Mano de sombra

"Two years of Sunday tasks that prove my utter lack of inclination to keep the Sabbath holy... Upon rereading these articles in succession, it strikes me that I have expressed my opinion too often." These words introduce an unusual, everyday Javier Marías—attentive to the world around him and traversing every imaginable mood: we see him in turns evocative and indignant, often playful and jocular, yet also troubled by the Spanish viciousness that still colors our times; whether melancholic, cheerful, solemn, ironic, compassionate, or disillusioned, he always manages to draw us in, leaving no one indifferent with his *Mano de sombra*. Javier Marías remains a novelist even when expressing his opinions; he believes that if one is merely to voice the conventional wisdom—what the times already think for us—it is better to remain silent. Thus, his articles never offer the predictable; unlike so many other writers, he reflects as though he were telling a story, allowing us to follow the unfolding of his thought with the same sense of intrigue one feels watching a narrative unfold.