Nada (meaning "Nothing") is one of the most significant novels in 20th-century Spanish literature. Written by Carmen Laforet and published in 1945, this debut novel immediately established her as a pivotal voice in postwar literature, winning the prestigious Nadal Prize.
Use Google Drive's built-in "Comment" feature to mark difficult vocabulary or key quotes.
Laforet masterfully uses physical hunger to mirror the spiritual starvation of the characters. The descriptions of food in the novel are grotesque; meals are scarce, poorly prepared, and fought over. This serves as a metaphor for the poverty and rationing in Spain immediately following the Civil War.