and aphorisms culled from Ramón del Valle-Inclán's plays, novels, poems, stories, interviews, letters and aesthetic treatises....These have been collected and translated by the internationally-known writer, Robert Lima." -- Back cover.

"Autumn and Winter Sonatas completes the cycle begun with Spring and Summer Sonatas when the Marquis of Bradomin was at the height of his powers. The scene has shifted, however, from verdant Italy and steamy Mexico to rainy Galicia and to wintry Navarre and the court of the pretender Carlos during the final Carlist War." "Valle-Inclan's last two Sonatas are decadent in every sense of the word. He interweaves death, sex and religion - Bradomin seducing the pious, protesting Concha even as she is dying and, later, casually making an innocent convent pupil fall in love with him, a young girl who might well be his own daughter - but this Bradomin is now white-haired and fearful that his sexual powers may be waning. The world he inhabits and the beliefs he claims to embrace are also falling away."--BOOK JACKET.