Lucero

Lucero

Lucero is the nickname of Federico Garcia Lorca, and this is the story of the person behind the poet; behind the revolutionary, the symbol of a Spain fighting for liberty and expression.

Anibal Malvar is a journalist with a mission to show his readers the true story of Garcia Lorca's life. That is to say, a tale that shows him in the light of the everyday things that made him who he was, not what he achieved or came to stand for. In the author's own words, how a country can make itself the story that "grants the right to a poet to be assassinated". The novel is a mixture of fiction, history, interviews, press reports and various recollections of Lorca's story, presented in a way that is not always clear where the text falls under one category or another, but always with wit and (almost always) a light-heartedness that offers true insight into how one of Spain's most well-known poets lived and died. The lines between reality and the author's embellishments are deliberately blurred, and the result is a fascinating tale of a country and people in unique times, that would itself seem pure fiction if it wasn't recorded in people's memories.

The story begins in 1916 in rural Granada, where Lorca's father is a wealthy landowner exporting food to the troops at the front for profit. There is unrest and corruption, politics and rebellion, and a large divide between rich and poor on the land. As the author states, a background for Lorca which could only ever have one ending. The humour is a great part of this book, and comes partly from Malvar's keen eye and perspective. His interpretation of the straight version of history picks up on details and convinces us of their reliability and significance to the overall story. Lorca is shown as much more than the idealistic poet that the history books portray, following his path through life where he is always destined to be apart yet nonetheless determined not to be anything but himself.

… In keeping with the creativity of the story and its nuances, the style of the language is also very playful, at times approaching poetic and other times suggesting a double meaning or linguistic fun.

… This book definitely offers a new perspective to the story of Lorca and all the history he carries with him, and while Lorca is a better-known figure in Spain that the UK, his prominence is extended enough to reach an audience in the UK and for this book to appeal to the market there. The writing itself would also appeal to readers who appreciate this sort of humorous style and clever text, and the book has the potential to reach a large readership.

From the reader´s report by Suky Taylor.