It is the Secret of Socrates a great, and devastating, a novel that examines with precision the current state of the society in which we are playing live. A small town is the microcosm chosen to dissect what is happening to us and how we got here and how we have allowed all this to happen.
Upcoming presentations scheduled:
- April 9, Thursday, at 18:30 hours. Presentation at the bookshop Antonio Machado, Madrid (Building of the Círculo de Bellas Artes (c/ Marqués de Casa Riera, 2, Madrid). The presentation will be the responsibility of the writer, journalist and literary critic Victor Claudin.
- Day may 29, Friday, at 19:00 hours. Presentation at the bookstore Free of Quarter (c/ Villaverde, 4, Leganés, Madrid, spain). The presentation will be the responsibility of the writer Luisa Rope.
Review of Luis Gonzalez Carrillo in Mundo Obrero [20/03/2015]
exist is a fact so unusual that no one gets rid of the perplexity
Socrates is a philosopher, not the classic, of course, that all the world knows, but the protagonist of this novel, a philosopher, we say, without even knowing it until that Diogenes, his friend, not the other, the classic naturally, he reveals in his teens. The face of circumspect already spent from that tender age is not the had known philosopher, no, not yet, though it was, was simply by being aware since he had use of reason to not be understanding absolutely nothing of what was going on, that is to say, his own life, and of his loneliness.
And when one understands nothing is believed or philosopher, by pure desperation in a futile attempt to grasp the necessary knowledge, even resorting to the immense and useless philosophers of truth in the story have been, to be able to explain himself, as in the case of our protagonist, and his friend, Diogenes, that you might be interested or pass on to the rest of their congeners, they matter little, especially taking into account that, the rest, the huge mass of the aborregados of this decadent and lost society, have not been, aborregados, that is to say, we, the elect to be able to understand, even a glimpse, the real reason of themselves.
The entire novel is the thread of the vagaries of our philosopher to understand, by being able to explain the meaning of his existence, but the true merit of this book is not only in the great development of this character but of all those who are going to appear and accompanying him throughout his life, his escape, his despair, his loneliness; and in the portrait background, this society.
The stroke fat of each and every one of them, the characters, and we would almost, to read this novel, as a succession of stories with their own entity and at the same time unitary. No characters are outlined.
The author spares no efforts in the descriptions of the personality, in its physical aspects, in their fears, and frustrations, her misunderstandings. All the characters are involved in a comprehensive manner from the novel and explain it, enriching it, and demonstrating the points of view and the vital points that are missing to our philosopher, not just be or be seen as such.
The complex personality of Socrates, to be truly insignificant to all the others but with a tormented inner life, full of reflections that do not just take you to any part. Diogenes his alter ego, a man of action, and officially crazy. Elvira, his great love, if that can exist, abandoned to his resignation. Alejandra, waiting for his chance. Don Eulogio, his father, and Fulgencio, the mayor, beings, abject, corrupt, cynical. Nuria and Moslier revolutionary lounge. Dr. Monsalud and his understanding of the other…
Diogenes and Socrates will be throughout the book, preparing for the great moment that has come and removed the pillars of the earth, the first being very aware of this and taking it very clear that will, the second without understanding practically nothing but trusting in his unique and crazy friend. They have been chosen for such a cause, and inevitably will have to carry it out, not by anyone else, nor to repair any injustice, but by themselves. But when lit with a wick, be careful because sometimes you can’t control.
It is the Secret of Socrates a great, and devastating, a novel that examines with precision the current state of the society in which we are playing live. A small town is the microcosm chosen to dissect what is happening to us and how we got here and how we have allowed all this to happen.
Nothing. A small effort we will require readers to delve into the complexity of an entire world, our world, and be able to look at it and see ourselves reflected in him, with a lump in my throat and a smile, ice-cold in the past, thanks to the precision, irony, black humor, and truths as fists hit us in our corner of reading launched by the author from his quiet and hard pen.
All the characters of the novel, the whole story, or rather stories, that recount will only go leading to the real protagonist who will emerge to take its role in a clear sign of where lies the strength to change this society and make true revolutions.
Or maybe not. Perhaps all of the above does not make sense and the entire novel has been an invention more, not of the author only, but of one of the characters of this exciting story.
Source: http://www.mundoobrero.es/pl.php?id=4648
Presentation at the library Point and Comma, the 26th of march, courtesy of Teleganés
About the author
Ricardo Rodriguez was born in 1968 in Cabezamesada (Toledo) and currently reside in Leganés (Madrid). In 2003, he published the collection of poems Tablespoons of sea (Huerga & Fierro Editores), the work by which that same year won the Poetry Award Villa de Leganés in local modality. In 2005 he saw the light his novel The moral of the executioner (Publisher Mondadori).