Ana María Matute

The River is a delightful book by Ana María Matute in which the Cervantes Prize-winning author takes us to the landscapes of La Rioja from her childhood.

After an eleven-year absence, the protagonist of El río (The River) returns to the scenes of her youth. The village where she used to run around during the summers no longer exists; it has been submerged by the waters of the reservoir and only emerges, like a haunting apparition, in the heat of August. From this surreal and enveloping presence, Ana María Matute offers us a vision of a childhood that is as magical as it is unrecoverable. Wolves, beggars, costumes, the death of a child, fog, clouds, and echoes are some of the elements of this evocation, which blends reality and mystery. "I believe that childhood, and not just for me but for most people, is something that marks you forever. Even if you want to forget it, you can't… And everything experienced as a child, at least the most striking things, the ones that have impressed you the most, lasts throughout the years." Ana María Matute

Illustrated by Raquel Marín.