There were mixed opinions, from those who stressed the importance of the title or the cover design, to those who insisted on the value of a good poster. However, almost all agreed that none of this would be any use if the book lacked soul. “Give your characters soul, and the novel will captivate.” They spoke to me of rhythm, of maintaining interest, and of the power of entertainment. “The critics seem to revile an entertaining novel, but I can assure that those are undoubtedly the best,” Peter Hirling, the owner of a tiny bookstore in central London for thirty years, said to me.
All I can say is that I tried to follow their advice. I weighed and measured every paragraph, every chapter, seeking that alchemy that disappears when you finish a novel. And after the final touch was added, the words, the metaphors, and the symbolism made way for the bigger picture. And best of all, I enjoyed it.
I would also like to thank my wife, Maite, for the love and support she gave me during the seven years that this adventure lasted, and during the twenty years that we have known each other. She is everything a man could want. I cannot forget my parents Antonio and Manoli; my siblings Sara, Alberto, and Javier; or my daughter Lidia, her husband Rafael, and their son Rafa, who has brought us all such joy.
I must also thank Carlos García Gual, professor of Greek philology at the Complutense University of Madrid, writer, essayist, and critic, as well as editor of the National Geographic’s Historia magazine, for his praise of the first draft of the manuscript. His advice, moreover, direct and sound as it was, contributed to polishing the story, and his words of encouragement helped me on this difficult journey. More valuable still was the advice of Ramón Conesa, my literary agent at the Carmen Balcells agency, who I congratulate for his magnificent work and manner. I would also like to mention Simon Bruni’s excellent translation of the original, and finally express my sincerest appreciation to Gabriella Page-Fort and María Gómez, my American editors at AmazonCrossing, and their fantastic team, for their trust, professionalism, and enthusiasm.
To all of them and, above all, to all my readers, my eternal gratitude.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A native of Spain, a former educator, and an industrial engineer, Antonio Garrido has received acclaim for the darkly compelling storytelling and nuanced historical details that shape his novels. Each is a reflection of the author’s years of research into cultural, social, legal, and political aspects of ancient life. Garrido’s The Corpse Reader, a fictionalized account of the early life of Song Cí, the Chinese founding father of forensic science, received the Zaragoza International Prize (Premio Internacional de Novela Histórica Ciudad de Zaragoza) for best historical novel published in Spain. His work has been translated into eighteen languages, and The Scribe is his second publication in English. Garrido currently resides in Valencia, Spain.
ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR
Photo copyright © Thomas Frogbrooke 2013
Born in Britain to an English mother and Italian father, Simon Bruni first fell in love with Spain and its language as a teenager. After graduating in Spanish and Linguistics, he established himself as a freelance translator in Spain, where his interest turned to literary translation. Awarded a distinction in his Master’s in Literary Translation, he won a John Dryden Prize for his dissertation piece, a translation of the novel Celda 211 by Francisco Pérez Gandul. His first published literary translation was At the Even Hour, a collection of autobiographical short stories in the magical realism tradition by Uruguayan author Julio Figueredo.
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