Accounts of a Jester on the Spice Route: Historical Novel in Latin America

Abstract

The relationship of Juanillo, the main character of the novel Maluco, with the crew is one of exclusion; the one with the natives is marked by indifference; the one with the captains is one of worship; and the one with the Crown, one of supplication. T hese relationships are based on a historic event: the voyage of Magellan to the Moluccas, as seen from the perspective of a sixteenth century jester with a particular sense of humor. Typical elements of the historical novel such as places, attitudes, lifestyles, procedures, institutions and characters can be glimpsed in Maluco. They all belong to a real period existing within an account which although fictitious is also an historical one. This article contains some of the more memorable episodes as told by a jester and reaffirmed by history.