Why a new annotated edition?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Although there was already a critical edition of reference -that of Pedro Rodr\u00edguez, published in 2002, focused on the literary and historical genesis of the text-, a version was needed to help the reader of the XXI century to understand expressions, turns of phrase and cultural references that have become outdated or have been loaded with unforeseen nuances with the passage of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Expressions such as \"a five-dollar coin\" are meaningless for those who have never known that currency. The same happens with metaphors, sayings or comparisons that refer to a world that is unknown to many. Some words are not understood at all, such as \"vayas\" (in the sense of mocking, cf. point 69). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The challenge facing the contemporary reader of Camino is not only linguistic, it is also semantic. Some words have acquired new connotations. \"Caudillo\", for example, has acquired very different nuances from the one the author intended. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And many examples could be given. The word proselytizing<\/em> Today, it is often misunderstood or interpreted in a negative sense, whereas in its original context it was understood in an appropriate and positive way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What happens to the current reader of The Way<\/em> is very similar to what an English reader experiences when confronted with Shakespeare: the language becomes increasingly archaic, many expressions sound strange or incomprehensible to him, and he needs explanatory notes to grasp the meaning. The same thing happens to a Spanish speaker when reading Cervantes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is not the case with translations of The Way<\/em>The translation into other languages allows the editors to update the vocabulary and make the message understandable to the modern reader. The same is true for readers who read Shakespeare in a language other than the original. The Spanish text of The Way, on the other hand, has remained unchanged, so that today it sometimes sounds like \"old\" Spanish, even to Spaniards themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition, there are very specific historical references to the history of Spain that can be disconcerting, especially to readers from other countries. St. Josemar\u00eda refers, for example, to Lepanto<\/em> or to the Navas de Tolosa<\/em>The first battle is better known, the second much less so, and both require a cultural context that is no longer taken for granted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are also concepts from the traditional Christian heritage that are obscure to the average reader today: expressions such as mortification<\/em>, individual examination<\/em> or Latin locutions, which were familiar in the first half of the 20th century, are now barely understood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In short, The Way<\/em> is a book written almost one hundred years ago, in a context marked by the Spanish Civil War, by a strong religious component and by a cultural climate very different from that of contemporary sensibility, marked by political correctness and sensitivity. woke<\/em>. This time lag means that certain phrases can sound very different from what they sounded like at the time, and even run the risk of being misinterpreted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fidel Sebasti\u00e1n's annotated edition does not change a single word of the original text: it keeps intact the work of St. Josemar\u00eda. The author has had the good sense to maintain the original language of the points in Spanish, and what he provides are numerous footnotes that occupy more than half of the volume, explaining vocabulary, sayings, metaphors, historical references and theological concepts. It is, in a way, a bridge between the language and mentality of 1939 and the reader of 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With more than five million copies sold, translated into dozens of languages and with more than five hundred editions in circulation, The Way is undoubtedly the best-known book by St. Josemar\u00eda Escriv\u00e1, founder of Opus Dei. First published in 1939, it has become a classic of contemporary Christian spirituality and the fourth most translated Spanish-language book in history. Its influence is still alive: this same year, the Catholic app Hallow, very popular in the United States, recommended it for Lent, and for several weeks it was among the best-selling religious books in the country. A clear sign that the work remains spiritually relevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the backdrop for the publication of the 100th issue of The Way<\/em>This is not only a numerical milestone, but a publishing commitment to update the understanding of a text that is almost a century old. The novelty is that it is an annotated edition by philologist Fidel Sebasti\u00e1n Mediavilla, an expert in the literature of the Spanish Golden Age.<\/p>\n\n\n \u00abMe escribes: \u00abPadre, tengo… dolor de muelas en el coraz\u00f3n\u00bb. \u2014No lo tomo a chacota, porque entiendo que te hace falta un buen dentista que te haga unas extracciones. \u00a1Si te dejaras!…\u00bb (punto 166). Cuando un joven lector del siglo XXI lee un sencillo punto de Camino como este puede no entender del todo su […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1166,"featured_media":51801,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[36,39,45],"tags":[719],"class_list":["post-51798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actualidad","category-cultura","category-libros","tag-san-josemaria"],"yoast_head":"\nThe same challenge as Shakespeare<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Historical and cultural references<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The value of this edition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Camino News<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Way<\/h2>\n\t\t
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