Alfaguara press pack for Arturo Pérez-Reverte's novel 'El italiano' (September 2021)

'The Italian' tells an astonishing story of love, sea, and war. In 1942 and 1943, during World War II, Italian combat divers sank or damaged fourteen Allied ships in Gibraltar and the Bay of Algeciras. In this novel, inspired by true events, only a few characters and situations are imaginary. Elena Arbués, a twenty-seven-year-old bookseller, finds one of these divers one morning, while walking along the beach, unconscious on the shore. When she rescues him, the young woman is unaware that this decision will change her life and that love will be only one of the many parts of a dangerous adventure.

An encounter on the sea shore

"After all, you taught me to love heroes."

There are decisions that not only change the course of your day but also shape your entire life. After the success of 'Línea de fuego' (Line of Fire), winner of the 2020 Spanish Critics' Prize and one of the best books of the year according to El Cultural, Esquire, El Periódico, and Vozpópuli, Arturo Pérez-Reverte enters a complicated world of border crossings, saboteurs, spies, and covert military operations. We are in Gibraltar and the nearby towns of La Línea and Algeciras during World War II. It is a complicated geography, riddled with danger, where any mistake can be costly, the risks are multiple, and a false step can be fatal. The Mediterranean has turned into a board game where the Allies try to outmaneuver the Axis forces. In this difficult scenario, no one can trust anyone, and the fates of Elena Arbués and Teseo Lombardo intersect. An unexpected encounter will spark mutual admiration and awaken their feelings, but will also give rise to a spy plot that will unfold on both sides of the Gate of Gibraltar. On one side are the British, who wish to expand their naval dominance; on the other side are the Italians, who are trying to prevent them from doing so; and, in between, post-civil war Spain.

Arturo Pérez-Reverte takes advantage of this tension-filled wartime context to reflect on the value of friendship, the decisions made in times of war, the respect for one's adversary, and how, over the years, these memories live on. But he also delves into what a hero is and how literature has shaped our understanding of them. Through this man whom the sea returns to land, it is inevitable to reflect on how our cultural heritage, from the Odyssey and the Aeneid to the most recent adventure novels, has shaped our imagination and predisposed us to identify with them. "I was trained to recognize a hero. And I don't use that word in its modern sense, but in its classical sense. That's why I was able to recognize him when I saw him," admits Elena Arbués, the protagonist of 'The Italian.' Because a hero, as this novel tells us, is not an idealized being, but a real person who lives with his ghosts hovering around him, like Achilles in the Iliad, who endures pain and doesn't disdain "the wrath of the gods out of boasting or bravado," but rather acts "with simplicity, without caring too much about it, because life, history, and his country" have "placed him in the need to do so." He is someone who values the merits of austerity, the importance of respect, and appreciates courage. But, above all, he understands, as is the case in this novel, that medals and awards are useless, except to honor friends who are no longer here and to keep alive the memory of the time they spent with us.

Tough and brave people

"I've wanted to write this almost unbelievable story, being faithful to the facts, ever since my father told it to me when I was a child. I hope I've succeeded." -Arturo Pérez-Reverte

Arturo Pérez-Reverte has lived with the events described in 'The Italian' for more than forty years. He first heard them from his father when he was a child, and they have remained in his memory ever since. It was, as has happened so many times in the past, one of those stories that are born from the thread of real events and are passed on from one person to another until someone writes them down and they become part of literature. With this story, the Spanish novelist makes an act of vindication and rescues the memory of those soldiers, too often undervalued, as the book emphasizes, who, with a tremendous amount of courage, participated in one of the hardest and most forgotten chapters of the Second World War. Unlike many other battles of World War II, those events did not take place far from Spain, but on the very coast of the Iberian peninsula.

These soldiers, grouped in units of fewer than twenty men, undertook a series of military actions throughout the Mediterranean that put the Allies in jeopardy. Their protagonists were submariners and divers, previously trained for these missions, from the Italian Navy. They were provided with sophisticated underwater equipment, as the English protagonists of 'The Italian' acknowledge. With their rubber suits and advanced underwater breathing systems, they submerged in the sea and, evading mines and defensive barriers, infiltrated the port of Gibraltar to sink the British warships that docked there during a pause in their voyages. They were delicate operations, which they carried out with an unexpected and modern weapon: the "maiali", manned torpedoes, steered by hand, with explosive warheads that put the English navy in check. Using them, they sank, in the Egyptian port of Alexandria alone, two battleships: the Valiant and the Queen Elizabeth. However, their coups were also known in Algiers. The English navy always enjoyed greater fame and superiority than the Italian during the war. However, these operations, using a small contingent of troops and officers, put fourteen ships out of action in southern Spain alone. Had this technique been implemented on a larger scale, the battle for the Mediterranean, decisive for the outcome of the war, would have been very different from what the books say today. In this novel, Arturo Pérez-Reverte shows us who these men were and what they did.

An unexpected narrator

"I wasn't a novelist back then, nor did I intend to be. Just a young journalist, a reporter between constant trips, who liked stories about the sea and sailors."

'The Italian' takes place in two different narrative periods. The first, in 1942 and 1943, when the Gibraltar raids took place. The second, in the early 1980s, when a reporter strolling through Venice enters a small bookstore near the Accademia. With a fondness for old books and sailor stories, although he has a long career already behind him and his fingers are regularly stained with newspaper ink, he can't imagine that the encounter with that gray-haired bookseller with elegant manners will spur a long investigation fueled by curiosity and by his own memories. This journalist will embark on a series of journeys at different times in his life and career to meet the survivors of those events and their descendants. His intention is to understand what happened, access undisclosed data, and decipher the unsolved enigmas of those days of World War II. 

The journalist will also acknowledge that he worked for the Spanish newspaper 'Pueblo,' which published reports on this epic story back then. When there was no one left alive related to those events, he decided to write a book, which is what readers are reading now: 'The Italian'. He uses a writing style nearer the margins of fiction rather than historical prose, for reasons he himself explains in the narrative: "I had been a professional writer for a long time: now I told imagined stories, or stories treated through that filter. I recreated the world in my own way and offered readers alternative lives, possible or probable, with the certainty that, paradoxically, fiction allowed us to penetrate deeper into what happened than a simple true account of the facts." This evocative narrative voice will help us understand what happened and, at the same time, imbue these pages with a nostalgic, yearning tone, which undoubtedly connects us to the heroes who have passed away.

Spain and World War II

"Spain is on the line. It's not like it was when Germany won the war. Now things are uncertain, and Franco, who is a phenomenon, is playing fast and loose and keeping up appearances. This isn't the first time the Civil Guard has arrested Nazi or fascist agents and expelled them from here".

In this novel, Arturo Pérez-Reverte questions the stereotype of Spanish neutrality during World War II. The novelist reflects the atmosphere that prevailed in 1940s Spain. It is a land still marked by the scars left by its own Civil War (1936-39), which he himself recalled in the 'Falcó' series (published between 2016 and 2018), with a population divided between Germanophiles and Allied supporters, arguing in bars about the Geneva Convention, the respect that should be shown to soldiers captured in combat, or the right to shoot individuals caught passing information or infiltrating their lines. No one has yet forgotten the repression against republican teachers nor the flight abroad of those who defended more liberal political positions.

For years, the idea of ​​a non-belligerent Spain has been defended, but the historical reality is that Spain sent the so-called Blue Division to fight in Russia alongside the Nazis, while the Spanish government held a meeting with Hitler in Hendaye, on the French border, in 1940, and some sectors openly acknowledged their sympathy for the Axis forces, at least while Germany and Italy were winning the war. But that moment has already passed by the time 'The Italian' takes place. It is later now. One of those delicately poised moments. Nothing is clear anymore. The press carries the following headlines: "The Wehrmacht at the gates of Stalingrad." "The RAF strikes Düsseldorf and Bremen." "A British convoy breaks the siege of Malta." As one of the protagonists acknowledges, "The Spanish are very careful, because they want to appear irreproachable. Neutrality suits them better than ever."

The Iberian Peninsula is a confusing landscape where espionage plays a fundamental role and many powers move at will through its cities, crossing its borders, invading its territorial waters, or bombing its merchant ships, even if they later apologize to the authorities and compensate the families. From the coasts, Spaniards can see vessels of different nationalities and submarines. All countries have many interests in Spain. Some want its support, like the Germans, and others want it to stay out of the way, which is what the British are trying to do through their envoys. And the questions are inevitable: What was Spain's role? Was it permissive? Was there any double deling or did it just adapt to the circumstances? As one of the characters in 'The Italian' acknowledges: "The idea was to systematically attack Gibraltar, and to prevent the enemies from guessing where the submarine attacks were coming from, and those divers coming from the sea... Let them imagine whatever they would. And they really went crazy. The Algeciras base was completely secret, and remained so throughout the war. Only later did the English find out what was going on."

A tribute to classical culture

"Wars are also won with culture."

'The Italian' is not only a story of war and inevitable love. In this book, Arturo Pérez-Reverte offers, as he did previously in 'The Dumas Club,' a splendid tribute to literature, classical culture, and the civilizations that were born under the protection of the Mediterranean peoples and gave the West its first epic poems. The novel recalls that ancient world from the moment Elena Arbués finds a wounded man lying on a beach, a scene that alludes to one of the passages in the Odyssey, when Nausicaa, daughter of Alcinous, king of the Phaeacians, finds Ulysses lying on the seashore and takes him in. The names chosen for 'The Italian' are neither random nor the result of chance. Argos, the name chosen for the protagonist's dog, is a nod to the puppy that Odysseus was looking after when he left for Troy. Years later, when the hero returns to Ithaca, the dog, now grown and aged, will be the first to recognize him beneath his ragged clothes and will die in his arms. Nor is the name chosen for the Italian man in the novel, Teseo, a coincidence, invoking the Greek hero Theseus, who defeated the Minotaur, fought the centaurs, and was king of Athens.

In this world burned by bombs, with the sea covered in engine oil, where the smell of saltpeter mixes with that of gasoline spilled in ports, and death is commonplace, the importance of bookstores and other great culture repositories stands out. They are vehicles for finding entertaining reading material, but also for accessing knowledge. One of the bookstores is run by Elena Arbués and is called Circe, after the sorceress who fell in love with Ulysses and turned his crew into animals. The other two bookstores mentioned in 'The Italian' are Olterra, located in Venice, run by a very special old woman, key to the beginning of the narrative, and Line Wall Bookshop, in Gibraltar, run by a white-bearded sixty-year-old, Sealtiel Gobovich, who will play an essential role in the development of the narrative. Through their bookshelves, Arturo Pérez-Reverte mentions the novels that were in fashion at the time, quotes great works from all times, and, above all, emphasizes the role that books play in the way we view the world.

The novelist, who frequently defends classical culture in his newspaper articles and on his Twitter account, does not forget the importance of oral tradition, the way in which early European literature was transmitted for centuries. In 'The Italian,' he appeals to it through the interviews and meetings which the narrator holds with event witnesses. In this conversational manner, amid a haze of revelations and confidence, part of what happened reaches readers, and some mysteries that must be resolved are also raised. "I never knew for sure, as I sought to fit together the different versions of a story born from several voices, what prompted the new encounter between Elena Arbués and Teseo Lombardo," the narrator admits.

The characters

Teseo Lombardo

Dark-skinned, with green eyes. He has a white smile and Italian Navy stripes sewn onto his uniform. With steady nerves and a brave character, he is accustomed to risk and death. He is a combat diver and knows the soldier's version of the Lord's Prayer well: camaraderie within the unit, loyalty to one's comrade, and courage during the mission. He crews one of the "maiali" that decimate the British Navy in the port of Gibraltar. Well-built, with noble demeanor, and restrained gestures, his appearance is reminiscent of the sculptures of the ancient Greek and Roman gods. His encounter with Elena Arbués will first save his life, then determine his mission, and finally, open the doors to a love story, but also to a risky game of espionage. "During their brief and unique previous encounter, she hadn't seen him smile: a white, friendly slash that illuminates his dark, southern face, attractive, unmistakably Mediterranean, which she now knows is Italian, although it could just as easily be Spanish, Greek, or Turkish. A typical creature from the south, born among shores and islands without trees or water: oil, red wine, russet sunsets, warm depths, and wise, weary gods in the sky. Looking at him brings all that back to her. And he is, moreover, a handsome man." (page 21)

Gennaro Squarcialupo

He is sarcastic and amusing, as befits a true Neapolitan and a young man with barely twenty-seven winters etched on his cheeks. He is Teseo's companion. His "binomial," as companions who share a "maiale" are usually called in the force. Together they undertake the risky task of sending British ships to the bottom of the bay. A frank, direct man, more brusque than his friend, but no less courageous, he will remember, from the heights of old age, what happened on those missions, what became of his friends, and what separated them. A patriotic supporter of Mussolini, he carries inside the bitterness of the men who have first been hailed as heroes and then reviled. In his eyes shines the nostalgia for the good times he lived through and the regret of an outstretched hand that was not accepted in due time. "He's short, athletic, with thick, curly hair that he tries to tame by combing it back with gel. A good-natured, humorous Southerner who likes to enjoy life. He walks slowly, contentedly, a cigarette on his lips and his hands in his trouser pockets, enjoying the walk and the sunny day kept pleasant by the southeast breeze." (page 44)

Lauro Mazzantini

He is the leader of the Orsa Maggiore group. A determined but cautious person, he distrusts coincidences and he knows how to seize opportunities when they arise. Polite, direct, and even-tempered, he measures each step and knows how to coordinate and direct his subordinates in the delicate operations entrusted to them. His objective: to carry out his orders, to keep his base of operations hidden, which until now has gone unnoticed by the enemy, and to protect his men. When Elena Arbués stumbles upon them, he doesn't hesitate: although Teseo trusts her, Mazzantini orders an investigation to answer some logical questions: Is her appearance fortuitous? Is she bait for the British? Is she working for someone? He will soon understand that she brings with her an advantage he had never counted on. "He is a slim, athletic young man, with broad shoulders. Blond hair, blue eyes, and a square chin. He wears civilian clothes, like everyone else: shorts, a white T-shirt, and sandals." (page 69)

Elena Arbués

The English killed her husband during a raid and turned her into an early widow. Dreamy, well-read, and cultured, the daughter of an old Republican teacher who grows old translating the classics, she runs a bookstore and helps her friend Sealtiel Gobovich run another one in Gibraltar. Prudent and discreet, although that has never stopped her from taking a step forward if needed, she possesses a fearlessness that no one can say whether it comes from a lively soul or from that literary residue left by Greco-Roman adventure stories. Her encounter with Teseo is pure chance, but she will soon recognize in that shipwrecked soldier a classical hero, a Ulysses whom fate has left at her feet. For love, idealism, or revenge, this enigmatic woman, capable of standing up to men and enduring what very few can, will embark on a spy mission in which many fates will be decided. "The light, summery dress fitted at the waist, both hands holding the bag in her lap, her short, fashionable brown hair was slightly wavy. The good looks of a still young woman, a slender, almost thin figure, perhaps too tall for the average Spaniard, at 1.76 meters tall: Elena María Arbués Ortiz, twenty-seven years old, widowed for two years. Owner of the Circe bookstore, located on Calle Real in La Línea de la Concepción." (page 23)

Doctor Zocas

Samuel Zocas, better known as Doctor Zocas, is one of the regulars at the Anglo-Hispano Café and one of Elena Arbués's closest friends. He is a man of open conversation, with his own ideas, who participates in the debates that liven up the after-dinner conversations and meetings. He was a member of a Masonic lodge, and his liberal ideas forced him to take refuge in Gibraltar during the Spanish Civil War. He was only able to return when he was assured that he would be safe in Spain. He has a strange interest in railroads, an hobby that few understand in a person of his intelligence, but it hides something unexpected and crucial. "He is short, bald, nearsighted, and the only blemish on his neat appearance is two fingers on his left hand, yellowed with nicotine. He always looks freshly shaved and smells of lotion as if he had just left the barber's. He wears steel-rimmed glasses and fastens the immaculate collars of his shirts with bold bow ties." (page 29)

Harry Campello

He's thirty-six years old and he's no angel. With an impetuous force of will, hands made for the toughest jobs, and a face marked by smallpox scars, he has the thankless task of protecting Gibraltar from spies, saboteurs, and enemies. Especially now that the Italians are sinking Her Majesty's ships. He possesses the natural instinct of a suspicious guard and is able to detect who comes with bad intentions. He's a cunning and cautious man, who shuns haste and has set his sights on Elena Arbués. He doesn't trust that pleasant but sharp woman, and he has placed his best bloodhounds on her trail. Along with him come two of his heavies, and between the three of them, they conduct interrogations of their prisoners that could soften even the toughest man. "As a local police commissioner, his job matches his appearance: he heads the tough Gibraltar Security Branch, the paramilitary section that reports directly to the governor of the Rock and enjoys an autonomy that goes beyond the rules. Focused on suppressing enemy sabotage, "the Branch," as insiders call it, is a discreet left hand that keeps the British right hand clean. In short: the one who handles the dirtiest counterintelligence work." (page 91)

Royce Todd

From the vantage point of his approximately twenty-five years of age, he looks on war as a contest between gentlemen. He is in charge of protecting the port and thwarting the missions of the Italians, his adversaries, whose actions he gradually observes and understands. He comes from the civilian world, but, despite his youth, he is a renowned expert in underwater maneuvres. Of a polite disposition and with an understanding of what conflicts do to men, he feels a secret admiration for those "spaghetti" who, in the middle of the night, go out to sea to destroy British ships. He is elegant, noble, and intelligent. A rare example of an individual who remains steadfast to basic principles despite the bombs and the dead. He is also the author of a book, 'Deep and Silent,' which, over the years, the narrator of the story will consult. "An eccentric Englishman of the pleasant variety; one of those individualists, inclined to sport and adventure, who can be seen in uniform only under exceptional circumstances; and even then, they treat war like a tennis match. Todd fits the profile: self-confident, an enemy of protocol, undisciplined on land, but everything indicates that at sea, he and his Underwater Protection team are something else entirely." (pages 108-109)

Jack Wilson

The world has led him to war, but his calling remains in the field of literature. Well-educated, with a taste for the theater, he writes poetry, likes visiting bookstores, is cheerful, and tends toward joy by nature. He has the arduous task of bringing culture to those who can't even read comics. And, like so many of his countrymen, and even more so in the harsh times of war, he has a weakness for drink. One of his comments will put Elena Arbués in the eye of the storm. "On his uniform, he wears the three stripes of a sergeant and the insignia (an open book on two crossed rifles) of the Army Education Group. His face is vulgar, but he speaks elegant English, with cultured overtones. There is a lot of well-read literature in that voice." (page 162)