Ricardo Serna
El presente artículo acomete el proyecto de dejar constancia de la importancia cultural que tiene la lectura de obras literarias. Lo literario se vincula a nuestras vidas de manera indeleble y merece la pena reflexionar sobre ello. Se reivindica la figura del escritor como elemento clave del proceso creativo, y se contempla el género novelesco a manera de fuente valiosa para la interpretación de la historia. En este sentido se estima la obra de Benito Pérez Galdós, al que algunos historiadores avezados se aproximan para confeccionar o completar su visión de hechos históricos concretos o de épocas y ambientes determinados. En el caso de Galdós, apreciamos nexos entre la literatura y la historia española del siglo XIX. Algo similar —salvando las distancias— ocurre con la novela Pequeñeces (1890), del escritor Luis Coloma, que nos ofrece una visión certera del tejido aristocrático en la convulsa España del Sexenio revolucionario (1868-1874).
This article undertakes the project of recording the cultural importance of reading literary works. Literature links to our lives in indelible ways and it is worth reflecting on this. The figure of the writer as a key element of the creative process is applied, and the novel is contemplated as a valuable source for the interpretation of history. That is how the novels by Benito Pérez Galdós are considered. Some experienced historians approach him to make or complete their vision of specific historical events or periods and certain environments. In the case of Galdós, we observe links between Spanish literature and history of the 19th century. Despite some differences, there is a similar process with the Pequeñeces (1890), a novel by the writer Luis Coloma, which provides us with an accurate view of the aristocratic network in the tumultuous Spain of the Revolutionary Six Years Period (1868-1874).