Una tumba. Numa / A Tomb. Numa
Short stories and novellas , 1987
Alfaguara
Pages: 136
In Juan Benet’s narrative universe, nothing escapes the iron designs of destiny. In A Tomb, the ghostly presence of a legendary ancestor looms over the present of a boy, his great-grandson, heir to his estate and properties—but also to his curse—and is embodied in a lonely, abandoned tomb from which the full power of the story flows. The echoes of the Civil War in Región and an atmosphere that maps a world in ruins are some of the threads weaving this tale.
The same legendary tone is found in Numa, a story that adds an element to the mythical land of Región: the Guard, tasked by a mysterious and abstract “property” with caring for and protecting the forest, devotes his life to ensuring that this sacred space is not disturbed by any visitor. Fate has decreed that this man’s life is dedicated to his mission, and that same destiny will determine when his world must end. If legend means “that which is to be read,” then Benet’s stories are certainly that—a gift and a celebration for those who love the highest forms of literature.