Alfaguara press pack for Arturo Pérez-Reverte's novel 'Revolución' (October 2022)

A man, three women, and a revolution. A journey into adventure and the human heart.

This is the story of a man, three women, a revolution, and a treasure. The revolution was that of Mexico during the time of Emiliano Zapata and Francisco Villa. The treasure was fifteen thousand twenty-peso gold coins, known as Maximilianos, stolen from a bank in Ciudad Juárez on May 8, 1911. The man's name was Martín Garret Ortiz, a young Spanish mining engineer. It all began for him that very day, when he heard that first distant shot from his hotel. He went out into the street to see what was happening, and from that moment on, his life changed forever.

In this novel, Arturo Pérez-Reverte revisits the dramatic events that shook the Mexican Republic in the first third of the 20th century. He does so through the story of a young man's coming-of-age journey, who will reach maturity amidst chaos and violence. 'Revolution' is a story full of adventure, with brilliantly drawn characters, which delves into the hidden rules that determine love, loyalty, death, friendship, and life.

Arturo Pérez-Reverte was born in Cartagena, Spain, in 1951. He was a war reporter for twenty-one years. With over twenty million readers worldwide, translated into forty languages, many of his works have been adapted for film and television. Today, he shares his life between literature, the sea, and sailing. He is a member of the Royal Spanish Academy and the French Association of Naval Writers.

The fascination with adventure

"He felt like he was entering, step by step, into an unknown place, one that might have no way back. He was surprised not to be frightened by it. Not even worried. It was like a child's game that at times went beyond that."

Martín Garret Ortiz arrived in Mexico to work in a mine, never realizing that fate had planned a different course for him. He was born in Linares, Andalusia, Spain, he was in his early twenties, a mining engineer, and never imagined he would end up meeting his fate on May 8, 1911, on the streets of Ciudad Juárez. The sound of a firearm caught his attention and also awakened in him a latent instinct, the pang of an unsuspected curiosity that would lead him through the winding paths of ideals, brotherhood, affection, conflicted feelings, and the inevitable clash between principles and reality.

After the success of 'The Italian,' (2021) Arturo Pérez-Reverte reflects in 'Revolution,' an exemplary Bildungsroman with echoes of masters like Joseph Conrad, on the attraction of danger and the transformative power of experience. In Martín Garret Ortiz, the novelist embodies the seduction of risk and the abysses that surround it, which some people come to experience and then can't let go. At the same time, he depicts the different stages of human growth. The protagonist is initially presented with the traits of innocence and gullibility, but then he evolves into a well-grounded man, with clear ideas but burdened by a disturbing past; a man who moves forward in his daily life without hesitation, with self-assurance, and never intimidated by the possibility of death.

Martín Garret Ortiz, in an impulsive gesture that even he can't explain in words, will join Pancho Villa's army. Alongside these unlikely companions, he will experience a difficult, risky journey, without concessions or second chances, which will teach him the hardships of war and the bitter revenge of ungrateful love. It will be an adventure in which he will learn about the hopes that fuel revolutions, the rules that govern life, the fears that accompany a daring existence and the prices that have to be paid, which, unexpectedly, will lead him to confront the kinds of experiences that shape a character and a wholly new outlook on life.

A personal memory

"For him, the revolution was a personal sense of a strange duty: loyalty to men and women he admired, in whose words, silences, and attitudes he had learned things he would never forget, useful for observing the world, life, and the possible, or inevitable, end of everything."

Martín Garret Ortiz is neither cultured nor widely read, but, of all the characters he has created, Arturo Pérez-Reverte has chosen him to become the repository of a part of his most personal memory. In 'Revolution,' the novelist has outlined an antihero, far removed from the coordinates of his upbringing and his life's journey. He is a pure scientist, pragmatic, observant, accustomed to noticing the patterns and behaviors that underlie nature, which are useful to reflect on the addiction that danger causes, a theme closely linked to his own life.

It took Pérez-Reverte more than twenty years to wean himself off war, and with the wealth of revelations, encounters, disappointments, misadventures, fatalities, and fortunate or unfortunate discoveries, he has shaped his protagonist, a young man who, like the writer before him, feels the allure of experiencing extreme situations and who, despite the recurring opportunities presented to him to escape and get away from them, always seeks the adrenaline rush that adventures promise. He is not interested in battle plans, ideals, promises, or dreams that keep causes alive. He is driven by a more analytical impulse. He simply wants to observe, to get close to men when they are engaged in their most radical passions, to study their behavior and pause to contemplate their capacity to administer justice, act with benevolence, or surrender without hesitation to the release that revenge, anger, or rage often promise. Martín Garret, like Arturo Pérez-Reverte, wants to understand the world and the patterns that govern it: why it is the way it is, what drives it, and why people, for better or worse, act in a certain way.

Martín Garret is one of Arturo Pérez-Reverte's most autobiographical characters. The author has lent him his perspective and has passed on to him the lessons, feelings, and emotions he experienced as a war correspondent throughout his long career as a journalist. The novelist's intellectual education is literary; his protagonist's, scientific. But both are united by the same thirst for understanding, an innate need, almost impossible to ignore, that drives them to delve into that dark enigma that is the human soul, with all its burden of iniquities and, also, virtues. The result is a vivid, gripping account of war, its inherent cruelties, and the implicit, and sometimes unexpected, generosity of those caught up in its turmoil. But it is also a thrilling narrative about the discovery of the world and the transcendental role that values ​​such as friendship and loyalty play in it.

The Origin of a Story

"They were no-nonsense individuals, with their lights and their shadows, determined to kill and die with simplicity, to pay without hesitation the price of life, risk, and struggle. Perhaps they hadn't chosen it, and perhaps it was a result of chance, but there they were, without looking to escape their fate."

The choice of the Mexican Revolution as a setting was not the result of chance or whim. From his childhood, Arturo Pérez-Reverte had heard about it in his home. A friend of his great-grandfather, also a mining engineer, was posted to Mexico as a representative of the company that had employed him. There, he experienced the events of those historic times firsthand. In the frequent letters he sent from across the Atlantic, he gave timely updates on its progress and the often unexpected and surprising incidents that occurred. The writer grew up listening to this endlessly repeated collection of fascinating stories in his family. He amused himself by looking at the photographs of Pancho Villa, a legendary name, and the other protagonists who led the revolt, portrayed in the magazines he kept at home and used to flip through in his youth. It was a collection of stories, snapshots, and episodes that gradually arranged in his imagination the different chapters of a story that over the years would lead to the novel 'Revolution.'

After 'The Queen of the South,' one of his most acclaimed works, Pérez-Reverte returns to Mexico in this novel. His frequent visits cemented his passion for this moment in history and further expanded his fascination with these pivotal events of the past. These trips and his meticulous reading of books on the subject continually fueled his literary creation and filled in the missing pieces to complete the narrative thread of 'Revolution.' But it would be the chance discovery of an old snapshot that would ultimately unleash the final impetus for this novel to take its final form. In that photograph, a handful of revolutionaries were portrayed. They were seated at a table in a distinguished establishment with obvious pretensions of elegance. They posed proudly, accompanied by their weapons, their characteristic hats, and dark mustaches accentuating the smiles on their faces. They were having breakfast at Sanborns, one of the most distinguished and renowned salons in Mexico City. The contrast between these gaunt figures of humble origin, reclining in chairs that just a few days ago were not reserved for people of their social standing, and the elegant atmosphere that surrounded them, tied up the last loose ends and ended up connecting the fictional facts the writer had been storing in his imagination with the real events. This has been, as Arturo Pérez-Reverte himself has acknowledged, one of the most complex tasks.

Women Carry Guns Too

"I was at an age when it was still possible to experience immediate seductions, fascinations, and crushes that, suddenly, seemed to seize your heart for life."

Three women, three names: Yunuen Laredo, Diana Palmer, and Maclovia Ángeles. The first is a pretty girl from a wealthy family; the second, an intelligent, fearless, determined, and gutsy American journalist; and the third, one of those guerrillas, courageous, affectionate, and tough at the same time, who flinch at nothing and accompany the armies of the revolutionary leaders on their march. All three will play a decisive role in Martín Garret's emotional development, and all three will show him different realities of love and feelings.

From Yunuen Laredo, a young woman of mixed descent with quartz-blue eyes and a slender figure, a natural flirt with an innate social acumen, he will learn that there are motives more powerful than love and that it never hurts to pay attention to social convenience and family and private interests. She is smart, educated, with an exquisite talent for reasoning that allows her to gauge, well in advance, the benefits and advantages of each turn of events. She will represent a turning point in Martín Garret's life, and through her presence we gain insight into the atmosphere of those urban aristocracies that always profit from any circumstances, even in the most turbulent and dark times.

Diana Palmer is wiry, with faded and dusty clothes, and wears no makeup or disguises her character. She has an extraordinary personality that has earned her respect among her colleagues and admiration among the guerrillas with whom she interacts. She unhesitatingly challenges the prevailing professional conventions of the time. She is determined, harbors no subconscious fears, and is capable of facing any difficulty to obtain an interview, write an article, file a story, or emerge unscathed from the greatest difficulties and mishaps. She travels taking notes, her face tanned by the sun, her figure shaped by so much horse riding and the clatter of the carts and carriages she uses to travel. Direct, but without malicious intent, she will become a valued companion for Martín Garret, and her keen eye will be necessary for judging the various events that occur.

Maclovia Ángeles, with sun-tanned cheeks and a spirit honed by battle, embodies the native women who traveled alongside revolutionaries like Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. They follow their men, caring for them when they are wounded, quenching their thirst when they return exhausted, or providing them with food when they are hungry. They loot when necessary, strip the fallen of their belongings, and sort out the mess when necessary. They are close to their loved ones and their children, whom they never leave alone and always carry around wrapped in their petticoats. Unruly and tough, but without ill will in their hearts, they are not submissive wives or passive companions. They carry weapons, are well-stocked with ammunition, and display as much courage as the bravest men. They actively participate in the fight and are undeterred by the possibility of being struck down by bullets. They lack the canonical culture offered in schools, but they are clever, well-equipped with popular knowledge, and capable of guiding any lost urban graduate with their advice. Intrepid, fierce, and courageous, with fair words and firm in their duty, it is through these women, the "soldaderas," that the reader gains insight into the misery and poverty that plagued a segment of the Mexican population.

Idealists and Bandits

"I'm afraid good intentions aren't enough to govern, Colonel."

'Revolution' is a chronicle of the struggle waged by men to achieve their ideals and of the promises that could never be kept. "We make the revolution so that the capitalist landowners don't suck the blood out of the poor... Let the land be distributed to those who work it and let the mines be for the people who give their lives to them," one of the protagonists asserts, with the seriousness that only those who truly believe in what they say possess.

In these pages, Arturo Pérez-Reverte traces the different motivations and beliefs that drove a whole people to take up arms and rise up against their rulers. It was a revolt of simple men and women, most of them uneducated, who hadn't had the opportunity to attend school, unlike the wealthy classes, and who waste their days working lands that don't help them prosper while yielding nothing but a meager living and the promise of more sweat on their brows the next morning. "To put an end to all the bosses, to those who rule... To those who were lucky enough to be educated instead of being pure wretches like us," one of these men confesses. Pérez-Reverte skillfully outlines this network of dreams and hopes, but he doesn't limit himself to simply recounting them. From this starting point, he reviews the different aspects of a revolution, from the initial spark that ignites spirits and the series of speeches that stir hearts and minds, to the subsequent dissensions that arise among leaders and the internal fights that always lead to the disintegration of a movement and its inevitable defeat.

But this novel also accurately analyzes how the revolution ends up devouring its children and, of course, the network of different silent forces that come into play and cautiously move to undermine and discredit these kinds of movements, as one of the revolutionaries, concerned about the image and reputation of the cause, admits. These strategies, despite the distance that separates us from those events, still exist and we are able to recognize them: the importance of propaganda, of conveying a positive image to the public, convincing oratory, and targeted messages designed to cast doubt on one's adversary. "Entrusting thirteen million illiterate Indians with the election of a president is like asking a class of schoolchildren to choose their teacher," maintains one of the protagonists of this story. Along the way, some will discover that promises made can lead to the gallows and that good intentions are not enough to deliver justice. Arturo Pérez-Reverte, with equanimity but also with precision, will illuminate the epic of all these men, from both sides, who, with their passions, mistakes, and absurdities, fought for what they believed in, and then were ultimately defeated.

The Hero's Other Companions

Pancho Villa

"He had powerful shoulders, supporting two cartridge belts filled with ammunition. He rode a horse with a saddle in the style of a country cowboy, upright and with low stirrups. He had a broad neck, a large head, and strong teeth. His brown irises stared intensely and steadily through thick, half-closed eyelids."

He is one of the leaders of the Mexican Revolution. A courageous, intimidating, and determined commander, magnanimous with his own people and cruel with his adversaries. An unusual blend of loquacity, determination, and sudden silence. When he is silent, he sounds stern; when he laughs, his laughter is thunderous. He is sincere in both his gratitude and his punishments. Vehement in his opinions, which are those of the people, and generous in his camaraderie. Pancho Villa, always cautious and vigilant, will extend his hand to Martín Garret, the Spanish native who has come to him from across the Atlantic and snuck into the middle of the gun battles of the revolution. The mishaps of war, the incidents associated with peace, and a gold coin that passes back and forth between them will unite these two men in one of those friendships that only destiny can forge.

Francisco Madero

"He had a kind face. He was small, almost frail, shorter than his brother. He sported a neat beard and parted his hair low to hide his receding hairline."

The hope of the revolution. A spirit torn between the ideals of his intellect and the weapons he carries on his belt. He will suffer the fate of men of principle in a world without them. His government will unfold among rich men, yes-men, and traitors. He embraces the ideals of the revolution and will fight for them on the battlefield and from the presidential palace. He hopes that justice will cease to be a utopia in Mexico and will finally become a reality. He is an idealist who will eventually get lost in the web of the interests of those who hoard the money and will soon understand that there are oaths that, no matter how much one might want to, cannot be kept.

Genovevo Garza

"He wore faded striped pants and a short jacket. He carried a huge pistol at his side, hanging from a belt full of bullets. He had left the .30/30 carbine on the counter, and under the brim of his northern hat, his hard, black eyes continued to stare."

He brings with him the boisterous manners of the best guerrilla fighters, including a scar on his face that runs from his temple to the crook of his jaw. "Tender and dangerous" at the same time, Genovevo Garza, admired and feared, is a free spirit, as simple as the common people, astute and cunning, who walks around without hidden darkness or duplicity. He fights for the revolution without separating from his wife, Maclovia Ángeles. Burly, with a vigorous temperament and strong beliefs, he represents the clear-eyed, obedient, and hard-working soldier who knows no cowardice or impossible missions. He will welcome this little Spaniard who knows how to crack safes and blow up bridges like the best of dynamite experts.

Jacinto Córdova

"At her side was a young man dressed in military uniform: lean, with a thin, well-trimmed mustache, very black hair, shiny like patent leather, and eyes to match. The features of a handsome Mexican."

Disciplined in character, with the profile of a handsome man, the traits of a stern soldier, and with a peculiar sense of courtesy and honor, Jacinto Córdova, wounded by jealousy and pride, will challenge Martín Garret for the heart of a woman. A neat and ambitious officer in his social pursuits, he, in the most unexpected way, will demonstrate to the protagonist that the souls of men are not black or white, but are instead full of chiaroscuros and disconcerting decisions.

Tom Logan

"He had a clean-shaven face, but sported long reddish sideburns. A cartridge belt was slung across his chest, he carried a revolver on his belt, and a shotgun in his hands. His appearance was unusually Anglo, allowing him to move with such ease among the Maderistas."

He is a Yankee in love with Mexico. One of those White North Americans, mercenaries or paid adventurers, who have descended upon the border and is now trapped by the revolution. Affable in his manner and graceful in his movements, he is a worthy combatant, who has joined an enterprise that is not his own, but he will defend it to the bitter end. With no cracks in his poise, he will find himself immersed in the ups and downs of a revolution with many twists and turns. He will appear alongside reporter Diana Palmer, but the days will eventually place him shoulder to shoulder with Martín Garret.

Critics have said:

"I like Pérez-Reverte. He reminds me of Dumas and Salgari." Umberto Eco

"Arturo Pérez-Reverte knows how to hold the reader's attention with every turn of the page." 'The New York Times Book Review'

"Arturo Pérez-Reverte manages to keep the reader breathless." 'Corriere della Sera'

"Readers won't be able to turn the pages fast enough." 'Publishers Weekly'

"There's a Spanish writer who resembles the best of Spielberg and Umberto Eco. His name is Arturo Pérez-Reverte." 'La Repubblica'

"Arturo Pérez-Reverte allows us to enjoy an intelligent interplay between history and fiction." 'The Times'

"Pérez-Reverte at his best. His novels trace ties that connect one another, forming a fabric that is what the classics called style, and the moderns, a whole world." José María Pozuelo Yvancos, 'ABC Cultural'

"Nothing is more serious than Pérez-Reverte's game. That game is called literature." 'La Revue des Deux Mondes'

"Pérez-Reverte has a radically modern, intelligent, and complex sensibility [...]. A summary of a Pérez-Reverte plot is thrilling, but not as interesting as his books, each of which creates a psychological atmosphere that is irresistible." 'The Boston Globe Book Review'

"Raising the flag of exciting fiction very high, Arturo Pérez-Reverte crafts his novels like a refined and elegant old Spanish bartender who occasionally gets drunk on Corto Maltese. Allow yourselves to be instructed by this master of adventure." 'Minute'

"One feels like Goya's dog, buried up to its neck in Pérez-Reverte's stories, as overwhelmed as it is fascinated; unable to escape, even though each sentence throws another bucketful of sand, sorrow, and darkness into one's soul." Jacinto Antón, 'El País'

 

"His elegant style is combined with a great command of the Spanish language. Pérez-Reverte is a master." 'La Stampa'