Soldados de Salamina
Encyclopedia
Soldiers of Salamis is a novel
published in 2001 by Spanish
author Javier Cercas
. A film adaptation Soldados de Salamina
was released in 2003. The novel was well received in Spanish literary circles and the English translation by Anne McLean won the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize for 2004.
in 2001. The title is an allusion to the famous Battle of Salamis
in which the Athenian fleet defeats the Persians. The book has been acclaimed by both readers and critics in Spain and was top of the best-seller book list for many months. Written in what is considered the Spanish Post Modern era.
. The second section is a biographical retelling of Mazas's life.
In the first section of the novel, a fictionalized version of the author, also called Javier Cercas and a journalist, interviews the son of Mazas. During the interview Cercas is told the story of how Mazas's escapes from execution by the republicans at the end of the Spanish Civil War with the help of a lone soldier. Encouraged by his eccentric girlfriend, a TV fortune teller, Javier begins investigating the incident. Early on he writes a brief article in his newspaper based on the retelling by Mazas's son. In response to the Cercas becomes obsessed with finding the soldier that spared the life of Mazas.
The second section of the novel takes place during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).The nucleus of this section of the book is Rafael Sánchez Mazas's life. Cercas presents him as a writer and idealist of the Falange Española and close collaborator of José Antonio Primo de Rivera
. The narrative in this section focuses on the particular's of his escape from execution at the end of the Spanish Civil War. When a group of prisoners is taken to the forest to be executed, Sanchez Mazas is able to flee and hide in the bush. A Republican soldier finds him but decides to spare his life and when asked by another soldier if anyone is there he replies that no one is there. Helped by several deserters, Mazas evades the retreating republican forces and eventually returns to Falangist custody where he became an important propagandist for the Franco regime.
In the third section in the novel, after having written the biography in the second section, the Cercas character is still curious about the story of Mazas's escape. Following a series of leads, Cercas comes in contact with an old man named Miralles. Miralles had fought for the Republicans in the Spanish civil war and later became a member of the French Foreign legion responsible for heroic feats during World War II. Cercas discovers him sequestered in a retirement home in his old age. Cercas comes to believe that Mirrales was the soldier who saved Mazas from execution. However, Mirralles will neither confirm nor deny having been the soldier to save Maza's. The fictional Cercas ends the novel with a monologue questioning the historical explanation which he had investigated and the nature of heroes
, premiering in Spain on March 21, 2003.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
published in 2001 by Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
author Javier Cercas
Javier Cercas
Javier Cercas is a writer and, since 1989, a Professor of Spanish literature at the University of Girona, Spain. He is a frequent contributor to the Catalan edition of El País and the Sunday supplement...
. A film adaptation Soldados de Salamina
Soldados de Salamina (film)
The Soldiers of Salamis is a 2003 Spanish film directed by David Trueba, based on the book by Javier Cercas. Starring Ariadna Gil and Ramón Fontserè, the film was nominated for eight Goya Awards in 2004, and won the award for Best Cinematography...
was released in 2003. The novel was well received in Spanish literary circles and the English translation by Anne McLean won the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize for 2004.
Book
Published by Javier CercasJavier Cercas
Javier Cercas is a writer and, since 1989, a Professor of Spanish literature at the University of Girona, Spain. He is a frequent contributor to the Catalan edition of El País and the Sunday supplement...
in 2001. The title is an allusion to the famous Battle of Salamis
Battle of Salamis
The Battle of Salamis was fought between an Alliance of Greek city-states and the Persian Empire in September 480 BCE, in the straits between the mainland and Salamis, an island in the Saronic Gulf near Athens...
in which the Athenian fleet defeats the Persians. The book has been acclaimed by both readers and critics in Spain and was top of the best-seller book list for many months. Written in what is considered the Spanish Post Modern era.
Plot
The novel is divided into three sections. The first and third section depict the historical investigation of a fictional Javier Cercas into the life of Rafael Sánchez MazasRafael Sánchez Mazas
Rafael Sánchez Mazas was a Spanish nationalist writer and a leader of the Falange, a right-wing political movement created in Spain before the Spanish Civil War....
. The second section is a biographical retelling of Mazas's life.
In the first section of the novel, a fictionalized version of the author, also called Javier Cercas and a journalist, interviews the son of Mazas. During the interview Cercas is told the story of how Mazas's escapes from execution by the republicans at the end of the Spanish Civil War with the help of a lone soldier. Encouraged by his eccentric girlfriend, a TV fortune teller, Javier begins investigating the incident. Early on he writes a brief article in his newspaper based on the retelling by Mazas's son. In response to the Cercas becomes obsessed with finding the soldier that spared the life of Mazas.
The second section of the novel takes place during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939).The nucleus of this section of the book is Rafael Sánchez Mazas's life. Cercas presents him as a writer and idealist of the Falange Española and close collaborator of José Antonio Primo de Rivera
José Antonio Primo de Rivera
José Antonio Primo de Rivera y Sáenz de Heredia, 1st Duke of Primo de Rivera, 3rd Marquis of Estella , was a Spanish lawyer, nobleman, politician, and founder of the Falange Española...
. The narrative in this section focuses on the particular's of his escape from execution at the end of the Spanish Civil War. When a group of prisoners is taken to the forest to be executed, Sanchez Mazas is able to flee and hide in the bush. A Republican soldier finds him but decides to spare his life and when asked by another soldier if anyone is there he replies that no one is there. Helped by several deserters, Mazas evades the retreating republican forces and eventually returns to Falangist custody where he became an important propagandist for the Franco regime.
In the third section in the novel, after having written the biography in the second section, the Cercas character is still curious about the story of Mazas's escape. Following a series of leads, Cercas comes in contact with an old man named Miralles. Miralles had fought for the Republicans in the Spanish civil war and later became a member of the French Foreign legion responsible for heroic feats during World War II. Cercas discovers him sequestered in a retirement home in his old age. Cercas comes to believe that Mirrales was the soldier who saved Mazas from execution. However, Mirralles will neither confirm nor deny having been the soldier to save Maza's. The fictional Cercas ends the novel with a monologue questioning the historical explanation which he had investigated and the nature of heroes
Film
Soldados de Salamina was taken to the big screen by the director and screenwriter David TruebaDavid Trueba
David Trueba is a Spanish novelist, film director and screenwriter. He is the brother of Academy Award winner Fernando Trueba, and was once married to Ariadna Gil.He has published two novels in Anagrama Editions....
, premiering in Spain on March 21, 2003.
External links
- Podcast of Javier Cercas talking about Soldiers of Salamis on the BBC's World Book ClubWorld Book ClubWorld Book Club is a radio programme on the BBC World Service. Each edition of the programme, which is broadcast on the first Saturday of the month with repeats into the following Monday, features a famous author discussing one of his or her books, often the most well-known one, with the public...