Filomeno, a mi pesar / Filomeno, In Spite of Myself
Novel , 1988
Austral
Pages: 560
Filomeno, a Galician with Portuguese roots on his mother’s side, is a character with an uncertain and complex personality. This is reflected in his unwanted, somewhat ridiculous first name, as well as in his habit of using different family names depending on the country or situation he finds himself in. After studying law in Madrid, he moves to London to work in a bank, serves as a correspondent for a Portuguese newspaper in Paris, and, following his time in Portugal during the Spanish Civil War, eventually returns to his birthplace in Galicia. Over the course of these journeys, as the history of Europe grows increasingly grim, Filomeno undergoes all sorts of experiences that shape his maturity.