Alvaro Retana (1890-1970), who many consider The Spanish Petronius, belongs to that lighthearted erotic literature trend popular during the early twentieth Century, that became known in Spain as Sicalipsis (from ancient Greek sykon -fig, or vulva- and aleiptikos -to stimulate). In open opposition to the somber and solemn Spanish '98 generation, and other representatives of the so called high culture, Retana's popular erotic novelettes showcased the smiling and playful face of a country that during the 1920s and 1930s openly embraced European modernity and stood up to its challenges, among...