The cook of Castamar

Fernando J. Munez.

Fernando J. Munez.

The cook of Castamar is a novel by the Spanish author Fernando J. Múñez. Published in 2019, it is a story set in the oppressive context of XNUMXth century Spanish society under the reign of Felipe V. It is a classic narrative loaded with eroticism, deceptive political plots, prejudices and the conservative aesthetic typical of that epoch.

Nor is the story lacking in the forbidden romances, intrigues and courage of a few determined to rebel against the status quo. Therefore, this title has all the "ingredients" of a very exciting and entertaining read. In addition, This title represents a quite significant gender leap for a writer best known for his publications for children or young people.

About the author, Fernando J. Múñez

He was born in Madrid in 1972. He has a degree in Philosophy, although his first jobs were in the world of advertising and in the production of short films. Further, completed his instruction in Cinematography in the US In 2002 he launched a startup Editorial dedicated —among other objectives— to attracting and supporting emerging authors.

Since then, Múñez has participated in the publication of more than fifty children's and youth titles. In 2009 he formally began his career as a writer with Monsters and fantastic beings. Later, he gained important notoriety in the artistic sphere of Spain after directing the feature film Norns (2012)

Books by Fernando J. Múñez

  • Monsters and fantastic beings (2009)
  • Dragons (2009)
  • Wizards and witches (2011)
  • The Marmadú dollhouse (2011)
  • Stories for children (2014)
  • Stories for girls (2014)
  • Medieval knights (2014)
  • Vampires (2014)
  • Goblins (2014)
  • Trolls (2014)
  • Samurais (2014)
  • The cook of Castamar (2019)

The television series of The cook of Castamar

At the beginning of May 2020, the Astresmedia channel announced the acquisition of the rights to Múñez's novel. According to newspaper information La Vanguardia, Michelle Jenner will be in the skin of Clara Belmonte (the protagonist). Although the production is still in the casting stage, its premiere has been planned for the fall of 2021.

Of course, This news increased the already enormous public interest in this work. However, any marketing intention does not detract from the merits or quality of the story achieved by the Madrid author. After all, the spread of literature in the digital age spans all sorts of platforms, including podcasts, social media, and social media services. streaming.

Argument from The cook of Castamar

Castamar's cook.

Castamar's cook.

You can buy the book here: The cook of Castamar

Clara Belmonte is an unfortunate young woman with a complicated past. Despite having received a good education, she is forced to look for work because her father died in the war. Apart from the subsequent precarious economic situation, the death of his father left him with an important psychological sequel: agoraphobia. Therefore, she is terrified of open spaces.

In search of a livelihood, Clara comes to the Duchy of Castamar as a kitchen officer. There, Don Diego, the lord of the mansion, spends his days immersed in immeasurable apathy, having lost his wife in an accident ten years ago. So the cook and the duke establish a special relationship through food and the senses as the scene in the manor begins to unravel.

Analysis and summary

Home

The October 10 of 1720, Clara Belmonte came to the Duchy of Castamar to work as a kitchen officer. She completed all the way from Madrid to the margins of the town of Boadilla under some bales of hay and without opening his eyes. She only dared to look around when she was sure she was protected by a roof.

In this point, Miss's secret becomes clear: she suffers from agoraphobia. The young woman developed the trauma after learning of her father's death in the war. This death caused the entire Belmonte family to fall from grace. The caste or the intellectual training received under the protection of his father, who was a well-known doctor in Madrid society, was useless.

The codes and the impositions

Fortunately for the young woman, she learned to cook from an early age and that trade became her way to escape poverty. It was not a minor issue for the time, because at that time women only had three options to survive. The first (most common) was to live under the protection of a male figure, that is, to become a man's wife, mother or daughter.

The second alternative for an XNUMXth century woman was to become a nun, married to God (or in the service of a man, in practical terms). Ultimately, those less fortunate were forced into the world of prostitution and, in the "best" of cases, ended up as courtesans. Out of the three options mentioned, hardly any woman could support herself.

The Duke

Don Diego and Clara gradually established a special relationship through food. Little by little, the gastronomic connection led to the approach through other sensory bridges, leading to sensuality and, finally, an intense eroticism. At the same time, the duke and the other inhabitants of Castamar gradually realized that she was a cultured person.

Phrase by Fernando J. Múñez.

Phrase by Fernando J. Múñez.

Then Don Diego's mood went from a funereal apathy to the enthusiasm of someone who rediscovered the flavor of life. However, intrigues, misgivings, and suspicions arose as an inevitable consequence. Because any "unseemly slip" in the life of the aristocrat could be used as an excuse to discredit his lordship and weaken his political position.

A resentful and oppressed society

Obviously, a romance between a feudal lord and a "lower caste" woman could not be accepted at that time. What's more, such relationships were considered the product of sinful lust and even heresy. Almost always - under a clearly macho conception - women were accused of "tempting" their masters (without considering the real facts).

For these reasons, The cook of Castamar perfectly portrays each of the repressive edges of a completely impermeable society. This book has a clear feminist perspective. But —in the words of Múñez himself— “it is not only dedicated to women, it is made for men to read as well, for women to read, for all kinds of people to read it”.


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  1.   D. Cassandra Fletcher, Ph.D. said

    Two months ago, my sister recommended the adaptation of this novel for television, which was released on Netflix. At first, the series did not appeal to me. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to look at it and how glad I am to have discovered a production that stood out for the supreme quality of the acting, the cinematography, the gradual revelation of the plot, the portrait of that period in Spain and the exploration of the tensions. and contradictions between classes, races, genders and social hierarchies that were supposed to exist during that time.

    But the images of all the characters (Duke Enrique de Alcona, Miss Amelia Castro, Duchess Mercedes de Castamar, her brother Gabriel de Castamar, Don Diego's counselor in the field, the diabolical Marchioness of Villamar and her husband Esteban , Rosalía, Francisco, Ignacio, Ursula Berenguer, Melquiardes, Beatriz, Carmen, Elisa, Roberto, the King and his family, Farinelli the famous countertenor, Clara's father, and even the criminals were surrendered in such authentic and unforgettable ways that the I see in my daydreams, imagination. I am happy that I decided to accept this advice from my sister. The next step is to read the novel by Fernando J. Muñez - in Spanish, of course.

    I am an American of African American heritage. I was born and raised in the city of Washington, DC. When I was 5 years old, my mother enrolled me in piano, tapoteo and Spanish classes. There my interest in the study of Spanish and the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries began. My story is one of aiming hard, working hard, and overcoming obstacles to realizing my ambitions. And like Clara, I discovered that life has its quirks and surprises.

    It affected me a lot when Amelia read to Gabriel the famous verses of the classic playwright Calderón de la Barca: «What is life? A frenzy What is life? An illusion, a shadow, a fiction; and the greatest good is small; that all life is a dream, and dreams are dreams. " I studied "Life is a dream" at school with my great Spanish teacher, Mrs. Guillermina Medrano from Supervía. Valencian by birth, she would have been proud to know that she recognized and still appreciated this poetry and wisdom.

    My studies took me three times to Spain, which is still my favorite country among all that I have visited in Europe, the Caribbean, South America and the Middle East. God willing, I hope to come back again. "The cook of Castamar" has caused the spark of longing for Spain, which always burns in my heart, to sprout in a fire of desire.

    I hope that one day I will find the way. Until then, I send my congratulations, my gratitude, my admiration and my respect to the author, to all the actors, and to each member of the production team for what they gave me - the opportunity to savor the delicious dish that is «The cook of Castamar. »