"Martin Paz" is a long short story (
novella
A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) ...
) by
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright.
His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...
, written in 1851. It appeared in the ''
Musée des familles'' from July 10 through August 11, 1852. The text was later revised and enlarged for publication in book form.
Plot
The story is set in
Lima, Peru
Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
. Verne begins with a description of Peruvian painter
Ignacio Merino's life and art; Verne credits Merino's engravings as inspiring him to write fiction about the country.
A Jewish businessman named Samuel has promised to give his daughter Sarah as a wife to the rich
mestizo
( , ; fem. , literally 'mixed person') is a term primarily used to denote people of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturall ...
, André Certa. But Sarah - who is very attracted to the Catholic religion - is in love with the young Indian chief Martin Paz. Following a
knife fight
A knife fight is a violent physical confrontation between two or more combatants in which one or more participants are armed with a knife.MacYoung, Marc, ''Winning A Street Knife Fight'', (Digital format, 70 min.), Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, ( ...
at Samuel's house, in which Certa is hurt, Paz has to flee. He jumps in a raging river and everyone believes him dead, but he finds refuge with the Spanish nobleman Don Végal who takes a liking to him and places him under his protection. Later, Paz secretly encounters Certa with Samuel and, listening in on their conversation, he learns that Sarah is not Samuel's daughter but, rather, the daughter of a Spanish nobleman that Samuel rescued following a shipwreck.
Before the wedding can take place, an Indian rebellion begins. The rebels attack Samuel's home, killing him, and Paz is able to escape with Sarah to Végal's house. Once there, Végal discovers that Sarah is his daughter, who he thought was dead. Certa attempts to get his revenge. Paz and Végal get away, but the Indians kidnap Sarah. Végal and Paz set off in pursuit, and discover that the Indians have condemned Sarah to death for taking Paz away from his tribal duties. She is to be executed by going over a waterfall while tied to a canoe. Paz arrives just in time, but he is unable to save her and they die together.
Themes
Among the subjects covered are
anti-Semitism
Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
(see also: ''
Off on a Comet''), the struggle for independence,
miscegenation
Miscegenation ( ) is marriage or admixture between people who are members of different races or ethnicities. It has occurred many times throughout history, in many places. It has occasionally been controversial or illegal. Adjectives describin ...
and the role of aristocracy in public affairs.
English edition
* ''Survivors of the Chancellor and Martin Paz'', James R. Osgood, Boston, 1876. Translated by Ellen Frewer
Text@ Google Books
Martin Paz@
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks."
It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital li ...
References
External links
Full text of revised version@ French Wikisource
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin Paz
Short stories by Jules Verne
Works originally published in Musée des familles
1852 short stories