Summary of The City of Wonders
“The City of Wonders” – also published in English as “The City of Marvels” – is a historical novel set in Barcelona in the years between the world’s fairs of 1888 and 1929. The novel centres on the exploits and dubious business dealings of Onofre Bouvilla, a self-made man who became immensely rich through gangster activities, real estate speculation, and silent film production.
Reasons to read The City of Wonders
“The City of Wonders” is an engaging and enlightening novel that captures the years around 1900 when Barcelona grew into a major, modern, industrial city. Eduardo Mendoza is one Spain’s foremost contemporary writers. He was awarded the Premio Cervantes in 2016 – the most prestigious Spanish literature prize -, the Franz Kafka Prize in 2015, and the Princess of Asturias Award in 2025. For his novel “An Englishman in Madrid”, he won the Premio Planeta in 2010 and the European Book Prize in 2013. “The City of Wonders” is considered as one of his most significant books. The Spanish newspaper El Mundo included it in its list of 100 best Spanish-language novels of the 20th century. Other notable works by Mendoza include “The Truth About the Savolta Case” and “The Olive Labyrinth”.
Setting: Barcelona (Spain)
Original title: La ciudad de los prodigios
Year of publication: 1986
Nr of pages: 496
