A gentleman in Moscow
A gentleman in Moscow —A Gentleman in Moscow— is a historical fiction novel written by American author and financier Amor Towles. The work was published for the first time by the Viking publishing house in 2016. Its translation into Spanish was carried out by Gemma Rovira Ortega, while its edition and launch —the same year— were carried out by Salamandra.
Following his first book —Courtesy rules (2011)—, Towles gradually became one of the most interesting American writers in contemporary literature. For this reason, it is not surprising that A gentleman in Moscow It has been received with such effusiveness. The book spent almost a year on the top-ranking lists in the United States.. In addition, he was honored with two of the most desired awards: Book of the Year according to The Times y The Sunday Times.
Synopsis of A gentleman in Moscow
The magic of life in confinement
In 1912, the count Aleksandr Ilyich Rostov wrote a forceful poem against the revolutionaries. Ten years later—when the Bolsheviks swore that Tsar Nicholas II would never rule Russia again—the aristocrat He is saved from being sentenced to death for his work, because the dictatorship of the proletariat did not want to be on bad terms with the people.
Instead of murdering Rostov, he is sent to serve a life sentence in the most luxurious hotel in the country: the Metropol. This place turns out to be the microcosm where Russian high society used to meet. Likewise, it is the perfect setting to reconstruct the panorama of the luxurious past and the subsequent decadence that the former Soviet Union went through during the revolution.
A priori, the approach of a count who must live isolated in a hotel for the rest of his life is not very attractive. Nevertheless, Amor Towles uses the confinement of its protagonist to create a true adventure.
Rostov and the Metropol
The main character de A gentleman in Moscow he is a noble, a man who lived closely with the Russian crown. In a certain way, the Metropol is similar to it: both bear a shine that fades little by little, but which, deep down, maintains a particular charm. Alexander Ilyich Rostov is refined, intellectually cultivated and chivalrous, skills that he has acquired throughout his almost forty years thanks to his passion for reading. The protagonist is also a regular at fine dining.
All of these qualities are magnified inside the hotel, because, unlike Stephen King's nightmarish Overlock —The glow (1977)—, the Metropol exposes Rostov to the light. The place accentuates his most positive traits to bring him closer to charismatic secondary characters, intelligent, with fascinating stories, which make the life of the main character an extraordinary lair of experiences, despite his seclusion.
On the narrative style of the author
The elegant prose of the American writer focuses on narrating some of the most dishonorable events that occurred during the Russian revolution: the disappearance of political opponents, misplaced rises to power, purges... Amor Towles is a lover of Russian classics. In fact, there is a passage in the novel where Rostov maintains a dialogue with one of the hotel clients. With him, he talks about the works of Pushkin, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky.
The marked decline of Russia is discussed loudly between the walls of the hotel where the protagonist is serving his sentence. At the same time, other types of conversations coexist, the latter full of humor, irony and an always refined dialectic. The influence of the great Russian writers is notable, not only in Towles's narrative style, but also in the choice of the subtexts of the work.
The main character, an undisputed king
Aleksandr Ilyich Rostov has one of those imaginations in which it is worth staying to live. Despite all the situation that he must face, he never loses the attitudes of his title - even though he must replace his ostentatious rooms with a small attic - nor his charm. This is a man who knows how to take bad days with a smile, with the humor of a subject who knows he is free at heart.
On the other hand, He lives with secondary characters that contrast perfectly with his good-natured character. One of them is his boss, a stubborn man whose pulse does not tremble to exhaust anyone's patience. Even so, Rostov learns to earn his trust, as well as that of the other employees and customers, with whom he shares wonderful talks about art, politics, society and other interesting topics.
About the author, Love Towles
Love Towles
Love Towles was born in 1964, in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. After completing his bachelor's degree, he earned a bachelor's degree from Yale College. Later, graduated from Stanford University with a degree in English.
The author has also worked as an investment manager and research director at Select Equity Group, in New York. However, literature is his true passion. In 2011, Towles rose to fame with his first novel. Rules of Civility —translated into Spanish as Rules of Courtesy—.
In said work, the author offers a beautiful homage to the New York of the 30s. In addition, reference is made to the imposing buildings, the elegant doormen and the large, luminescent canopies.
Amor Towles is a regular at Jazz, fundamental music in his first film. On this occasion, the protagonist is a young woman who seeks to succeed in a concrete jungle, where all her opportunities are a double-edged sword, torn between danger and pleasure.
Publication order of the Amor Towles novels
- Rules of Civility — rules of civility (2011);
- Eve in Hollywood — Eve in Hollywood (2013);
- A Gentleman in Moscow — A gentleman in Moscow (2016);
- You Have Arrived at Your Destination — you have reached your destination (2019)
- The Lincoln Highway — the lincoln highway (2022)
Other texts published by Amor Towles
- Channel a More Romantic Era of Transatlantic Travel (2016)