The first book I have read that I collected on my England book-haul, Lazarillo de Tormes, is one of two early Spanish picaresques collected in an old, used Penguin paperback, with the other novella being de Quevedo’s El Buscón. Despite claims that Don Quixote is the oldest modern novel, Lazarillo de Tormes was apparently published anonymously in 1554, several decades before Cervantes’ magnum opus! Like any good picaresque (which is an understatement, since this is likely the first picaresque and genre-defining for that), we follow a wily, trickster who is only looking out for himself in a satirized, hypocritical, and cruel world that is only out to beat him down: the titular Lazarillo de Tormes. What impressed me most about Lazarillo was its concision and witticisms, being composed of a series of tales about Lazarillo serving as apprentice for different masters, each one worse than the next, and having to use his ingenuity and cunning to survive. The dialogue and quips that Lazarillo makes are all scalding hot and very well written, making Lazarillo de Tormes a very enjoyable read if nothing else. I also love the role Lazarillo plays as a trickster figure always trying to feed himself, as many of the wacky shenanigans he pulls to not starve to death are very entertaining and border on something from primeval mythology. Despite not having much overall depth of substance, Lazarillo de Tormes is above all, an extremely enjoyable and witty read that I will remember fondly for a very long time, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the history of the novel!