The Tree of Knowledge

Pío Baroja · 1872–1956 · Spain

Originally El árbol de la ciencia (Spanish)

Why it matters

A disillusioned young doctor watches poverty, professional corruption, and personal tragedy dismantle his idealism in turn-of-the-century Madrid. Baroja's terse pessimism won him Hemingway's lasting admiration.

At a glance

Terse, pessimistic prose threaded with essayistic digression on ideas.