The buzzing life of bars, warm evenings by the Manzanares river,
the subterranean terrors of the Metro, icy winters and hot, empty
summers, student days in the sixties, the ruthless underworld of
the city's mafia - this captivating anthology reflects the
character of Madrid and the lives of the madrilenos, as its
inhabitants are called, in all their splendid variety. Some stories
are bizarre, some funny, some serious, and as you read you'll
travel through the city. The famous streets and monuments of Madrid
- Cibeles, Calle de Alcala, Plaza Mayor, and the Royal Palace - as
well as the poor, working-class barrios unfrequented by sightseers
will pass before your eyes like a moving picture. Some stories,
like the Galdos story and Carmen Martin Gaite's 'A clear
conscience' depict a journey across Madrid, while in Javier Marias'
sinister tale, 'Fallen from fortune', a couple are unaware that
their guide to all the usual tourist highlights is leading them to
their death. In 'Through the wall' and 'Personality disorders', the
characters barely leave their apartments, and the city lurks
outside the windows. A rich assortment of characters - adolescent
boys obsessed with sex; maids up from the country; provincial girls
who slide into prostitution; a small boy excited at the prospect of
going downtown with his grandfather; vain, self-absorbed
thirty-somethings with too much money; immigrant families far from
home; mafia types; diligent office-workers struggling to bring up a
family - come alive in the tales. Few of these stories have
previously been translated into English. Some names, such as Benito
Perez Galdos, Javier Marias, Juan Jose Millas, and Carmen Martin
Gaite, will be more familiar than others but all deserve to be
better known. There is a map at the back of the book to indicate
the places mentioned in the stories and photographs complement and
accompany each story. The reader will also find there biographical
notes on the authors and suggestions for further reading.
General
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