Javier Cercas

Independent Foreign Fiction Prize (UK, 2004); Premio Grinzane Cavour de narrativa (Italia, 2003); Premio de la Crítica de Chile; Premio Cálamo Premio Ciudad de Cartagena, Premio de los Lectores CRISOL ; Premio Extremadura; Premio "Qué Leer";  Premio Ciutat de Barcelona de Literatura; Premio Llibreter; Premio Salambó.

It’s been more than 15 years since the publication of Soldiers of Salamis, one of the greatest literary phenomena in recent years. The novel achieved wildly successful sales and reviews, and established Javier Cercas as one of the most influential, essential authors of 21^st-century European literature.

In late January 1939, barely two months before the end of the Spanish Civil War, a group of Francoist prisoners are executed by firing squad near the French border by Republican soldiers fleeing into exile. Among those prisoners is Rafael Sánchez Mazas, founder and ideologist of Falange, poet and future minister of Franco, who miraculously manages to escape and hide in the woods. Pursued by the Republicans, he is discovered by a soldier who takes aim, looks into his eyes, and spares his life.

Sixty years later, a failed novelist discovers this buried wartime episode by chance. Fascinated, he starts researching the story to clarify the circumstances and unravel their meaning. Who was the real Rafael Sánchez Mazas? What really happened to him during the war? Who was the soldier who let him go? Why did he do it? What secret was hidden in his eyes?

“One of the best books I’ve read in a long time.” –Mario Vargas Llosa

“A marvellous book.” –Susan Sontag

“A masterpiece.” –Kenzaburo Oé

“It should become a classic.” –George Steiner

“Everyone will admire this simple yet remarkably talented novel.” Doris Lessing, The Guardian 

“A deeply serious novel about the abiding legacy of the civil war.” Colm Tóibín, The New York Review of Books 

“A truly wonderful, magnificent novel. It is understanding, intelligent, compassionate… One of the few great books to have been made out of the madness of the twentieth century… written coolly, with wit and humour.” Allan Massie, Scotsman 

“He has succeeded, with one perfectly crafted book, in single-handedly redeeming the epic genre.” Alberto Manguel 

“A haunting and provocative book about history, memory, and the elusive nature of heroism.” The Washington Post 

“Gripping… a tear-jerker in the best sense of the word… Soldiers of Salamis strikes a chord in any country or individual with ghosts to face.” Los Angeles Times 

“Stealthily brilliant.” The New York Times Book Review 

“Lays bare the virtual impossibility of historical certainty, the whimsicality of fate, the unpredictability and unreliability of memory and the elusiveness of truth… Cercas perfectly captures the uncanny ways in which a story evolves.” Houston Chronicle 

“Of exceptional literary merit.” John Hooper, The New York Times Book Review 

“Very few novels have the power to alter received opinion, but this marvellous book may well be one… A remarkable book.” Anne Chisholm, Sunday Telegraph 

“This is an important, fresh and original book... Above all, it demonstrates how eloquent and exciting fiction is still capable of being.” Eileen Battersby, Irish Times

Soldados de Salamina

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