Resumen
Cañas y barro is one of Blasco Ibáñez’s most acclaimed realist novels, set in the Albufera lagoon near Valencia, where nature and human life intertwine in a harsh yet poetic landscape. The story portrays the struggles of the Paloma family, fishermen and farmers whose existence is shaped by poverty, ambition, and the inexorable laws of tradition.
Through vivid descriptions and social critique, Blasco Ibáñez depicts themes of generational conflict, the clash between tradition and progress, and the destructive power of greed and passion.
The characters’ destinies are closely tied to the land and water around them, making the novel not only a family saga but also a portrait of a community and its environment.
The novel exemplifies Blasco Ibáñez’s mastery of regional realism, where the setting becomes almost a character in itself, embodying both the beauty and the tragedy of rural life in turn-of-the-century Spain.