A twenty-first century historical novel with a nineteenth-century flavor.

What is it about?

Tu rostro con la marea is piece of historiographical metafiction following the model of a memory novel around its main character. Incapable of facing reality, Ángel Bigas projects the image of a nineteenth century hero according to the lives and works of Galdós, Maupassant and Stendhal while fueling his aura with rumors and legends. His belief in the idiosyncrasy of the Russian people as understood by the marquis of Custine also makes him fail understanding his idealized love, Olga Rykova Anneski. She is also the alter ego of a very different kind of writer: the Russian Bolshevik poet Akhmatova. The analysis of the two figures as literary constructs reveals the relation between history and fiction, the nature of the novel as a classical tragedy, the role of expectations in perception and the direct relation of both characters with the history of Europe. Key Words: Galdós, Stendhal, Maupassant, Ajmátova, White, Tragedy

Featured Image

Photo by Diogo Nunes on Unsplash

Photo by Diogo Nunes on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Even in these cynical times, a historical novel written, partly, in a nineteenth-century style can win the National Narrative Prize

Perspectives