Galego | English

Fiction

Era por setembro

By Xabier Quiroga

About this book

Aldara has been recently designated as Minister in a leftist government. She comes back to her village for the burial of one of her relatives. During her fast trip she remembers what happened there thirty years ago, when her teenage years started. She then met don Manuel –her mother’s first love- and conflict with her father ensued, due to her friendship with that writer who was forced to live alone, under constant surveillance by the followers of the dictator. She goes back to those decisive events that led Aldara to lose her innocence for good and to understand that there are no reasons to fear facing life as long as our ideals are preserved.

Fruitful and captivating writing marks this novel about the difficult transition into adulthood. We have in our hands a little literary jewel filled with emotion in each page. With Era por setembro, this short but intense novel, Xabier Quiroga establishes his position as one of the more powerful voices in the Galician novel of the beginning of the new century.

Book fragment

It was around September and the fountains cried.

—Where are we going, Mum? –I obliviously asked, as if the thought had escaped through my mouth, while I tried to follow her fast step on the dew of the path.

—To a burial.

—To a burial? –I repeated, puzzled by that event that a thirteen-year old girl was never invited to, not even to carry the lamps.

—To a burial –she insisted, dryly, so much that in awe or due to my clumsy legs, I stepped on a stone amongst the leaves and I fell on the ground.

While she bent down to help me, rapidly moving the hands, she cleaned my knees, rearranged my plaits, fit the golden frill of the only new dress that I had and finally held me so tight that I thought that something had happened to her.

I did not say anything because I immediately felt myself engulfed by that uncertain smell of cheap perfume that as a mystery surrounds the people who are not sure about the life they lead. That was her.

But now she is dead and the telegram confirms it, thirty years later, in such a laconic way: we are sorry to inform you…