First published in 1894, this was widely acknowledged as the first major novel to emerge from Puerto Rico. The bitter melodrama offers stark contrasts: the beautiful Puerto Rican countryside, a veritable Garden of Eden; yet within it, starved, diseased human beings cling desperately to life.

Introduction by: Juan Flores (Center for Puerto Rican Studies, CUNY, Hunter and Queens College, USA)
Translated by: Kal Wagenheim