Summary of The Back Room
On a restless night, the narrator of the novel “The Back Room” receives a visit from a mysterious man dressed in black. His visit stirs memories of her youth during the Spanish Civil War and the early years of the Franco era, sometimes in real settings such as the streets of Salamanca, and at other times in imagined settings.
Reasons to read The Back Room
“The Back Room” is a complex yet suspenseful postmodern novel where dreams and reality blend. At its core, the novel explores the anxieties of a young girl growing up under the oppressive Franco regime. “The Back Room” won the Premio Nacional de Narrativa in 1978. Carmen Martín Gaite’s earlier novel “Entre visillos” (not yet translated into English) won the Premio Nadal in 1957. In 1988, she received the Premio Príncipe de Asturias de las Letras, and in 1994, the Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas.
Setting: Salamanca (Spain)
Original title: El cuarto de atrás
Year of publication: 1978
Nr of pages: 224
