Eighteen-year old orphan Andrea moves to battle-scarred Barcelona to take up a scholarship at the university. But staying with relatives in their crumbling apartment, her dreams of independence are dashed among the eccentric collection of misfits who surround her, not least her uncle Roman. As Andrea's university friend, the affluent, elegant Ena, enters into a strange relationship with Roman, Andrea can't help but wonder what future lies ahead for her in such a bizarre and disturbing world. Translated by Edith Grossman 'One of the great classics of contemporary European literature' Carlos Ruiz Zafon

One of the most important literary works of post-Civil War Spain, "Nada" is the semiautobiographical story of an orphaned young woman who leaves her small town to attend university in war-ravaged Barcelona. Edith Grossman's vital new translation captures Carmen Laforet's feverish energy, powerful imagery, and subtle humor. "Nada," which includes an illuminating Introduction by Mario Vargas Llosa, is one of the great novels of twentieth-century Europe.
"Laforet vividly conveys the strangeness of Barcelona in the 1940s, a city that has survived civil war only to find itself muted by Franco's dictatorship...The spirit of sly resistance that Laforet's novel expresses, its heroine's determination to escape provincial poverty and to immerse herself in 'lights, noises, the entire tide of life, ' has lost none of its power of persuasion." -- "The New York Times Book Review
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"That this complex, mature and wise novel was written by someone in her early 20s is extraordinary....But after six decades, this first novel has lost none of its power and originality, and we are fortunate to have it in this fine translation."-- "The Washington Post, chosen as a Washington Post Best Book of the Year
""Nada does indeeed recall Sartre and Camus, but it is fresher and more vibrant than either, and with its call to intuition and feelings rather than intellect, it cuts deeper....[A] mesmerizing new translation....a beautiful evocation of the tidal wave of late adolescent feeling....[Laforet] wrote Nada when she was only 23, yet the book resonates with frightening maturity, sadness and depth...a work of genius." -- "Los Angeles Times
""A brilliantly subtle book whose power lies in what goesunsaid..."Nada" is a skillfully written, multifaceted novel, and its eerie relevance to today's political climate and social attitudes is difficult to ignore." -- "The San Francisco Chronicle"
"Laforet's moody and sepulchral debut novel...has been given new life by acclaimed translator Grossman....Andrea's narration is gorgeously expressive, rippling with emotion and meaning...fans of European lit will welcome this Spanish Gothic to the States with open arms and a half-exasperated, "What took you so long?"-"Publisher's Weekly (starred review)
""This Modern Library edition should be a keeper." -- "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
""Carmen Laforet finds new life with this beautiful translation...dazzling in its approach...Laforet's talent in addressing complex familial and social issues us nothing short of amazing...her wiser-than-thou nature and clever handling of bitter dialogue [are] the mark of a truly gifted writer.....a timeless work of art." -- "The Fredericksburg Free Lance Star"
"Nada is neither moralist, nor prolix, unlike most other Spanish literature of the time and before. This is a modern voice, philosophically and stylistically, talking to us in freedom from the darkest hours of the victory of fascism....remarkably sophisticated." -- "The Independent"
"[A] remarkable achievement...Nada's work is sui generis, a gothic horror story which deserves the widest possible readership." -- "The Sunday Herald
""Edith Grossman's translation makes the rich, dense descriptions....sound perfectly natural in English; not a beat is missed, not an adjective misplaced. Let us hope that her fine, readable version will enable "Nada "to achieve, in the English-reading world, the perennial popularity of a great twentieth-century novel." -- "TLS
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Mientras vive con estrecheces en una casa misteriosa de la calle de Aribau, la joven Andrea conoce a un grupo de estudiantes ricos, que representan un contrapunto atractivo para la miseria de su vida cotidiana. Con sus nuevas experiencias, la inocente Andrea va averiguando poco a poco la verdad inquietante de las personas que la rodean. Entre la crisis existencial y el umbral de la madurez, Andrea emergera de su apasionado viaje interior mas sabia, mas fuerte y llena de esperanza para el futuro.
Con su profunda penetracion sobre la condicion humana, la clasica novela de Carmen Laforet, inspirada en su propia vida, merece ocupar su lugar como una de las mejores novelas europeas del siglo XX.
"Profundamente conmovedor y fascinante....una de las grandes clasicas de la literatura europea contemporanea." -- Carlos Ruiz Zafon, autor del bestseller "La sombra del viento
""Un trabajo de genio [que recuerda] a Sartre y Camus a la vez mas moderno y mas vibrante." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review
"Una oscura obra de ficcion hermosamente austere...Su inquietante relacion con el clima politico y las actitudes sociales de la actualidad es dificil de ignorar." -- San Fancisco Chronicle
"El espiritu de astuta resistencia que expresa la novela de Laforet...no ha perdido para nada su poder de persuasion." -- The New York Times Book Review