''Count Julian'' ( es, Reivindicación del conde don Julián) is a 1970 novel by the Spanish writer Juan Goytisolo. The title refers to Julian, count of Ceuta. The book was published in Mexico by Editorial Joaquín Mortiz. It is the second installment in the Álvaro Mendiola trilogy, which also includes ''

Marks of Identity ''Marks of Identity'' ( es, Señas de identidad) is a 1966 novel by the Spanish writer Juan Goytisolo. It was published in Mexico through Editorial Joaquín Mortiz. It is the first installment in the Álvaro Mendiola trilogy, which also includes '' ...

'' and ''

Juan the Landless ''Juan the Landless'' ( es, Juan sin tierra) is a 1975 novel by the Spanish writer Juan Goytisolo. Published by Seix Barral, it marked Goytisolo's return to a Spanish publisher following the death of Francisco Franco. It is the last installment in ...

''. Don Julián (a mythical figure) is one of the villains of traditional Spanish history, who facilitated the Moorish (Islamic) conquest of Spain in the eighth century, to avenge the alleged sexual abuse of one of his daughters by Rodrigo, the last Visigothic king. Goytisolo's title proclaims that this book intends to defend or vindicate Don Julián: that we should celebrate what he did, rather than condemn him. The book is often characterized as anti-Catholic and anti-Spanish, at least of Spain as it viewed and celebrated itself during the

Francoist State Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spa ...

. (Until

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War and thereafter ruled over Spain from 19 ...

's death in 1975, the novel could not be published in Spain.) The Roman philosopher Seneca, a national hero, is singled out for particularly harsh criticism and satire. In an amusement park the narrator enters a large model of the vagina of

Isabel la Católica Isabella I ( es, Isabel I; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''la Católica''), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504, as well as Queen consort of Aragon from 1479 until 1504 by ...

, Spain's most Catholic queen. He delights in Don Julián's facilitating the rape of Spanish virgins by the invading Moors. At one point he considers how to infect the whole country with syphilis. The protagonist, who lives in Morocco (as did Goytisolo), seeks revenge on Spain, the country that cast him out, by destroying its literature, religion, cultural beliefs, myths, and language. Mario Vargas Llosa said that ''Count Julian'' is "the most moving of Goytisolo's works."

References

1970 novels Novels by Juan Goytisolo Spanish-language novels 20th-century Spanish novels {{1970s-novel-stub

See also

References