Ídolos rotos (Broken Idols) is a novel by the Venezuelan writer Manuel Díaz Rodríguez that was published in 1901. It is considered one of the most pessimistic novels written in Venezuela. It presents the social, political, and cultural life of people in Caracas with a defeatist attitude, where all hope of salvation has been abandoned. The central theme of the novel is the character Alberto Soria's failure in his effort to assert his ideals as an artist in Venezuela against a backdrop of the country's total decadence. In the novel, different social problems are identified through the actions of well-defined characters: Alberto Soria, the misunderstood artist; Teresa Faria, the adulterous woman; General Galindo, the opportunist politician; and Emazábel, the social activist. Structure The novel is divided into four parts and fifteen chapters. The first part begins with the arrival of Alberto Soria who has been away in Paris for the past five years. His urgent return is motivated by the sudden illness of his father Don Pancho Soria. From the beginning of the novel, Alberto Soria is portrayed as being hypersensitive and behaving in an unhealthy and volatile manner. He has been uprooted from his country and out of touch with its problems. He had gone to Europe to study engineering, but once in Paris he abandoned his studies to become a sculptor. In his first contact with Caracas he is shocked by the environment. He feels maladjusted and out of place. He is bothered by the dirty streets and the poor architectural taste that predominates in the city. From his siblings Rosa and Pedro, he begins to realize the prevailing mediocrity and unhappiness that envelopes his ancestral home. In the second part of the novel Alberto Soria's maladjustment to the Venezuelan environment increases. The process begins in his family when his father confesses his unhappiness at not having achieved his ambitions through his children. Next he finds out about the drama surrounding his sister Rosa who is married to Uribe, a man of low social status who is fond of games and deceit. He also notices the weak personality of his brother Pedro who acts according to the vagaries of politics. The climax of the crisis occurs when Alberto discovers that in Venezuela his status as an artist is questioned, which incites him to transform himself into a true creator, but he hesitates, assailed by fears and doubts. Little