The heart of the condor (Altera editions) it connects two of the great tragedies that shook Spain and Europe in the first half of the XNUMXth century -the Spanish Civil War and World War II-, and takes us to the fall of the Berlin Wall. This novel, narrated in the first person from the point of view of two people who were on the "losing" sides, is an intimate story, which analyzes not only the historical facts, but also the feelings of those involved, the different European political ideologies , the evolution and maturity of thought.
In this novel by Francisco Nunez Roldan we find the point of view of the war lived by two people who were dragged down by the conflict: a girl who was bombed by the Germans in 1937 and one of the young soldiers who dropped those bombs. How these lives come to intertwine is the common thread of a story that reflects the senselessness that war has for those who suffer it and for those who fight it, in a story that brings to light the worst of political ideologies, in a story which also speaks of change, evolution, repentance, understanding and forgiveness.
There are many things that I liked about this book. First of all, I would like to highlight the point of view from which the story is told. The author uses a really interesting strategy through his main characters and co-stars, Kurt and Rosario, who narrate their vision of the story separately in the first person in an alternative way, at the same moment and from their own point of view, in their specific situation, which has nothing to do with it until they meet. But the characters do not tell the story as if it were a diary. The author not only shows what happens to them, but also their thoughts, their reflections, their concerns, their doubts, what they think about their past, what they expect from the future, their internal dialogue.
I also really liked the exposition of the story, which begins at the end in the final scene, in the midst of the fall of the Berlin wall, to then go on to the beginning of everything, the bombardment that the Condor Legion of the German army launched on Jaén on April 1, 1937 From here, each of the protagonists recounts their journeys and reflects on their fate and that of those around them at different key moments in the history of Spain and the history of Europe, and also key moments in the process of maturing of the characters, who tell us about their ideology and political thought, but also about their personal relationships, their sexuality, their aspirations and frustrations.
I cannot fail to emphasize the way in which Núñez Roldán links, as if it were a metaphor, the spanish romancero and history of the Cid with all this history, and how it brings up important works of literature. Nor do I want to forget to highlight the scathing with which Núñez attacks all political action or thought, nor how he manages to get the worst out of each approach or its staging, and not only from the losing ideologies, but from the one that was imposed and of those that emerged later and are still in force today.
This book has made me think and reflect on many things. The personal history of the protagonists, the way in which they live what has happened to them and especially the way in which they face their "final solution" has moved me.
The day I picked up the book, I was hooked and thought: "I'll eat this up in four moments." But he had to go slowly. Every moment, every scene, every part of the story forces you to stop. There are so many sensations and data that I needed to go slowly, digest the story, a story that has accompanied me in recent weeks. It has been a truly fabulous experience. I do not mean to say that it cannot be read "on the fly" in a few days, that it can, but that it is worth reading it calmly.
Draw
Would you like us to give you a copy of The heart of the condor? Courtesy of Ediciones Áltera, we are going to give you a copy of this wonderful novel by Franciso Núñez Roldán.
Participating is very simple.
First of all, you must be a follower of the Twitter account of Actualidad Literatura. If you still do not follow us, you can do so using the following button.
Second, just post a tweet using the hashtag #ALiteraturaCorazonCondor or using the button below.
Each person who posts such a tweet will be assigned a number in the draw. Among all the participants we will select the number of the winner at random through the tool random.org
The draw will be open until Wednesday, January 5, 2015, at 23:59 p.m. The next day, Three Kings Day, we will carry out the draw. The winner of the book will be published in this post and we will contact him or her to send you the totally free copy of El corazón del Cóndor. It is essential that the winner responds to the message that we will send him privately through Twitter within 15 days of the draw.
In addition, it is necessary that the profiles of the participants are public to be able to examine your tweets, otherwise they will not count for the draw.
Do you want a copy of El Corazón del Condor for yourself or as a gift? Do not miss it and participate. Lucky!