José Ovejero

An anti-war road novel exposing the most absurd, yet terrible, side of a fratricidal war.

Smack in the middle of the Spanish Civil War, young Benjamín is given a mission by Manuel Azañah himself, the president of the Republic: to infiltrate enemy territory to hand-deliver a letter to the philosopher Ortega y Gasset, asking him to take over the country’s presidency in the hope of restoring peace and sanity. If Benjamín, a nobody who’s still alive by some miracle, with no ideology or support of any kind, is the right person for this job, it’s because if he fails, no one will mourn his loss.

In his odyssey through a country at war, Benjamín will witness and fall victim to episodes as bizarre as they are funny. Fortunately, this adventure will lead him to Julia, an incredibly resourceful young woman with whom he will overcome the obvious risks of a country immersed in the absurd.

“The author’s skill and expertise in the handling of materials and resources, and the courage with which he probes certain wounds, make La comedia salvaje a memorable novel for its caustic, crude, sombre, grotesque, tender, wretched, moving, painful, outrageous, sad, and mind-expanding vision of that Spain at war. Ana Rodríguez Fisher, Revista de Libros

 “With this book, José Ovejero places himself in the position he’s always occupied within Spanish literature, with a marked change of register. More than one person will find it hilarious; others will be offended by it; and everyone, with everyone, will become unavoidably immersed in a challenging, enriching dialogue with the author.” Pedro Crenes Castro, Revista de Letras

“Leaves us with unforgettable scenes.” Ernesto Ayala Dip, El País