23 Misc Laff: Cecilia Böhl de Faber

Thinking about Aurelia and her crash landing a few weeks ago put me in mind of one of Lafferty’s best translations, his version of a poem by Fernán Caballero, the pseudonym of Cecilia Böhl de Faber. She was one of the most important Spanish writers of the nineteenth century. Born in Switzerland, she became associated with Spain, especially Andalusia, whose customs, landscapes, and popular traditions show up throughout her work. Her best-known novel, La gaviota (The Seagull), helped develop the Spanish novel of customs and contributed to the movement toward realism in Spanish literature. The poem's rooster inevitably brings the shadow of Matthew 26:34. Readers of Aurelia will know the importance of horns.