La sombra del padre

The origin of this fascinating book lies in the discovery of a dark wooden box, a three-dimensional collage made from fragments of a sometimes uncomfortable life: that of the author's father, who died in childhood, a man as intrepid and seductive as he was contradictory. The resulting narrative, the string of fragments that comprise it, is nothing less than another assemblage intended to bridge the chasm between a son and the ever-elusive shadow of his father. Assuming the capricious role of custodian of family memory, which at times transforms him into an archaeologist, a notary, or a detective, Monegal, in this valuable exercise between memory and imagination, traces the trail of this elusive figure, so fundamental to his emotional development, through whom he evokes a lost time. An extraordinary text, halfway between historical chronicle and intimate exploration, that vindicates the small stories from which history with a capital H is made.