Ken Follett quotes.
The search for "best historical novel books" is a very common one among amateur readers of texts based on real events. Although there are writers who use fictional characters in their works, the inescapable characteristic of this genre is the inalterability of the facts. That is, the protagonists can be invented, but not the nucleus of the events or the dates.
Thus, the historical novel requires good prior documentation, otherwise the writing becomes categorized as fiction or fantasy. Of course, the type of language, the argumentative style and the use of certain lyrical and / or narrative resources are the exclusive competence of the author. At this point, the way in which the writer invites the reader to “travel in time” depends only on their judgment and creativity.
I, Claudio (1934), by Robert Graves
Plot and context
I Claudius —Original title in English — is the top opera in terms of recognition and sales by British author Robert Graves. It is based on the accounts of Tacitus, Plutarch and a text by Suetonius previously translated by Graves, Lives of the twelve Caesars. It is important to mention that Claudio was a relevant chronicler at the time and produced an autobiography (currently lost).
It is known about this document that it tells of the succession of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Likewise, there are details about the physical impediments (stuttering, lameness, some nervous tics…) for which Claudio was treated as mentally disabled by his own family. This "outcast" came to power at the age of 49 and established an iron monarchy with the facade of a Republic.
The god of rain cries over Mexico (1938), Laszlo Passuth
Synopsis and foundation of the work
Laszlo Passuth superbly integrated contemporary documents and archaeological research to recreate one of the most fascinating passages in the New World. Specifically, the narrative focuses on the conquest of Mexico by the troops of Hernán Cortés. Who considered that he was executing a Divine mandate by establishing by removing the natives from paganism.
The result is a shocking and very reflective narrative about the repercussions of the culture clash between Spaniards and Mexicans. What's more, the masterful mix of real characters with some fictitious ones demonstrate Passuth's expertise on the historical context described.
The War of the End of the World (1981), by Mario Vargas Llosa
Storyline and historical context
In 1897, the peasants of northeastern Brazil led by Antonio Conselheiro refused to pay taxes to the new republic due to religious reasons.. For this reason, the central government ordered the mobilization of 10.000 soldiers to subdue the settlers by force. In this way, the Canudos war began in the middle of a land ravaged by drought and disease.
Later, the landowners - who implied the power and the status held during the monarchy -, headed by the Baron de Cañabrava, joined the republican military. There, its inhabitants suffered the consequences of a bloody siege in an apocalyptic atmosphere become with the end of the century (and the end of the world).
The heretic (1998), by Miguel Delibes
Historical context and plot
Delibes leads the reader by the hand to Valladolid during the reign of Carlos V, a time marked by political and religious upheaval. Initially, a coincidence is indicated around a date: October 31, 1517. That day Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses that led to the emergence of the Protestant Reformation on the doors of the Wittenberg church.
Meanwhile, in Valladolid lands, Cipriano Salcedo was born, an orphan of a mother since his birth and despised by his father. While he was able to count on the care of the nurse, her traumatic loss marked a man who became a successful merchant. Although, of course, the most relevant aspect of his life was his relationship with the underground Protestant currents.
The last crypt (2007), by Fernando Gamboa
Plot and synopsis
Ulises Vidal, an expert diver, gets a bronze bell buried under a coral formation on the Caribbean coast of Honduras. The metal piece with Templar features dates from the XNUMXth century and was submerged there for a century before the arrival of Columbus in America. Excited by the possibility of adventure, Vidal makes an alliance with a renowned historian and an intrepid Aztec archaeologist.
The end goal is quite ambitious (it also carries a whole series of dangers): the legendary loot of the Order of the Temple. Their research will take them through Barcelona, the Malian Sahara, the jungle of Mexico and the confines of the Caribbean. The medieval secret to be revealed could alter the known history of mankind and the vision of man about the universe and himself.
The mercenary of Granada (2007), by Juan Eslava Galán
Argument
Year 1487, period of reconquest of current Andalusia by the army of King Fernando. Thus, the Moorish kingdom of Granada faces an imminent threat that would be consummated after a long siege of the city of Malaga. Faced with the obvious superiority of the enemy, Mohamed Ibn Hasin (Grenadian emperor) arrives in Istanbul with his servant to request the help of his Ottoman countrymen.
Mohamed's purpose is to gain support with military personnel and a renewed artillery. However, the Turkish Sultan grants him all his help through a single man: Orbán, the Thracian blacksmith. One person to contain all the Christian troops? The Arabs would inevitably lose Granada ... or not?
Ken Follet's Trilogy of the Century
Ken Follet.
With his extensive trilogy, Ken Follet ended up confirming himself as the best-selling British author of the last decades. To create his plots, the Welsh writer uses fictional characters who have some kind of filial, sentimental, political and / or military relationship throughout the saga. However, the description of the actual events is extremely accurate.
The fall of the giants (2010), true events covered
- The coronation of George V, King of England and the United Kingdom (1911).
- The Sarajevo Attack and subsequent start of the Great War (1914).
- The return of Lenin to Petrograd (1917).
- The Prohibition Decree in the USA (1920).
The winter of the world (2012), true events covered
- Decree of New Deal in the United States (1933-37).
- Final events of the Spanish Civil War (1939-40).
- Aktion T4 program, which led to the displacement and genocide of millions of Jewish civilians. Likewise, the Nazis attacked other religious, ethnic and homosexual minorities.
- El blitz - bombings on London (1940-41) by the German air forces.
- Charter of the Atlantic (1941).
- Attack on the US base of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese aviation (1941).
- Operation Barbarossa (Russia, 1941).
- Battle of Stalingrad (1942).
- Battle of Kursk (1943).
- Moscow Conference (1943).
- Start of the nuclear race.
The threshold of eternity (2014), true events covered
- Lifting of the Berlin Wall (1961).
- Civil Rights Movement in the United States (1960s).
- Cuban Missile Crisis (1962).
- Assassinations of US President John F. Kennedy (1963) and Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. (1968).
- Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968).
- Vietnam War (US entry into the war; 1965-73).
- Watergate scandal (1972).
Very interesting the brief comments of the works shown, I hope to continue receiving others in the future. Greetings from Lima, Peru.
"The war at the end of the world" is a majestic work by the hand of Vargas Llosa. I read it when I was in college and I still remember it with great amazement.
-Gustavo Woltmann.
Do not include Salammbo de Flaubert ...