Corazón salvaje (novel)
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''Corazón salvaje'' (; en, Wild Heart) was a novel written by prolific Mexican writer
Caridad Bravo Adams Caridad Bravo Adams (; born on January 14, 1908, in Villahermosa, Tabasco – August 13, 1990 in Mexico City) was a prolific Mexico, Mexican writer and the most famous telenovela writer worldwide. She was born to a couple of Cuban actors and ...
and published in 1957 after it had been adapted to the screen the previous year. The story takes place in Martinique, starting in the late 1800s and ending with the 1902 volcanic eruption of Mt. Pelee in St. Pierre. It describes the life in the Caribbean of a boy who grows up to be a pirate (while his half-brother goes to study in France), and the two sisters who fall in love with him.


Plot summary

This novel, originally by Caridad Bravo Adams is set in the Caribbean, specifically in the French colonies. The Mexican adaptation is set in the Atlantic coast of Mexico. The following plot summary is based on the 1993 version by Televisa, and is described using in-universe tone. Francisco Alcazar is a wealthy landowner, who owns sugar cane fields. Francisco is married to Sofia, a severe and uncompassionate woman, with whom he has a son named Andres. Before his marriage to Sofia, Francisco had an affair with a married woman who was physically abused by her husband. The woman became
pregnant Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops (gestation, gestates) inside a woman, woman's uterus (womb). A multiple birth, multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Pregnancy usually occur ...
and died when the child was 3 years old. This love-child is, in fact, Francisco's true firstborn. When this woman became pregnant, her husband refused to recognize the boy as his son. He also did not allow Francisco to recognize the child as his own. Thus, the boy named "Juan", became known as "Juan del Diablo" (Juan of the Devil) because he had no last name. Juan's mother eventually died of the shame and from the physical abuse she had received from her husband. Juan was raised with no love or instruction, in
poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...
and neglect. In his early teens, Juan's stepfather dies. Francisco, hiding the fact that Juan is his son, decides to invite him to live at his estate with his family, on the pretext of being a playmate for Andrés. Sofia finds out the truth and tries to send Juan away, to which Francisco objects. Finally, Francisco has an accident while riding his horse before he could legally recognize Juan as his son. Francisco leaves a letter with his intentions addressed to his friend and
lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
Noel Mancera. Sofia seizes the letter and hides it. On his deathbed, Francisco sends for his son Andrés, and while not telling the truth, asks him to care for Juan as a brother. After his death, Sofía sends Juan away without saying anything to Andrés. Eventually, Sofia decides to send Andrés to
boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...
in France. Juan grows up among the sailors and pirates of the port-city, earning a shocking reputation for dirty business (
contraband Contraband (from Medieval French ''contrebande'' "smuggling") refers to any item that, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold. It is used for goods that by their nature are considered too dangerous or offensive in the eyes o ...
of
liquor Liquor (or a spirit) is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar, that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Other terms for liquor include: spirit drink, distilled beverage or hard ...
), ruthlessness, and harboring unbound
loyalty Loyalty, in general use, is a devotion and faithfulness to a nation, cause, philosophy, country, group, or person. Philosophers disagree on what can be an object of loyalty, as some argue that loyalty is strictly interpersonal and only another h ...
from his men. Juan is also a womanizer, his heart is still untaken. He has learned the identity of his biological father because Noel Mancera has told him. Through the years, Mancera has given Juan some education, and even offered to give him his last name. However, Juan refuses the offer because he feels that a last name is unwarranted in his chosen occupation. Meanwhile, Mónica and Aimée are two beautiful young countesses, daughters of the deceased Count of Altamira, a distant cousin of Sofia de Alcazar. The Altamira family are very respectable in high society, but they now find themselves in
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
. Their only asset is their nobility and beauty, and the long promise of betrothal between Monica and Andrés. Unfortunately for Mónica, Andres has forgotten about their engagement. While visiting Mexico City, Andres meets Mónica's younger sister. Aimee is beautiful, flirty and selfish. She shows interest in Andrés because he has wealth, influence, and power. Andrés falls completely in love with Aimee, a fact he later shares with his mother when she comes to visit him. When Sofia returns home, she informs Catalina de Altamira that Andres has broken the engagement with Monica because he is now intent in marrying Aimee. Catalina is mortified at the thought of Monica's heartbreak. With her family's financial ruin in mind, Catalina reluctantly agrees to an engagement between Aimee and Andres. When Monica discovers that Andres has broken their engagement in order to marry her sister, she is immediately heartbroken. Monica decides to enter a convent to become a nun. Monica denies her feelings for Andres and tells everyone that becoming a nun is her true calling. Meanwhile, Aimee returns to her hometown with her mother. One day, while walking along the beach, she spies Juan taking a bath in his beach house. Aimee had never met Juan and is unaware of his past or his connection to the Alcazar family. She watches him from a distance, but Juan sees her. Over the next few days, Aimee returns several times to spy on Juan. He decides to confront her and catches her while she's hiding. Soon after, Juan and Aimee fall in love and become lovers. Juan goes away on a business trip and Aimee promises to wait for his return and marry him. When Andres arrives in his hometown, Aimee ignores her promise to Juan and agrees to marry Andres. Juan returns from his business trip several weeks later. Juan discovers that Aimee is now married to his half-brother and decides to kidnap her so that she carries out her promise. Andres, who knows nothing about his kinship to Juan and the affair between him and his wife, decides to employ him as the
steward Steward may refer to: Positions or roles * Steward (office), a representative of a monarch * Steward (Methodism), a leader in a congregation and/or district * Steward, a person responsible for supplies of food to a college, club, or other ins ...
of Campo Real, his country estate. Meanwhile, Monica leaves the convent to spend some time in the countryside with her family. Monica quickly discovers the affair between Juan and Aimee. Monica confronts her sister, but Aimee refuses to end her affair with Juan. Since Monica decides to leave the convent, Andres attempts to redeem himself by proposing an engagement between Monica and his friend Alberto de la Serna. Meanwhile, Andres learns that Juan is actually his brother and that he had an unseemly
affair An affair is a sexual relationship, romantic friendship, or passionate attachment in which at least one of its participants has a formal or informal commitment to a third person who may neither agree to such relationship nor even be aware of i ...
with a young lady in his household. Andres immediately assumes that the lady in question is Monica. Because of this misunderstanding, Monica is pressured to get married immediately. Monica agrees to get married in an attempt to protect Andres and her sister from the impending scandal, but she refuses to marry Alberto. Instead, Monica decides to marry Juan because she believes this is the only way to prevent Aimee to continue her affair with him. In an unexpected turn of events, Juan accepts to marry Monica. Aimee is filled with jealousy and rage at the thought of Juan being married to her sister. Aimee spends all her time plotting and scheming to destroy Monica's engagement to Juan. Unfortunately for Aimee, Juan is no longer interested in her. He is now captivated by Monica's beauty and her kind demeanor. At the same time, Monica discovers a whole different side to Juan's personality. Monica learns that despite Juan's rough exterior, he can also be kind, gentle, and noble. Against all odds, Monica and Juan slowly begin to fall in love. Their happiness is short lived when Andres finds out about Juan's affair with Aimee.


Cast

*
Eduardo Palomo Eduardo Estrada Palomo (; (Mexico City; May 13, 1962 – Los Angeles; † November 6, 2003) was a Mexican actor. Palomo became famous across Mexico and Latin America after his 1993 characterization of ''Juan del Diablo'' in '' Corazón salvaje' ...
.... Juan del Diablo / Juan de Alcazar y Valle - Main protagonist/ Francisco de Alcazar y Valle - father of Andres in the first episode * Edith González.... Countess Monica (Regina) de Altamira de Alcazar y Valle - Main protagonist * Ana Colchero.... Countess Aimeé de Altamira de Alcazar y Valle - Main antagonistic protagonist, sister of Monica (Regina) Villain *
Ariel López Padilla Ariel López Padilla (born August 12, 1962 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico) is a Mexican actor. He is best known for his acting in many telenovelas such as Gata Salvaje, Pecados Ajenos, Inocente de ti. Ariel Lopez works for most famous telenove ...
.... Andrés de Alcazar y Valle - husband of Aimeé and half-brother of Juan, Villain * Enrique Lizalde .... Noel Mancera - friend and mentor of Juan * Claudia Islas .... Sofía de Alcazar y Valle - mother of Andres, Villain * Arsenio Campos .... Alberto de la Serna - friend of Andres, villain *
Luz María Aguilar Luz María Aguilar (born Luz María Aguilar-Torres, 26 March 1935 in Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico) is a Mexican actress from the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. She has worked as an actress in theatre, cinema and television. One of her main roles w ...
.... Countess Catalina de Altamira - mother of Monica (Regina) and Aimeé *
Ernesto Yáñez Ernesto, form of the name Ernest in several Romance languages, may refer to: * ''Ernesto'' (novel) (1953), an unfinished autobiographical novel by Umberto Saba, published posthumously in 1975 ** ''Ernesto'' (film), a 1979 Italian drama loosely ba ...
.... Bautista Rosales - foreman of Campo Real, villain *
Yolanda Ventura Yolanda Ventura (born October 21, 1968 in Barcelona, Spain) is a dual nationality Spanish/Mexican actress and was a Spanish singer when she was young . She is best known for roles in Mexican telenovelas and is a former member of the Spanish child ...
.... Azucena - protegee of Juan *
Javier Ruán Javier may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Javier, in video game '' Advance Wars: Dual Strike'' * Javier Rios, a character in the Monsters, Inc. franchise. * ''Javier'' (album), a 2003 album by the American singer Javier Colon, known a ...
.... Guadalupe Cajiga - owner of brothel, villain * César Évora .... Marcelo - new judge at San Pedro *
Isaura Espinoza Isaura Espinoza (born Isaura Espinoza on August 25, 1960, in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico) is a Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** Peo ...
.... Amanda - sister-in-law of Marcelo * Verónica Merchant .... Mariana - daughter of Amanda and Noel Mancera * Olivia Cairo .... Juanita - maid * Emilio Cortés .... Serafin - boy, friend of Juan * Ana Laura Espinosa .... Lupe - maid * Gerardo Hemmer .... Joaquín - hired to spy on Juan later becomes his friend *
Jaime Lozano Jaime Arturo "Jimmy" Lozano Espín (born 29 September 1978) is a Mexican professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Lozano spent the majority of his playing career with Club Universidad Nacional, playing in ov ...
.... Segundo - assistant of Juan *
Adalberto Parra Alberto is the Romance version of the Latinized form (''Albertus'') of Germanic ''Adalbert''. It is used in Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. It derives from the Old German '' Athala'' (meaning noble) and ''Berth'' (meaning bright). Notable pe ...
.... Capitan Espíndola - chief of prison, villain * Alejandro Rábago .... Pedro - friend of Juan * Gonzalo Sánchez .... Facundo Gomez "El Tuerto" - one-eyed, owner of tavern * Mónika Sánchez .... Rosa - waitress in tavern * Jorge Valdés García .... assistant of Bautista * Indra Zuno .... Meche - friend of Azucena, maid of Monica (Regina) *
Antonia Marcin Antonia may refer to: People * Antonia (name), including a list of people with the name * Antonia gens, a Roman family, any woman of the gens was named ''Antonia'' * Antônia (footballer) * Antônia Melo Entertainment * ''Antonia's Line'', ori ...
.... Dolores - Cousin of Monica (Regina) and Aimeé *
Julio Monterde Julio is the Spanish equivalent of the month July and may refer to: *Julio (given name) *Julio (surname) *Júlio de Castilhos, a municipality of the western part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil * ''Julio'' (album), a 1983 compilation albu ...
.... Fray Domingo - priest *
Queta Lavat (born February 23, 1929), known professionally as Queta Lavat, is a Mexican actress. She is the sister of actor Jorge Lavat and voice actor José Lavat, and mother of Mexican sports anchor Pablo Carrillo. She is best known for her roles in ''Las ...
.... Madre Superiora * Arturo Paulet .... Lic. Mondragón * Julián Velázquez * Joana Brito .... Ana - cook at Campo Real * Maribel Palmer .... Teresa - friend of Monica (Regina) * Queta Carrasco .... Dona Prudencia - owner of the boarding house where Monica goes * Araceli Cordero * María Dolores Oliva .... Tehua - herbalist * Julián de Tavira .... Juan (as a child) *
Christian Ruiz Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρισ ...
.... Andrés (as a child) * Alicia del Lago * Felio Eliel * Chayo Grandos * Carl Hillos * Nelly Horsman * Juan Antonio Llanes .... Judge Esperon * Conchita Márquez .... Sor Juliana *
Géraldine Bazán Geraldine may refer to: People * Geraldine (name), the feminine form of the first name Gerald, with list of people thus named. * The Geraldines, Irish dynasty descended from the Anglo-Norman Gerald FitzWalter de Windsor * Geraldine of Albania, th ...
* Daniel Martinez .... Lieutenant


Adaptations

There have been five Mexican productions based on the book, two films and three telenovelas, one of which was made in Puerto Rico. The most successful production was the 1993 telenovela starred by the late Edith González as ''Countess'' Mónica de Altamira de Alcazar y Valle and the late
Eduardo Palomo Eduardo Estrada Palomo (; (Mexico City; May 13, 1962 – Los Angeles; † November 6, 2003) was a Mexican actor. Palomo became famous across Mexico and Latin America after his 1993 characterization of ''Juan del Diablo'' in '' Corazón salvaje' ...
as "Juan del Diablo" and Ana Colchero as ''Countess'' Aimée de Altamira de Alcazar y Valle . The story, however, adapted by María Zarattini, takes place in the port of Veracruz and the French surnames were changed to Spanish surnames (Molnar to de Altamira and D'Autremont to Alcázar y Valle). Singer Angélica María played the role of Mónica in the 1968 film and the 1977 telenovela, which was filmed in cooperation with the Mexican Navy. It was announced in August 2009 that there will be a new version of the novela coming soon starring Aracely Arámbula.


Screen adaptations


Mexico


Puerto Rico


International release


External links

*
Corazón Salvaje, todo un clásico
' ("Corazón salvaje, what a classic"), article on Univision.com *
Corazón salvaje by Caridad Bravo Adams
(cached by Google) {{DEFAULTSORT:Corazon Salvaje (Novel) 1957 novels Mexican novels Mexican novels adapted into films Fiction set in 1903 Novels set in Martinique