The buzzing life of bars, warm evenings by the Manzanares river, the subterranean terrors of the Metro, icy winters & hot, empty summers, student days in the sixties, the ruthless underworld of the city`s mafia
- this captivating anthology reflects the character of Madrid & the lives of the madrilenos, as its inhabitants are called, in all their splendid variety. Some stories are bizarre, some funny, some serious, & as you read you`ll travel through the city. The famous streets & monuments of Madrid
- Cibeles, Calle de Alcala, Plaza Mayor, & the Royal Palace
- as well as the poor, working-class barrios unfrequented by sightseers will pass before your eyes like a moving picture. Some stories, like the Galdos story & Carmen Martin Gaite`s `A clear conscience` depict a journey across Madrid, while in Javier Marias` sinister tale, ` Fallen from fortune`, a couple are unaware that their guide to all the usual tourist highlights is leading them to their death. In ` Through the wall` & ` Personality disorders`, the characters barely leave their apartments, & the city lurks outside the windows.A rich assortment of characters
- adolescent boys obsessed with sex; maids up from the country; provincial girls who slide into prostitution; a small boy excited at the prospect of going downtown with his grandfather; vain, self-absorbed thirty-somethings with too much money; immigrant families far from home; mafia types; diligent office-workers struggling to bring up a family
- come alive in the tales. Few of these stories have previously been translated into English. Some names, such as Benito Perez Galdos, Javier Marias, Juan Jose Millas, & Carmen Martin Gaite, will be more familiar than others but all deserve to be better known. There is a map at the back of the book to indicate the places mentioned in the stories & photographs complement & accompany each story. The reader will also find there biographical notes on the authors & suggestions for further reading.