Tellado, Corín

b. 1927, Viavélez (Asturias)

   Romantic novelist

   The most successful and prominent exponent of the genre of the novela rosa, María del Socorro Tellado began to compose romantic fiction in 1946 at the age of 19, and in 1998, though no longer physically able to write because of poor health, she was still dictating novels to her daughter-in-law. The secret of her success has been her capacity to appeal to the desire of the public for escapism and entertainment, and also her sheer industry, which has enabled her to produce some 5,000 titles in fifty years. Even when allowance is made for the fact that she works within a small-scale format of approximately 100 pages per volume, this figure represents an average of two novels per week. At her peak, she would rise at 5 a.m., and, with only two short breaks for refreshment, would work until 3 p.m. It is estimated that her works have sold a total of over 400 million copies, an average of 80,000 per title, which exceeds the sales of many of the most successful "serious" novels of the 1980s and 1990s. Her novels have been translated into seven languages.

   By creating a romantically charged atmosphere without going into explicit sexual detail, Tellado manages not only to sustain a formula which appeals to her readers but was also able to avoid some of the heavy-handed attentions of the Francoist censorship apparatus. The fact, however, that her novels end with the reward of virtue and the discomfiture or repentance of the wicked did not always placate the censors. Implied references to adultery or divorce could lead to passages being cut from the text, and on one occasion an entire novel was banned because it showed a landowner distributing his lands among his tenants, something considered too revolutionary by the guardians of the regime. Despite their formulaic character, Tellado's novels have evolved in certain ways, reflecting the evolution of society, though they still steer clear of a fully realistic portrayal of contemporary life. This is partly because of the need to avoid disturbing the reader in search of an optimistic and comforting plot, but is also a shrewd commercial decision, since too much historical precision might affect sales by causing the novels to become dated. Nevertheless, the English aristocratic protagonists of the 1950s have gradually been replaced by characters from the Spanish professional classes, and, increasingly since the economic boom of the 1960s, by business executives. The style of the novels, however, continues to reflect the traditional fastidiousness of the genre towards anything smacking even remotely of crudity. Though dismissed by most of the literary establishment, Tellado's work has been the subject of academic study, and she has been praised by distinguished writers such as the Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa.

   See also: kiosk literature; literature; novel; publishing; readership

   Further reading

   - González García, M.T. (1998) Corín Tellado. Medio siglo de novela de amor (1946-1996), Gijón: Pentalfa (the most comprehensive study to date).

   - Juana, J.M. de (1998) "Novelas a destajo", Cambio 16 15 June: 60–3 (a useful brief overview of Tellado's life and work).

   EAMONN RODGERS