El caballero de las botas azules

It may be a strange story, but The Gentleman in Blue Boots is considered Rosalia de Castro's best novel. The tale is a narrative of the difficulties of a gentleman that calls himself the Duke of Gloria who surprisingly appears in many parts of Madrid, leaving many people in the area perplexed. He shines his blue boots and prepares his white bow and bell. His charming personality and physical attractiveness open doors of palaces and galleries but, most importantly, captivate the women’s interests. The duke, curiously, doesn’t seem at all interested in these conquests except that he attempts to bring to light the disastrous state of literature in the country. Upon completing his mission, the Duke of Gloria disappears as mysteriously as he came. He becomes the symbol of innovative literature.