The House of Ulloa — Emilia Pardo Bazan

A rich and unforgettable tragic-comic novel of sexual intrigue and political scheming in nineteenth-century Spain, The House of Ulloa fully deserves to be recognised as one of the great novels of the age.

The House of Ulloa follows pure and pious Father Julián Alvarez, who is sent to a remote country estate to put the affairs of the marquis, an irresponsible libertine, in order. When he discovers moral decadence, cruelty and corruption at his new home, Julián's well-meaning but ineffectual attempts to prevent the fall of the House of Ulloa end in tragedy. Combining gothic elements with humour and social satire, The House of Ulloa is the finest achievement of Emilia Pardo Bazán, a prolific writer, feminist, traveller and intellectual, and one of the most dynamic figures of her time.