43 - SPAIN, 18th CENTURY. ENLIGHTENMENT. EPISTOLARY NOVEL. CASTILIAN. SATIRE. BULLFIGHTING.

SPAIN, 18th CENTURY. ENLIGHTENMENT. EPISTOLARY NOVEL. CASTILIAN. SATIRE. BULLFIGHTING. CADAHALSO (Joseph). Cartas Marruecas del Coronel D. Joseph Cadahalso Barcelona: Piferrer, 1796. Cadahalso’s “Moroccan Letters” are considered the Spanish equivalent of the “Persian Letters,” although they are above all a poignant account of Spanish identity as viewed through the lens of the Enlightenment. (3)-224 pp., on laid paper in 8vo format (15 x 20 cm). Rare. One of the first editions. The work was initially banned by the author’s military superiors and was not published until posthumously after 1789. Contemporary fawn-colored half-basane leather with a grained finish, covers of antique marbled paper, smooth spine decorated with gilt scrolls and fleurons, red morocco title label with gilt lettering. Against the backdrop of the rise of European nationalism and the Enlightenment, which cast blame on Spain—sometimes described as “backward”— José Cadalso y Vázquez (1741–1782), a nobleman and soldier who became a polyglot while studying with the Jesuits in France, addresses—through the epistolary narrative—the lag in the sciences, the lack of education, social customs (sometimes familial), Spanish pride, the myth of Don Quixote, bullfighting, Hispanic pedantry and luxury… offering a lively account of 18th-century Spanish society. Provenance: A personal copy belonging to Contamine de Latour (1867–1926), a Spanish poet who lived in France, a renowned translator, and a prominent figure in Spanish culture and literature, bearing his handwritten bookplate dated 1896. He was also a close friend of Erik Satie, whose *Sarabandes* (1887) and *Gymnopédies* (1888) were inspired by his verses. The few handwritten pencil annotations in the book may be by Contamine (modern cursive). Some scuffing on the covers and spine; the headband is worn down; minor foxing in the first few sections.