Summary of The Holy Innocents
“The Holy Innocents” tells the story of a farming family working for the owners of a wealthy estate, or cortijo, in Extremadura near the Portuguese border during the early 1960s. The family consists of Paco and Régula, their four children, and Régula’s brother Azarías, a man with a cognitive impairment whose greatest joy in life is caring for a small pet bird. Their lives are marked by submission and dependence on the wealthy estate owners. When Iván, the young master of the estate, kills Azarías’ beloved bird during a hunting party, the tragedy leads to a shocking act of revenge.
Reasons to read The Holy Innocents
“The Holy Innocents” is a powerful social critique of the semi-feudal society that persisted in rural Spain during the Franco era, particularly in Extremadura, where poor agricultural workers remained dependent on wealthy landowners. The book was included in El Mundo’s list of the 100 best Spanish-language novels of the twentieth century and was adapted into an acclaimed film by Mario Camus in 1984. Miguel Delibes is widely regarded as one of the greatest Spanish writers of the post-Civil War era. He received numerous literary honours, including the Premio Príncipe de Asturias (1982), the Premio Nacional de las Letras Españolas (1991), and the Premio Cervantes (1993). Other notable works by Delibes include “El camino”, “La sombra del ciprés es alargada” (Premio Nadal), “Las ratas” (Premio de la Crítica), “Cinco horas con Mario” – often considered his masterpiece – and “El hereje” (“The Heretic”, a historical novel of the Inquisition in Valladolid – Premio Nacional de Literatura).
Setting: Extremadura – La Raya (Spain)
Original title: Los santos innocentes
Year of publication: 1981
Nr of pages: 144
