French Literature Reviews - 2026
Amélie Florenchie, Essai sur le roman érotique espagnol
Novel and Narrative Prose
Following nearly forty years of the Franco dictatorship, the history of the erotic genre is closely intertwined with the democratic transition and the sexual liberation that accompanied it. Indeed, the genre experienced a major boom in the late 1970s, as evidenced by Tusquets Editores’ "La sonrisa vertical" collection and its eponymous literary prize. Although one might assume it has lost all subversive power, the Spanish erotic novel has enjoyed a striking resurgence over the past decade or so.
This essay aims to reexamine the history of the erotic genre—frequently subject to caricature—in order to restore its rightful place in the history of Spanish literature, well beyond the democratic transition alone. Its goal is to thoroughly understand the genre's position within the literary field. Adopting a historical, theoretical, and critical perspective, this book maintains that the erotic novel still has a great deal to teach us about Spanish culture.
With the support of the University of Bordeaux Montaigne and the Ameriber research laboratory.
Amélie Florenchie examines how the trajectory of the Spanish erotic novel connects deeply with political history, notably the democratic transition and the subsequent wave of sexual liberation following the Franco dictatorship. The study highlights pivotal cultural milestones such as Tusquets Editores and its influential La sonrisa vertical collection, which helped shape the modern landscape of the genre. By looking past common caricatures, the author positions these works not merely as pulp or transient phenomena, but as significant contributions to Hispanic literary history that continue to evolve today.
Bridging historical, theoretical, and critical perspectives, this volume serves as an essential resource for scholars of modern Hispanic literature, cultural studies, and gender representation. It addresses fundamental questions regarding censorship, subversion, and the changing boundaries of acceptable discourse in contemporary Spain. Researchers, students, and readers interested in the sociology of texts will find it a compelling analysis of how marginalized genres manage to reinvent themselves and retain cultural relevance across decades of societal change.