Voices of protest in Rosa Montero's 'Cronica del desamor'

Crónica del desamor (1979) is a statement of collective disillusionment depicting the mood of the Spaniards during the period following Franco's death. We hear in this text the voice of a new generation which is interested in the cause of their present state and the ways to deal with it. Their skepticism has changed the focus of their protest. The characters look inward and to each other making their own lives and not politics the center of their attention. They seek an escape from the despair, insecurity, and lack of communication that surround them. Although dissatisfaction may unify these individuals, the expression of their discontentment differs to the degree that three distinct attitudes can be identified: indifference, reconciliation, and rebellion. The narrative line is developed by these attitudes which result from the characters' exploration or reaction to the psychological constant of frustration that unites them. It is apparent that the death of a dictator doesn't erase old problems but creates new ones. Yet one thing the characters resolve is not to solve their dilemmas through any fledgling political system but by their own means. This decision represents a shift from authoritarianism to liberalism and challenges the tenets of patriarchal ideology itself. © 1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers.