“Castillos de fuego”: an epic novel that portrays life in post-war times.
The most recent work by Spanish writer Ignacio Martínez de Pisón is a rigorous reconstruction of one of Spain’s most turbulent periods.
Madrid between 1939 and 1945 is a city characterized by a constant struggle to survive in the midst of hunger, scarcity and lawlessness. This is the setting for Castillos de fuego, the new story by Spanish writer Ignacio Martínez de Pisón, a portrait of this city devastated by the Spanish Civil War and the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.
Within these pages we meet Eloy, a disabled young man who fights to prevent his imprisoned brother from receiving the death penalty; Alicia, a movie theater ticket-taker who loses her job after deciding to follow her heart; Basilio, a university professor with political purge problems; Marías, a dealer in confiscated objects; and Valentín, always willing to do whatever it takes to atone for his past as a militant. Seamstresses, students and policemen, all of them facing extraordinary times.
Castillos de fuego is a novel that contains more truth than many history books. It immerses us in the pulse of a time when fear almost crushes hope, which makes its way through devastation. A period of reconstruction after the war has ended only for some, and no one is safe, whether they are those who supported the dictator or those who fought to overthrow him.
Martínez de Pisón, known for his ability to travel back in time through his stories, returns with this choral and ambitious novel. It combines a meticulous and documented historical setting with the fascinating evolution of unforgettable characters.
The novel immerses us in post-war Madrid, a city that houses more than a million corpses and where life makes its way in the midst of sadness and uncertainty. The main characters, trapped in a split of time and expectations, struggle to find their place in a country where there is no room for middle ground. To survive, they must adopt the mask of the victors, even if it means giving up their true selves.
The novel’s fast-paced, cinematic narrative transports us from historical events and big names to the most intimate spaces, where characters reveal their sins and longings in conversations washed down with wine. Martínez de Pisón manages to masterfully balance history with action and emotional portraits, avoiding falling into the clichés of the historical novel.
While the novel impresses with its meticulousness and its humanistic, neo-realist approach, some readers may be disconcerted if they expect unexpected surprises or shocking narrative twists. Martínez de Pisón opts for a disciplined narrative and does not adhere to contemporary aesthetic trends, which can be both a strength and a disadvantage, depending on the reader’s tastes.
Castles of Fire is a novel that will captivate those who enjoy thorough and documentary historical reconstructions, with fast-paced action and skillful handling of characters. It is a work that aspires to capture the moral atmosphere of a divided country. In these pages, Ignacio Martínez de Pisón once again demonstrates his skill as a writer in portraying this tumultuous period of Spanish history.
About the Author: Ignacio Martínez de Pisón
- He was born in Zaragoza, Spain, in 1960.
- He is the author of more than fifteen books, including, El día de mañana (2011; Premio de la Crítica, Premio Ciutat de Barcelona, Premio de las Letras Aragonesas, Premio Hislibris), La buena reputación (2014; Premio Nacional de Narrativa, Premio Cálamo al Libro del Año) and Derecho natural (2017).
- He has also published the essay Burrar a los muertos (2005), the book of short stories Aeropuerto de Funchal (2009) and the nonfiction novel Filek (2018).