Pablo de Segovia, the Spanish Sharper

by Francisco de Quevedo

"Pablo de Segovia, the Spanish Sharper" by Francisco de Quevedo is a picaresque novel written around 1604 and published in 1626. This satirical tale follows Don Pablos, a swindler who sets out to learn virtue and become a gentleman—but fails miserably at both. Through Pablos's misadventures, Quevedo crafts a biting critique of Spanish society while punishing his protagonist for daring to rise above his lowborn station. Full of wordplay and caricature, the novel chronicles a cascade of linked calamities that ultimately drive Pablos to embrace the life of a rogue.