TITLE: Memory, Solitude, and Death in La hoja roja (The Red Leaf), by Miguel Delibes. TíTULO: Memoria, soledad y muerte en La hoja roja, de Miguel Delibes

ABSTRACT: The seventh novel written by Miguel Delibes, "La hoja roja" (1959) is branded by a recognizable individual style in which is found a double compromise that can’t be easily separated: human –preoccupied with the creation of voracious and intimate characters– and geographical –by utilizing his native Castile, both urban and rural, as the setting for his stories. With the objective of achieving the highest degree of credibility regarding the characters of his novels, Delibes makes use of various narrative techniques, among which it is important to mention one in particular: the fact that his characters have memories. This characteristic, together with the description of with the practices of their everyday lives, contributes to create individuals with a personal past as well as a present where interaction with the rest of the characters results crucial. Paradoxically, within the numerous and varied critical approaches to Delibes’ work, the topic of memory has never been considered as the central element in the investigation, although there are instances in which it is obliquely mentioned. Through these particular stories, that interweave the lives of the principal and secondary characters, Delibes recovers a collective memory as he narrates the present. In the author’s particular vision one can read the direct relationship between solitude and death as a warning on the precarious condition in human relationships in Spain’s society in the fifties, where the main pathology is solitude.. RESUMEN: Séptima novela escrita por Miguel Delibes, "La hoja roja" (1959) está marcada por un reconocido estilo propio donde se puede distinguir un doble compromiso de difícil separación: humano –preocupado por crear personajes veraces y entra ables– y geográfico –que utiliza su Castilla natal, la rural y la urbana, como escenario de sus historias–. Con el fin de alcanzar una amplia cota de credibilidad en cuanto a los personajes de sus novelas, Delibes se sirve de diversas técnicas narrativas, entre las que cabe destacar una en particular: el hecho de que sus figuras aparecen dotadas de recuerdos. Esta característica, unida a la descripción de sus prácticas cotidianas, contribuye a conformar individuos con un pasado propio así como con un presente donde la interacción con el resto de los personajes resulta fundamental. Paradójicamente, en las numerosas y variadas aproximaciones críticas a la obra de Delibes, el tema de la memoria nunca ha sido considerado como elemento central de la investigación, aunque en ocasiones aparezca mencionado de refilón en algún estudio