The vanity of the passing world and love are the two fundamental and heart-penetrating notes of true poetry. And they are two notes of which neither can be sounded without causing the other to vibrate. The feeling of the vanity of the passing world kindles love in us, the only thing that triumphs over the vain and transitory, the only thing that fills life again and eternalizes it.

The title deliberately recalls the famous novelas ejemplares of Miguel de Cervantes. It is based on his experiences as a child during the Carlist siege of Bilbao in the Third Carlist War. There is no need for us to say this with whispered tones.

Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo (29 September 1864 Bilbao Biscay Basque Country Spain – 31 December 1936 Salamanca Salamanca Castile and León Spain) was a Spanish essayist novelist poet playwright and philosopher. His major philosophical essay was The Tragic Sense of Life (1913) and his most famous novel was Abel Sánchez: The History of a Passion (1917) a modern exploration of the Cain and Abel story.