Institut Ramon LLull

The Glorious September Revolution of 1868 led to the end of absolute monarchy in Spain, setting off a series of varied attempts at democracy. In October of 1869 in La Bisbal (Girona), nearly three thousand people rose up to proclaim a republic, only to be immediately and brutally quelled. Alzamora dramatically recreates that moment, breathing life into such historical figures as Pere Caimó and Isabel Vilà. Caimó returned to Catalonia from Puerto Rico inspired by the new ideas of abolition of slavery and universal suffrage; convinced that Spain should be a federation, he was among the leaders of the uprising. And Isabel Vilà was a working-class pioneer of trade unionism and led the battle’s campaign hospital.

This passionately evocative historical novel reveals the 19th century origin of many of the ideas we continue to debate today –feminism, labor rights, individual and collective rights and freedoms, as well as the structure of the Spanish state and its relationship to Catalonia–. It shines a light on the absurdity of war, on the iniquities of colonialism, and on the perpetual fight against the abuse of power, reminding us of the dreams and ideals that sustain the long arc as it bends toward justice.