The Transformations in the Texts of Llorenç Villalonga

Abstract

The texts that we know to be published with the signature of Llorenç Villalonga have experienced such varied vicissitudes that it leads us to doubt what his role in them was. The most glaring case is Bearn, which still circulates in two different versions. They show changes in title, additions, expansions, eliminations, some of which are rather incoherent with his sensibility and his style. They must have large been due to editorial pressures.

Over the years, Mort de dama gained seven chapters. The content at some points was attenuated by softening the description and making the actions of some of the characters more decent.

The declarations in the prologue of the first edition of Bearn, signed by the author, are surprising, as they aim to justify the elimination of the Epilogue, when after describing it as superfluous, the author requires that it be restored in his Complete Works.

The novel ultimately entitled L’hereva de Dona Obdúlia o Les Temptacions is the result of grafting a previous novel with nine chapters, which contains a story which does not link up properly with the original ones. In La novel·la de Palmira and L’àngel rebel, in addition to changing the titles, new chapters were added that are rather incongruent with the others, with the goal of bringing back previous characters, especially the Marquise of Pax. What was ultimately entitled Un estiu a Mallorca was thickened with the insertion of extensive texts by other authors, especially George Sand.

All of this taken together poses hard to overcome difficulties when reconstructing Villalonga’s real texts.