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Wolf Moon
Having lost the Civil War in Spain, four republican rebels lead a fugitive existence deep in the Cantabrian mountains. They are on the run, skirmishing with Franco's soldiers, knowing that surrender means execution. Wounded and hungry the rebels are frequently drawn from the safety of the mountains into the villages they once inhabited, not only risking their lives but the lives of anyone helping them. Faced with the lonely mountains, harsh winters and unforgiving summers, it is only a matter of time before the Fascists hunt them down.
Published in 1985, Wolf Moon was the first novel to break with the Pact of Forgetting (Pacto del Olvido), a political and cultural amnesty in Spain provided for Franco's supporters following his death in 1975. Llamazares's lyrical prose serves to animate the wilderness, making the Spanish landscape as much a witness to the brutal oppression of the Franco regime as the persecuted villagers and republicans.
Translated from the Spanish by Simon Deefholts and Kathryn Phillips-Miles
177 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1985
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796 people want to read
About the author
Julio Llamazares
60 books173 followersJulio Llamazares was born in Vegamián, a small village in the region of León. At the age of twelve he left the mountain area, attended a boarding school in Madrid and then studied law. Today Llamazares works as a writer, journalist and scriptwriter.
After two poetry volumes which were published under the titles of 'La lentitud de los bueyes' (1979) and 'Memoria de la nieve' (1982), his successful debut as a novel writer came out in 1985 'Luna de lobos'.
Llamazares had his literary breakthrough with the novel 'La lluvia amarilla' in 1988. The novel is about Andrés, an old man who is the last inhabitant of a forsaken village in the Pyrenees. Andrés reminds the former vitality of this place and contemplates about forgetting, death, and loneliness. With the story of the dying village, Llamazares has depicted a concise development of Spanish society in a bribingly direct speech. Hundreds of villages have disappeared in the last decades because the inhabitants have moved to the cities. In the first three years after its publication, 'La lluvia amarilla' was already re-published 15 times.
In the autobiographical novel 'Escenas de cine mudo' (1994), the narrator returns to Olleros, the place of his childhood. After the death of his mother he finds a photo album with old black and white photos. With the help of the yellowed photos he goes back to his past and describes, in loosely connected scenes, his experiences from the view of a child, thus bestowing an insight into the social history of the region.
Llamazares holds a special place in Spanish contemporary literature. He belongs to the few authors who concern themselves with rural Spain, the remote areas and the decline of damned mountain villages. With his unassuming and convincingly told stories of everyday life, he plays a large part in the existence of this world not being forgotten in the general frenzy of modernization.
Llamazares has published collections of stories, such as 'En mitad de ninguna parte' (1981) and chronicles ('El Entierro de Genarin', 1998). Furthermore, he edited an Anthology about the city of Madrid, which came out as 'Los viajeros de Madrid' in 1998. Articles he wrote as a journalist are collected in 'En Babia' (1991) and 'Nadie escucha' (1995). Llamazares’ travel reports about forgotten regions and districts were published as 'El río del ovido' (1990) and 'Trás-os-Montes' (1998). He also wrote filmscripts and extended reportages – among these, one about Berlin. Recently, his novel "El cielo de Madrid" (2005) was published. The author lives in Madrid and León.
After two poetry volumes which were published under the titles of 'La lentitud de los bueyes' (1979) and 'Memoria de la nieve' (1982), his successful debut as a novel writer came out in 1985 'Luna de lobos'.
Llamazares had his literary breakthrough with the novel 'La lluvia amarilla' in 1988. The novel is about Andrés, an old man who is the last inhabitant of a forsaken village in the Pyrenees. Andrés reminds the former vitality of this place and contemplates about forgetting, death, and loneliness. With the story of the dying village, Llamazares has depicted a concise development of Spanish society in a bribingly direct speech. Hundreds of villages have disappeared in the last decades because the inhabitants have moved to the cities. In the first three years after its publication, 'La lluvia amarilla' was already re-published 15 times.
In the autobiographical novel 'Escenas de cine mudo' (1994), the narrator returns to Olleros, the place of his childhood. After the death of his mother he finds a photo album with old black and white photos. With the help of the yellowed photos he goes back to his past and describes, in loosely connected scenes, his experiences from the view of a child, thus bestowing an insight into the social history of the region.
Llamazares holds a special place in Spanish contemporary literature. He belongs to the few authors who concern themselves with rural Spain, the remote areas and the decline of damned mountain villages. With his unassuming and convincingly told stories of everyday life, he plays a large part in the existence of this world not being forgotten in the general frenzy of modernization.
Llamazares has published collections of stories, such as 'En mitad de ninguna parte' (1981) and chronicles ('El Entierro de Genarin', 1998). Furthermore, he edited an Anthology about the city of Madrid, which came out as 'Los viajeros de Madrid' in 1998. Articles he wrote as a journalist are collected in 'En Babia' (1991) and 'Nadie escucha' (1995). Llamazares’ travel reports about forgotten regions and districts were published as 'El río del ovido' (1990) and 'Trás-os-Montes' (1998). He also wrote filmscripts and extended reportages – among these, one about Berlin. Recently, his novel "El cielo de Madrid" (2005) was published. The author lives in Madrid and León.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
August 23, 2021
Julio Llamazares’s story opens in 1937, it’s the final stages of the Spanish Civil War and the Republicans fighting on the northern front have been overwhelmed by Franco’s forces. Four men retreat into the mountains close to the village where they once lived. But every hiding place is fraught with danger, as fascist search parties pursue them from site to site. Years pass and the outlaw group led by Angel, once a schoolteacher in the valley below, are eyewitnesses to the end of the war and the everyday impact of Franco’s dictatorship on a small rural community. It’s a period marked by constant, sudden round-ups, torture, beatings and summary executions. Gradually their fragile network of supporters, remaining family and friends, disappear, either taken away or overcome by fear of reprisals. And the men too start to fade, it’s a slow erasure, marked by a shift from prey to predator, as their existence comes to depend on scavenging, theft and kidnapping. To those below in the valley the men become spectral figures, monstrous, otherworldly creatures, an increasingly unsettling reminder of a time the local people are urged to forget.
Llamazares’s novel’s highly atmospheric, noirish and foreboding, filled with incredibly impressive scenes of austere, brutal beauty. It’s brilliantly paced, marked by arresting images of nature as the men seem to merge with the surrounding landscape, so carefully described I could almost feel the weight of the rain, the penetrating damp, the extreme cold, the intense, overwhelming isolation experienced by Angel and his comrades. At first there’s a feverish, desperate quality to the writing, as Angel’s group fights against obliteration, but desperation becomes resignation as they’re transformed from freedom fighters to walking dead in a region where the elements are almost as perilous as enemy bullets. In 1985, when Llamazares published this, he broke with the ‘pacto del olvido’ that marked the end of Franco’s regime, the idea that the best way to deal with the past was to forget or rather not to remember. But Llamazares was part of a rural generation born long after the Civil War ended and he grew up listening to tales of resistance fighters haunting the wilderness. One person that stood out in his imagination was Arias who for nine years led a fugitive band holed up in hillside caves, and Llamazares’s narrative’s both tribute and memorial to Arias and everyone forced to exist on the margins of Franco’s Spain.
Llamazares’s novel’s highly atmospheric, noirish and foreboding, filled with incredibly impressive scenes of austere, brutal beauty. It’s brilliantly paced, marked by arresting images of nature as the men seem to merge with the surrounding landscape, so carefully described I could almost feel the weight of the rain, the penetrating damp, the extreme cold, the intense, overwhelming isolation experienced by Angel and his comrades. At first there’s a feverish, desperate quality to the writing, as Angel’s group fights against obliteration, but desperation becomes resignation as they’re transformed from freedom fighters to walking dead in a region where the elements are almost as perilous as enemy bullets. In 1985, when Llamazares published this, he broke with the ‘pacto del olvido’ that marked the end of Franco’s regime, the idea that the best way to deal with the past was to forget or rather not to remember. But Llamazares was part of a rural generation born long after the Civil War ended and he grew up listening to tales of resistance fighters haunting the wilderness. One person that stood out in his imagination was Arias who for nine years led a fugitive band holed up in hillside caves, and Llamazares’s narrative’s both tribute and memorial to Arias and everyone forced to exist on the margins of Franco’s Spain.
January 30, 2025
9/10
Me cuesta hasta escribir del cuerpo que me ha dejado este libro. Si La lluvia amarilla el hombre doblándose ante el hastío, Luna de Lobos es la esgrima de la rabia, ciega y vacía, como última trinchera ante el precipicio. La desesperanza impregna cada frase de este libro, que no se puede leer de otra manera que no sea con el alma en los pies. La prosa de Julio Llamazares tiene algo que me hacen meterme de lleno, aunque sólo sea para leer unas pocas páginas (o quizá sea que tengo tendencias depresivas que también).
El monte como trinchera, la naturaleza como testigo de un juicio en el que los hombres no atienden a razones. Los inviernos en la Llánava que - como la lluvia en Ainielle - somatizan la fragua de la desazón física, de la impotencia casi corpórea de Ángel.
No le pongo un 10 porque el final me ha parecido raruno, pero es una experiencia que (si no tienes mucho aprecio a tu estado de ánimo) merece la pena experimentar.
Me cuesta hasta escribir del cuerpo que me ha dejado este libro. Si La lluvia amarilla el hombre doblándose ante el hastío, Luna de Lobos es la esgrima de la rabia, ciega y vacía, como última trinchera ante el precipicio. La desesperanza impregna cada frase de este libro, que no se puede leer de otra manera que no sea con el alma en los pies. La prosa de Julio Llamazares tiene algo que me hacen meterme de lleno, aunque sólo sea para leer unas pocas páginas (o quizá sea que tengo tendencias depresivas que también).
El monte como trinchera, la naturaleza como testigo de un juicio en el que los hombres no atienden a razones. Los inviernos en la Llánava que - como la lluvia en Ainielle - somatizan la fragua de la desazón física, de la impotencia casi corpórea de Ángel.
No le pongo un 10 porque el final me ha parecido raruno, pero es una experiencia que (si no tienes mucho aprecio a tu estado de ánimo) merece la pena experimentar.
November 1, 2025
Before reading this thrilling short novel, I had never heard of the "Maquis", a Spanish guerilla movement and leftover of the Republican army following its defeat in the civil war against Franco's Nationalist forces. They operated from the mountains whilst being hunted relentlessly by the guardias.
Wolf Moon is a short "pursuit novel" (as Benjamin Myers calls it in his glowing introduction) that follows four young men as they try to survive in the mountains, between 1937 and 1946, as gradually all hope of a future is lost. The circumstances are harrowing and the men's families have to suffer the consequences of being related.
The afterword by Llamazares explains the stories are based on the legendary Casimiro Arias and the myths told about him in the village by León where he grew up.
A thrilling read, all the more so because based on true stories.
Thanks to Pushkin Press for an ARC of this forthcoming 'Classic'.
Wolf Moon is a short "pursuit novel" (as Benjamin Myers calls it in his glowing introduction) that follows four young men as they try to survive in the mountains, between 1937 and 1946, as gradually all hope of a future is lost. The circumstances are harrowing and the men's families have to suffer the consequences of being related.
The afterword by Llamazares explains the stories are based on the legendary Casimiro Arias and the myths told about him in the village by León where he grew up.
A thrilling read, all the more so because based on true stories.
Thanks to Pushkin Press for an ARC of this forthcoming 'Classic'.
December 13, 2025
Wolf Moon is based on the life of Casimiro Fernandes Arias, the last survivor of the resistance fighters from the central mountain region of León after the Spanish Civil War.
This short novel describes the final years of the resistance movement's fight told from Casimiro's point of view, as he and a decreasing group of fighters struggle against the authorities, the landscape and an increasingly fearful population.
The prose is excellent and the story is extremely moving whilst conveying the danger these men were in on a daily basis along with the hardships and brutal retribution they and the local population suffered at the hands of Franco's troops and sympathisers.
This is a brilliant novel that gives a small flavour of life as a resistance fighter and the sacrifice and dedication it requires.
Highly recommended.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Pushkin Press for the advance review copy. Most appreciated.
This short novel describes the final years of the resistance movement's fight told from Casimiro's point of view, as he and a decreasing group of fighters struggle against the authorities, the landscape and an increasingly fearful population.
The prose is excellent and the story is extremely moving whilst conveying the danger these men were in on a daily basis along with the hardships and brutal retribution they and the local population suffered at the hands of Franco's troops and sympathisers.
This is a brilliant novel that gives a small flavour of life as a resistance fighter and the sacrifice and dedication it requires.
Highly recommended.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Pushkin Press for the advance review copy. Most appreciated.
December 15, 2017
Nove anni di storia spagnola, dal 1937 al 1946, sono condensati nelle 155 pagine di un libro che si legge trattenendo il respiro. Finita la guerra civile spagnola, i maquis, i soldati repubblicani sconfitti sono costretti a rifugiarsi tra le montagne. Pochi riusciranno a varcare il confine verso la salvezza, molti moriranno dopo mesi o anche anni di latitanza, insieme alla speranza nella sconfitta di Franco dopo il ‘46. La Storia nei suoi dettagli, rimane in sottofondo. In una prosa tesa, serrata, implacabile e straordinariamente poetica, seguiamo 4 uomini costretti alla fuga. Vivono di notte, nascosti di giorno, senza mai poter abbassare la guardia, braccati come i lupi che da quelle parti venivano ancora cacciati alla maniera degli uomini primitivi:
Quando li vedono suonano il corno e tutti, uomini donne e bambini, accorrono a partecipare alla battuta. Io l'ho visto una volta. Nessuno può portare armi, solo bastoni e barattoli. La strategia sta nell' accerchiare il lupo e spingerlo piano piano fino a un precipizio alla fine del quale c' è quello che chiamano chorco: una fossa profonda, nascosta dai rami. Quando il lupo si avvicina al precipizio, gli uomini cominciano a corrergli dietro gridando e agitando i bastoni e le donne e i bambini escono da dietro gli alberi facendo un gran frastuono con le latte. Il lupo, spaventato, scappa in avanti e cade nella trappola. Lo prendono vivo e, nei giorni seguenti, lo portano in giro per i villaggi perché la gente lo insulti e gli sputi addosso prima di ammazzarlo
Grotte umide, capanni abbandonati, nascondigli in cui perfino gli animali farebbero fatica a sopravvivere; la morte che alita loro sul collo, la solitudine disperata di chi deve stare lontano dalla famiglia per non metterla in pericolo; nemica anche la natura, estati roventi e la neve di inverni sempre più rigidi. Solo la luna, in cielo, di volta in volta falce insanguinata, occhio impietoso, il sole dei morti, la luna sotto il cui sguardo ululano i lupi.
Quando li vedono suonano il corno e tutti, uomini donne e bambini, accorrono a partecipare alla battuta. Io l'ho visto una volta. Nessuno può portare armi, solo bastoni e barattoli. La strategia sta nell' accerchiare il lupo e spingerlo piano piano fino a un precipizio alla fine del quale c' è quello che chiamano chorco: una fossa profonda, nascosta dai rami. Quando il lupo si avvicina al precipizio, gli uomini cominciano a corrergli dietro gridando e agitando i bastoni e le donne e i bambini escono da dietro gli alberi facendo un gran frastuono con le latte. Il lupo, spaventato, scappa in avanti e cade nella trappola. Lo prendono vivo e, nei giorni seguenti, lo portano in giro per i villaggi perché la gente lo insulti e gli sputi addosso prima di ammazzarlo
Grotte umide, capanni abbandonati, nascondigli in cui perfino gli animali farebbero fatica a sopravvivere; la morte che alita loro sul collo, la solitudine disperata di chi deve stare lontano dalla famiglia per non metterla in pericolo; nemica anche la natura, estati roventi e la neve di inverni sempre più rigidi. Solo la luna, in cielo, di volta in volta falce insanguinata, occhio impietoso, il sole dei morti, la luna sotto il cui sguardo ululano i lupi.
May 4, 2018
WOLF MOON by Julio Llamazares.
A truly, truly astonishing novel by one of Spain's great contemporary writers.
Four resistance fighters run to the mountains as Franco's forces wrap up victory in the Spanish civil war.
The men then spend years in the mountains above their home village; living in caves, ransacking cottages, visiting family in darkness, spending winters in the snowy cold, killing lambs and milking passing cows. Always pursued by the guardias occupying the area.
The story is powerful and muscular, the prose haunting and poetic. It reads like a Hemingway novel told by Cynan Jones.
I can't tell you how good this book is. One of the best I have ever read. Just phenomenal.
A truly, truly astonishing novel by one of Spain's great contemporary writers.
Four resistance fighters run to the mountains as Franco's forces wrap up victory in the Spanish civil war.
The men then spend years in the mountains above their home village; living in caves, ransacking cottages, visiting family in darkness, spending winters in the snowy cold, killing lambs and milking passing cows. Always pursued by the guardias occupying the area.
The story is powerful and muscular, the prose haunting and poetic. It reads like a Hemingway novel told by Cynan Jones.
I can't tell you how good this book is. One of the best I have ever read. Just phenomenal.
July 31, 2020
Libro lleno de sentimientos soledad, tristeza,aguante,amistad... Cuatro amigos huyen a las montañas para evitar ser cazados por la Guardia debido a sus ideas políticas... Canto a la lucha de supervivencia.
February 18, 2026
As Franco’s forces gradually overwhelm the Republicans, four men take to the mountains. It is 1937, and they hope that either the tide will turn or that they will find a way to escape over the border into France. But time wears on, Franco’s grip becomes ever stronger, and there is no mercy under his regime for renegade Republicans. Years pass, and still the men remain stuck on the mountain, relying on the local people in the villages below for food and the necessities of life. Franco’s pursuit is relentless, and anyone who helps the renegades is treated as just as guilty as those who fought in the war. Over time, the people simply want to forget, to adapt to the new regime and live their lives in peace. As the little band of renegades dwindles, though, there are still some locals loyal to the cause, risking everything to aid them.
First published in 1985, this was one of the first books to break the Pacto del Olvido (Pact of Forgetting) – an informal agreement following Franco’s death to avoid confronting the past of the civil war and the years of brutal repression that followed. It is based on the real experiences of one man in particular, Casimiro Fernández Arias, a hero of the author, who led a band of renegades in the mountains for nine years during the repression. Llamazares doesn’t rehash the politics of the war, nor does he show the renegades as simple victims – they commit their share of killing and brutality during their long years in hiding. But the book is written clearly from a Republican perspective – Franco’s regime is the source of all evil in this depiction of the post–Civil War world, and all good people are against him. A simplification, perhaps, but understandable after decades of enforced silence.
The book has been compared to thrillers of the John Buchan style, but for me it is much darker than that. It has also been described as noir, but again, to me, that suggests entertainment, even if of a bleak kind. This reads as pure literary fiction, and I feel the comparisons to genre writing don’t quite do it justice. It is very much about the ‘human condition’ and about the destruction of humanity at both a physical and psychological level in war, especially civil war when neighbour is fighting neighbour and patriotism is a disputed commodity. As the renegades descend to the condition of cave-dwellers, only daring to show themselves at night, the general population is living in poverty and fear, denying their past if they had fought on the losing side, torn between loyalty to the cause and to the men being hunted by Franco, and desperation to keep their families and whatever little property they still have safe from reprisals.
It’s always hard to judge writing when reading a translation. There’s a lot of strong imagery around the landscape and harsh weather the men must endure, and the moon appears frequently as a force of nature, a symbol, almost a god-like entity. It’s powerful but, to my taste, occasionally overblown. I’d have liked to be able to read it in the original to see if that was an effect of the translation, although on the whole I felt the translation was very good.
The book is divided into four parts, giving a snapshot of how the men are surviving in 1937, 1939, 1943 and, finally, 1946. We see how their initial hopes that the Republican retreat can be reversed fade over time into a kind of resignation, even despair. There are some graphic scenes of brutality, including rape and some cruelty to animals, and each part is punctuated by tragedy. However, at no point do these scenes feel gratuitous or exploitative – there is almost a documentary flavour to it, and I could easily believe in the authenticity of his depiction.
What I found harder to believe was that, in all those years, the men never found a way of getting across the nearby border – Franco’s regime is shown as having an apparently unbreakable grip. Even though they repeatedly fail to capture the band, they seem able to prevent them from ever leaving the mountain. Would the regime really have cared so much about preventing the escape of such a small group of men, even years after the war was over? But since it is based on truth, then I suppose they must have, and, on checking, history suggests the border was indeed tightly controlled in these years. Perhaps they feared that a disaffected group operating from outside the country might continue to try to raise rebellion within it.
Although I didn’t entirely love the reading experience – too much brutality for my taste, and a lot of repetition regarding the ever-worsening conditions the men lived in – I admired the book and found it very powerful. I can imagine how much more so it must have felt to Spaniards in 1985, slowly emerging from the years of repression but still living in silence about their shared, if divided, past. A modern classic, for sure, and one I’m glad to have read.
NB: This book was provided for review by the publisher, Steerforth & Pushkin, via NetGalley.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
First published in 1985, this was one of the first books to break the Pacto del Olvido (Pact of Forgetting) – an informal agreement following Franco’s death to avoid confronting the past of the civil war and the years of brutal repression that followed. It is based on the real experiences of one man in particular, Casimiro Fernández Arias, a hero of the author, who led a band of renegades in the mountains for nine years during the repression. Llamazares doesn’t rehash the politics of the war, nor does he show the renegades as simple victims – they commit their share of killing and brutality during their long years in hiding. But the book is written clearly from a Republican perspective – Franco’s regime is the source of all evil in this depiction of the post–Civil War world, and all good people are against him. A simplification, perhaps, but understandable after decades of enforced silence.
The book has been compared to thrillers of the John Buchan style, but for me it is much darker than that. It has also been described as noir, but again, to me, that suggests entertainment, even if of a bleak kind. This reads as pure literary fiction, and I feel the comparisons to genre writing don’t quite do it justice. It is very much about the ‘human condition’ and about the destruction of humanity at both a physical and psychological level in war, especially civil war when neighbour is fighting neighbour and patriotism is a disputed commodity. As the renegades descend to the condition of cave-dwellers, only daring to show themselves at night, the general population is living in poverty and fear, denying their past if they had fought on the losing side, torn between loyalty to the cause and to the men being hunted by Franco, and desperation to keep their families and whatever little property they still have safe from reprisals.
It’s always hard to judge writing when reading a translation. There’s a lot of strong imagery around the landscape and harsh weather the men must endure, and the moon appears frequently as a force of nature, a symbol, almost a god-like entity. It’s powerful but, to my taste, occasionally overblown. I’d have liked to be able to read it in the original to see if that was an effect of the translation, although on the whole I felt the translation was very good.
The book is divided into four parts, giving a snapshot of how the men are surviving in 1937, 1939, 1943 and, finally, 1946. We see how their initial hopes that the Republican retreat can be reversed fade over time into a kind of resignation, even despair. There are some graphic scenes of brutality, including rape and some cruelty to animals, and each part is punctuated by tragedy. However, at no point do these scenes feel gratuitous or exploitative – there is almost a documentary flavour to it, and I could easily believe in the authenticity of his depiction.
What I found harder to believe was that, in all those years, the men never found a way of getting across the nearby border – Franco’s regime is shown as having an apparently unbreakable grip. Even though they repeatedly fail to capture the band, they seem able to prevent them from ever leaving the mountain. Would the regime really have cared so much about preventing the escape of such a small group of men, even years after the war was over? But since it is based on truth, then I suppose they must have, and, on checking, history suggests the border was indeed tightly controlled in these years. Perhaps they feared that a disaffected group operating from outside the country might continue to try to raise rebellion within it.
Although I didn’t entirely love the reading experience – too much brutality for my taste, and a lot of repetition regarding the ever-worsening conditions the men lived in – I admired the book and found it very powerful. I can imagine how much more so it must have felt to Spaniards in 1985, slowly emerging from the years of repression but still living in silence about their shared, if divided, past. A modern classic, for sure, and one I’m glad to have read.
NB: This book was provided for review by the publisher, Steerforth & Pushkin, via NetGalley.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
April 22, 2019
Πρόκειται για ένα σκοτεινό, δραματικό ταξίδι που εκτυλίσσεται στον ορεινό όγκο της Ισπανίας του Φράνκο, αδιαμφισβήτητου νικητή του εμφυλίου πολέμου, συνήθως πλαισιωμένο από ένα πλήρως αποκρουστικό περιβάλλον όπου η δύναμη της σιωπής πολλές φορές υπερβαίνει τις κακουχίες και τα παραμορφωμένα σώματα των κατατρεγμένων και εξουθενωμένων ανταρτών…
Ωστόσο δεν λείπουν οι στιγμές γαλήνης, απόλυτης αρμονίας και ισορροπίας της φύσης, που επιτυγχάνεται και γίνεται αντιληπτή μόνο όταν ο άνθρωπος ενεργοποιήσει τα πιο αρχέγονα ένστικτά του, αφενός της επιβίωσης που απαιτεί πλέον να εμφανιστεί η ζωώδης πλευρά του ανθρώπου, και αφετέρου αυτό του σεβασμού απέναντι στο περιβάλλον που μας φιλοξενεί γνωρίζοντας την παντοδυναμία και την ευσπλαχνία του…
Ίσως οι πιο εύστοχες και εμπνευσμένες περιγραφές – πρωτίστως- του φυσικού περιβάλλοντος και -δευτερευόντως- της ψυχικής κατάστασης των ηρώων, που είχα την τύχη να διαβάσω και στη συνέχεια να μετατρέψω σε εικόνες. Εικόνες που συνοδεύονται από ιδιαίτερη συναισθηματική φόρτιση και δοκιμάζουν το επίπεδο συνείδησής μας.
Πολλές φορές σταματούσα την ανάγνωση και προσπαθούσα να νιώσω τον πόνο τους, το δράμα τους, γνωρίζοντας τη ματαιότητα του αγώνα τους, τη στιγμή που η δικτατορία του Φράνκο θα πέσει μόνο μετά το θάνατό του.. ωστόσο οι τραγικές φιγούρες των ανταρτών δεν το γνωρίζουν αυτό και τρέφουν αυταπάτες για την τελική νίκη του δημοκρατικού στρατού.
Πρέπει να διαβάσετε το βιβλίο για να καταλάβετε το τι είναι ικανός να σκεφτεί, να ευχηθεί, να επιθυμήσει και στο τέλος να κάνει ένας άνθρωπος όταν είναι 100άδες νύχτες μόνος του, ολοκληρωτικά μόνος του, κυνηγημένος από τα τουφέκια των χωροφυλάκων ή την πανίσχυρη σιωπή που απλώνεται κάτω από το φως του φεγγαριού, τον ήλιο των νεκρών..
Τι είναι ικανό να κάνει ένα πληγωμένο αγρίμι που εγκαταλείπει τη φωλιά του, μόνο όταν το φως του ήλιου δε μπορεί να πια να πληγώσει τα μάτια του, που είναι πλημμυρισμένα από μοναξιά και αίμα;
Από τις στιγμές που ξεχνάς συνειδητά την προσωπική σου αναγνωστική ματαιοδοξία και τους στόχους που έθεσες στην αρχή της χρονιάς και παραδίνεσαι ολοκληρωτικά στον οίστρο του συγγραφέα…
«Μυρίζεις βουνό» μου λέει. «Μυρίζεις όπως οι λύκοι».
«Κι εγώ τι είμαι; Λύκος δεν είμαι;»
Ευχαριστώ θερμά το φίλο μου Τάσο που μου πρότεινε ίσως ένα από τα πιο συμπυκνωμένα και άσημα αριστουργήματα λογοτεχνίας του 20ου αιώνα.
Εφόδιο για την αέναη μάχη ενάντια στη λήθη μέσα σε μόλις 153 άρτια γραμμένες σελίδες.
Ωστόσο δεν λείπουν οι στιγμές γαλήνης, απόλυτης αρμονίας και ισορροπίας της φύσης, που επιτυγχάνεται και γίνεται αντιληπτή μόνο όταν ο άνθρωπος ενεργοποιήσει τα πιο αρχέγονα ένστικτά του, αφενός της επιβίωσης που απαιτεί πλέον να εμφανιστεί η ζωώδης πλευρά του ανθρώπου, και αφετέρου αυτό του σεβασμού απέναντι στο περιβάλλον που μας φιλοξενεί γνωρίζοντας την παντοδυναμία και την ευσπλαχνία του…
Ίσως οι πιο εύστοχες και εμπνευσμένες περιγραφές – πρωτίστως- του φυσικού περιβάλλοντος και -δευτερευόντως- της ψυχικής κατάστασης των ηρώων, που είχα την τύχη να διαβάσω και στη συνέχεια να μετατρέψω σε εικόνες. Εικόνες που συνοδεύονται από ιδιαίτερη συναισθηματική φόρτιση και δοκιμάζουν το επίπεδο συνείδησής μας.
Πολλές φορές σταματούσα την ανάγνωση και προσπαθούσα να νιώσω τον πόνο τους, το δράμα τους, γνωρίζοντας τη ματαιότητα του αγώνα τους, τη στιγμή που η δικτατορία του Φράνκο θα πέσει μόνο μετά το θάνατό του.. ωστόσο οι τραγικές φιγούρες των ανταρτών δεν το γνωρίζουν αυτό και τρέφουν αυταπάτες για την τελική νίκη του δημοκρατικού στρατού.
Πρέπει να διαβάσετε το βιβλίο για να καταλάβετε το τι είναι ικανός να σκεφτεί, να ευχηθεί, να επιθυμήσει και στο τέλος να κάνει ένας άνθρωπος όταν είναι 100άδες νύχτες μόνος του, ολοκληρωτικά μόνος του, κυνηγημένος από τα τουφέκια των χωροφυλάκων ή την πανίσχυρη σιωπή που απλώνεται κάτω από το φως του φεγγαριού, τον ήλιο των νεκρών..
Τι είναι ικανό να κάνει ένα πληγωμένο αγρίμι που εγκαταλείπει τη φωλιά του, μόνο όταν το φως του ήλιου δε μπορεί να πια να πληγώσει τα μάτια του, που είναι πλημμυρισμένα από μοναξιά και αίμα;
Από τις στιγμές που ξεχνάς συνειδητά την προσωπική σου αναγνωστική ματαιοδοξία και τους στόχους που έθεσες στην αρχή της χρονιάς και παραδίνεσαι ολοκληρωτικά στον οίστρο του συγγραφέα…
«Μυρίζεις βουνό» μου λέει. «Μυρίζεις όπως οι λύκοι».
«Κι εγώ τι είμαι; Λύκος δεν είμαι;»
Ευχαριστώ θερμά το φίλο μου Τάσο που μου πρότεινε ίσως ένα από τα πιο συμπυκνωμένα και άσημα αριστουργήματα λογοτεχνίας του 20ου αιώνα.
Εφόδιο για την αέναη μάχη ενάντια στη λήθη μέσα σε μόλις 153 άρτια γραμμένες σελίδες.
March 2, 2023
85/100.
Un día, Julio Llamazares envió esta novela a una dirección equivocada. El servicio de Correos, viendo que estaba dirigida a la editorial Seix Barral, la llevó a la nueva dirección. Abrieron la carta y uno de los lectores de la editorial, Pere Gimferrer, la leyó. El resto es historia: fue publicada y la vida de su autor cambió por completo.
El tema de Luna de lobos está bastante clara en la primera de las páginas de esta novela: el hombre es un lobo para el hombre. O, más bien, cuando el ser humano se ve acorralado, recurre a la violencia. La novela es un espejo en el que la historia se ve reflejada, por primera vez, en una generación que no vivió la guerra, sino que oyó la historia de la Guerra Civil a través de sus padres, de sus abuelos o de las personas del pueblo. Así es como Julio Llamazares entró en contacto con los huidos.
Esta novela está dividida en cuatro partes, como cuatro son los protagonistas de esta historia: Ramiro, Juan, Guildo y Ángel. Está escrita en la primera persona de Ángel y relata con detallismo y con un precioso lenguaje con sustrato poético (en el que la metáfora y la sinestesia forman el armazón de la novela) la historia de sus vidas.
La historia de las vidas de estos cuatro huidos es la historia universal de los vencidos en una guerra en la que se matan hermanos. Todos los personajes son muy humanos, todos. La mirada del novelista es, además, muy honesta. No villaniza en sí a ninguno, sino que muestra que todas las personas, en tales circunstancias, serían capaces de cometer los actos más atroces.
Me gustaría destacar el profundo conocimiento que tiene Julio Llamazares de su tierra, en la que, a modo de western, crea una historia de acción, violenta, en las que unos huyen y otros persiguen.
Un día, Julio Llamazares envió esta novela a una dirección equivocada. El servicio de Correos, viendo que estaba dirigida a la editorial Seix Barral, la llevó a la nueva dirección. Abrieron la carta y uno de los lectores de la editorial, Pere Gimferrer, la leyó. El resto es historia: fue publicada y la vida de su autor cambió por completo.
El tema de Luna de lobos está bastante clara en la primera de las páginas de esta novela: el hombre es un lobo para el hombre. O, más bien, cuando el ser humano se ve acorralado, recurre a la violencia. La novela es un espejo en el que la historia se ve reflejada, por primera vez, en una generación que no vivió la guerra, sino que oyó la historia de la Guerra Civil a través de sus padres, de sus abuelos o de las personas del pueblo. Así es como Julio Llamazares entró en contacto con los huidos.
Esta novela está dividida en cuatro partes, como cuatro son los protagonistas de esta historia: Ramiro, Juan, Guildo y Ángel. Está escrita en la primera persona de Ángel y relata con detallismo y con un precioso lenguaje con sustrato poético (en el que la metáfora y la sinestesia forman el armazón de la novela) la historia de sus vidas.
La historia de las vidas de estos cuatro huidos es la historia universal de los vencidos en una guerra en la que se matan hermanos. Todos los personajes son muy humanos, todos. La mirada del novelista es, además, muy honesta. No villaniza en sí a ninguno, sino que muestra que todas las personas, en tales circunstancias, serían capaces de cometer los actos más atroces.
Me gustaría destacar el profundo conocimiento que tiene Julio Llamazares de su tierra, en la que, a modo de western, crea una historia de acción, violenta, en las que unos huyen y otros persiguen.
June 11, 2017
Wonderfully poetic and emotionally moving account of the desperate attempt of the resistance fighters to hide in the mountains of northern Spain during and after the Civil War, and the toll that this period had on the rural populations in the area. For my full review, please see: https://roughghosts.com/2017/06/09/by...
July 7, 2017
έπος...πραγματικό επος...συγκλονιστικό σκηνικό φοβου αγχους...κρυψώνες...φονοι...τα πάντα...μικρό και θαυμαρτουργό...και σε πολύ καλή τιμή....αφηγηματικά άρτιο....χαρακτήρες πραγματικοί ηρωες...μαγικό
February 24, 2026
This book really moved me and I feel as though I could cry now that it’s over. The story follows resistance fighters hiding in the mountains during the Spanish civil war, whilst relentlessly being hunted for almost a decade in harrowing circumstances.
Such beautiful writing for such horrors.
Based off a true story which makes this all the more poignant.
- “When the night wraps around everything, permanently and indefinitely, soaking the earth and the sky, annihilating feeling and time and memory, only instinct can find the right paths and guide you through the shadows.”
Such beautiful writing for such horrors.
Based off a true story which makes this all the more poignant.
- “When the night wraps around everything, permanently and indefinitely, soaking the earth and the sky, annihilating feeling and time and memory, only instinct can find the right paths and guide you through the shadows.”
November 13, 2022
Espléndido. La prosa de Llamazares sigue siendo tan buena como con "La lluvia amarilla", del mismo estilo. Lectura desoladora e intrigante. Con ganas de leer más de este autor.
February 3, 2020
When war comes to our most beautiful places it seems even more tragic than in cities and towns; countryfolk whose lives prior to the invasion hadn’t changed for hundreds of years, should they survive, will never be the same again - Civil war pitting one part of a remote mountain village against another. The landscapes scarred for years to come, haunted reminders of the terror, often strewn with landmines.
Many aspects of war are terrifying, but the stark contrast of such beauty and horror appalls me, incomprehension as to how this could have happened. And so I read such books in an attempt to fathom out why, and if I still can't, I need tovisit these places to see if that sheds any light.
Such books are, for example, Bausch’s Peace , Forna’s The Hired Man and Mingarelli’s Four Soldiers. . But it’s Pushkin’s powerful words always come to mind, from Ruslan and Ludmila ...
To add to those wonderful books is Wolf Moon by Julio Llamazares (translated by Kathryn Phillips-Miles and Simon Deefholts ), which is the story of four ex-soldiers from the central mountain region near León in the Civil War, evading capture after Franco’s defeat of the Republican Army, and is spread over 9 years from 1937.
Llamazares’s writing has a distinctive lyrical quality, which is most apparent in his descriptions of the natural elements; landscape, weather, flora and fauna all play key roles. Nature is the condemning protagonist throughout; an aid yet a threat, and always a force to be reckoned with. The years the soldiers spend isolated in this wild environment enhances the sense of their desperate plight.
A lengthy afterword explains that Llamazares book was inspired by actual resistance fighters who survived for 9 years in the Curueño and Torio mountains of Calabria.
Many aspects of war are terrifying, but the stark contrast of such beauty and horror appalls me, incomprehension as to how this could have happened. And so I read such books in an attempt to fathom out why, and if I still can't, I need tovisit these places to see if that sheds any light.
Such books are, for example, Bausch’s Peace , Forna’s The Hired Man and Mingarelli’s Four Soldiers. . But it’s Pushkin’s powerful words always come to mind, from Ruslan and Ludmila ...
The stunned knight came upon a field
Where nothing lived, just scattered skulls and bones.
What battle had been fought, what did it yield?
No one remembers why the screams and groans.
Why are you mute field?
Why overgrown with grasses of oblivion?
To add to those wonderful books is Wolf Moon by Julio Llamazares (translated by Kathryn Phillips-Miles and Simon Deefholts ), which is the story of four ex-soldiers from the central mountain region near León in the Civil War, evading capture after Franco’s defeat of the Republican Army, and is spread over 9 years from 1937.
Llamazares’s writing has a distinctive lyrical quality, which is most apparent in his descriptions of the natural elements; landscape, weather, flora and fauna all play key roles. Nature is the condemning protagonist throughout; an aid yet a threat, and always a force to be reckoned with. The years the soldiers spend isolated in this wild environment enhances the sense of their desperate plight.
A lengthy afterword explains that Llamazares book was inspired by actual resistance fighters who survived for 9 years in the Curueño and Torio mountains of Calabria.
September 4, 2024
Qué dolor!
Llevaba tiempo sin leer historias contextualizadas en la guerra civil y sus consecuencias y, como no podía ser de otra manera, ha sido un dolor.
El libro avanza armónicamente y se transforma de forma radical desde una novela de bandoleros que deja registro de las hazañas de cuatro héroes clandestinos hasta un relato intimista y casi existencialista que sintetiza con sumo dolor el fracaso consecuencia de la lucha impotente por la supervivencia contra el fascismo.
El arraigo de la acción a la tierra, al monte y a la luna es el leitmotiv que, como metáfora cambiante, explica cada una de las cuatro fases de la novela.
“El dueño de la mina no olvida- mi metralleta se ha encargado, además, de recordárselo- la diferencia insalvable que nos separa.”
“Un corazón solo, en medio de la noche, es siempre una tormenta.”
Llevaba tiempo sin leer historias contextualizadas en la guerra civil y sus consecuencias y, como no podía ser de otra manera, ha sido un dolor.
El libro avanza armónicamente y se transforma de forma radical desde una novela de bandoleros que deja registro de las hazañas de cuatro héroes clandestinos hasta un relato intimista y casi existencialista que sintetiza con sumo dolor el fracaso consecuencia de la lucha impotente por la supervivencia contra el fascismo.
El arraigo de la acción a la tierra, al monte y a la luna es el leitmotiv que, como metáfora cambiante, explica cada una de las cuatro fases de la novela.
“El dueño de la mina no olvida- mi metralleta se ha encargado, además, de recordárselo- la diferencia insalvable que nos separa.”
“Un corazón solo, en medio de la noche, es siempre una tormenta.”
Read
November 1, 2021Por segunda vez la tengo leída y tengo que admitir que me cuesta un montón profundizar y entrar en la trama. Hay muchos pormenores, que en mi modo de ver, no brindan informaciones útiles a la novela. Ojalá no me toque el día del examen. "Luba de lonos" para los íntimos a la novela.
Read
March 28, 2016ένας εμφύλιος που οδεύει προς το τέλος του και που, με το τέλος του, συνεχίζεται από τους νικητές του. μέχρι στιγμής το καλύτερο με φόντο τον ισπανικό εμφύλιο που έχω διαβάσει από ισπανό συγγραφέα. μια αφήγηση χωρίς περιττές περιγραφές. το μέγεθος δεν μετράει στη λογοτεχνία.
January 15, 2023
Me lo regaló mi suegro y me gusta mucho (el libro, mi suegro no me gusta, bueno si, pero no me atrae, tengo novia).
July 21, 2024
Leer a Julio Llamazares implica disfrutar de su estilo, con sus metáforas, sus comparaciones y sus sinestesias. Esta novela no llega, a mi juicio, a la altura de La lluvia amarilla, publicada un año después (en 1988), novela que disfruté mucho en su día, pero sigue reuniendo los mejores ingredientes de su autor.
December 29, 2015
Al principio eran cuatro, sobrevivientes del ejército republicano derrotado en Asturias en 1937. Cuatro hombres luchando contra un ejército, el nacional (es decir, el de Francisco Franco y demás fascistas), por conservar su libertad y su dignidad en las duras sierras que conocen como sus pueblos y gentes. Cae uno trás otro, en los largos años de persecución y de decepciones mientras hacen lo imposible por mantener su lucha, hasta que en 1946 queda uno solo, Ángel, antiguo maestro de escuela convertido en guerrillero, por cuyos ojos y oidos vivimos esta epopeya. Tras nueve años de optimismo y decepción, hambre, frío y soledad, este último maquis tiene que reconocer que los vencedores de Hitler y Mussolini no van a ocuparse de derrocar a Franco y que él solo en la montaña ya no puede aportar nada más a la ansiada revolución libertaria, que su lucha ha sido — por lo menos por ahora — futil. Esta lírica y poética novela (Llamazares es conocido por su poesía) nos permite vivir en la imaginación esa esperanza y decepción, ese amor por la patria chica en una geografía muy dura pero muy bella, esa inquebrantable solidaridad con su pueblo que permitió a muchos maquis perseverar aún más allá de la desesperación. Se lee rápido, porque la historia engancha y fluye, y da placer a los sentidos por los sonidos de las aves y los vientos, los colores de los cielos y montes, los tactos con rocas y espinas y, en algunos momentos deliciosos, con otra carne humana. Es un libro bello, y un bello homenaje a esos héroes de una batalla perdida pero no olvidada.
April 22, 2016
Uno de los libros mejor escritos que jamás he tenido el gusto de leer. Aburrido a veces? Desde luego. Hilo narrativo ligeramente inconsecuente? Pues también. Pero pocas veces he leído a alguien escribir de manera tan desgarradora sobre el dolor, la soledad y el silencio. Todo lo que rodea a Ángel, el protagonista, se funde con su turbación particular, como preciosamente articulan los insuperables últimos capítulos. La desolación de diferentes personajes en el mismo trágico escenario de la guerra civil española y su poco mejor posguerra es el centro de esta novela, más sensorial y descriptiva que activa, aún contando sin embargo con sus pasajes de acción y sus deliciosos diálogos. Seguimos a Ángel en una tragedia que se alimenta de la tragedia de los demás, pero que gradualmente se convierte en el mismísimo centro de la obra, que muestra el amor, el sexo, las relaciones familiares y el odio de una manera cruda como la guerra y fría como el paisaje de Castilla y León en que se sitúa. No llegó a favorita, pero sí fue una joyita que estoy segura no olvidaré en un buen rato.
January 18, 2018
I read an English translation published by Peter Owen books. I struggle to find a good word to use to describe this book; it is beautifully written with wonderful descriptions of the surroundings but it is sad, astonishing and brutal. The narrator has fled with 3 friends back to the mountains near his home village following a defeat in the Spanish civil war. They have to live in the mountains, constantly on the watch for the Guardia. They get some help from some of the locals but there are reprisals for those who are known to help. This story is based on a real life person that the family and friends of the author told tales of when he was a child. It is a cumulation of those stories and a homage to his hero.
October 23, 2018
Este fue un libro que me mandaron leer el último año de instituto y que me acerco al mundo de los maquis.
La verdad es que fue un libro que me impresionó muchísimo, no sólo por la temática, sino también por como esta escrito, con gran sensibilidad, empatía y realismo. Es fácil identificarte con los sentimientos y sensaciones de los protagonistas, que por otro lado son muy creíbles.
Muy recomendable para estudiantes de Secundaria y personas interesadas en la Historia.
La verdad es que fue un libro que me impresionó muchísimo, no sólo por la temática, sino también por como esta escrito, con gran sensibilidad, empatía y realismo. Es fácil identificarte con los sentimientos y sensaciones de los protagonistas, que por otro lado son muy creíbles.
Muy recomendable para estudiantes de Secundaria y personas interesadas en la Historia.
May 18, 2013
In Luna de Lobos, Julio Llamazares provides an interesting perspective on the lives of soldiers living in the mountains to hide from the Guardia Civil during the Spanish Civil War. He uses a ton of metaphors to show the mens' physical, emotional and psychological decline and compares them to animals, including wolves and snakes. Definitely an interesting read!
March 4, 2019
Es de una fuerza poética increíble, no me lo esperaba para nada. Me ha encantado.
August 1, 2021
J'ai lu ce livre pour les cours. Alors, forcément, je m'attendais à passer un horrible moment. Et pourtant. Luna de Lobos est un livre qui m'a plu. Ce n'est clairement pas le livre de l'année mais j'ai apprécié ma lecture.
J'ai été pas mal touché par l'histoire de ces quatre hommes piégés, dans une bataille perdue d'avance. J'ai aimé l'organisation en plusieurs parties, qui a du sens On prend bien conscience de l'horreur dans laquelle ils vivent, trappés comme des animaux condamnés à devoir vivre cachés, dans la solitude, l'inconfort, la faim, le froid et le désespoir. On les voit peu à peu perdre espoir, et c'est assez dépriment je dois l'avouer. Mais on les voit aussi se révolter et tenter de changer leur situation, sans succès malheureusement.
J'ai absoulment adoré la plume de l'auteur, et si je dois bien reconnaître une chose à ce livre, c'est que son auteur sait écrire. On retrouve une plume poétique, vraiment belle, qui retranscrit à merveille ce que ressent notre personnage principal, toujours très bien tourné et formulé. Certains passage m'ont vraiment marqué, et le talent d'écrivain de l'auteur y est clairement pour quelque chose.
Pour résumer, là ou je m'attendais à détester ce livre, je l'ai plutôt bien aimé, et j'irais même jusqu'à le recommander si vous aimez les récits de guerre et de dictature.
J'ai été pas mal touché par l'histoire de ces quatre hommes piégés, dans une bataille perdue d'avance. J'ai aimé l'organisation en plusieurs parties, qui a du sens On prend bien conscience de l'horreur dans laquelle ils vivent, trappés comme des animaux condamnés à devoir vivre cachés, dans la solitude, l'inconfort, la faim, le froid et le désespoir. On les voit peu à peu perdre espoir, et c'est assez dépriment je dois l'avouer. Mais on les voit aussi se révolter et tenter de changer leur situation, sans succès malheureusement.
J'ai absoulment adoré la plume de l'auteur, et si je dois bien reconnaître une chose à ce livre, c'est que son auteur sait écrire. On retrouve une plume poétique, vraiment belle, qui retranscrit à merveille ce que ressent notre personnage principal, toujours très bien tourné et formulé. Certains passage m'ont vraiment marqué, et le talent d'écrivain de l'auteur y est clairement pour quelque chose.
Pour résumer, là ou je m'attendais à détester ce livre, je l'ai plutôt bien aimé, et j'irais même jusqu'à le recommander si vous aimez les récits de guerre et de dictature.
January 3, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
As a German, I've read and watched my fair share of World War 2 stories, but they tend to focus on Germany, perhaps naturally. One reason is probably the fact that a lot of the smaller works from other countries are not translated to English, and only really well known within their country of origin. Wolf Moon is probably one of those stories, and I am very glad I was able to discover its English translation through NetGalley now, as it's an impressive novel set in World War 2 Spain, a setting I honestly don't know very much about. That also affected my reading experience to some degree, as a lot of the context might be much clearer to a Spanish reader than to me, but I still really enjoyed this story. Obviously, it wasn't a light or happy read, as World War 2 stories never are, but it was very well-written and interesting, and the Spanish setting - and the fact that this was not so much a war story as it was a civil war, guerrillas-in-hiding story - added a uniqueness to it compared to previous WW2 stories I've read that I really liked.
As a German, I've read and watched my fair share of World War 2 stories, but they tend to focus on Germany, perhaps naturally. One reason is probably the fact that a lot of the smaller works from other countries are not translated to English, and only really well known within their country of origin. Wolf Moon is probably one of those stories, and I am very glad I was able to discover its English translation through NetGalley now, as it's an impressive novel set in World War 2 Spain, a setting I honestly don't know very much about. That also affected my reading experience to some degree, as a lot of the context might be much clearer to a Spanish reader than to me, but I still really enjoyed this story. Obviously, it wasn't a light or happy read, as World War 2 stories never are, but it was very well-written and interesting, and the Spanish setting - and the fact that this was not so much a war story as it was a civil war, guerrillas-in-hiding story - added a uniqueness to it compared to previous WW2 stories I've read that I really liked.
December 11, 2024
قمر الذئاب
إبان حكم الديكتاتور فرانكو تفر مجموعة من المقاومين الإسبان إلى الجبال هرباً من الحرس المتربصين بهم لقتلهم .
تروى الرواية على لسان آنخل المعلم الثائر المؤمن بالحرية ومن منظوره نرى كيف تمزق الحروب حياة المرء وروحه وتحرمه من كل جميل في حياته وتدنيها إلى الحضيض.
يعيش آنخل لسنوات مع رفاقه الثوار الشباب مثل الذئاب عبر الجبال والكهوف في عتمة حالكة ورطوبة خانقة لا يخروجون منها إلا لصيد ما يسد جوعهم.. أو علاج أحدهم أو مداهمة للحرس فيفرون لكهف أو مغارة أخرى .. يبقون على حدود الحياة يشاهدون قريتهم وأحباءهم من الأعلى من الجبل عبر المنظار .ويحاولون بكل السبل النجاة أو الفرار أو أقلها البقاء على قيد الحياة ما استطاعوا.
كم كلف آنخل إيمانه بالحرية؟ وثباته على حق الشعب في التحرر من الظلم؟ حياة يلفها الملل والجمود داخل الكهف نهاراً والرعب والخوف ليلاً ..ثم يبدأ يفقد رفاقه تباعاً بصورة أليمة.. يصبح كشبح أو حيوان وحشي يظهر ليلاً في الخفاء ..وحيداً ومرهقاً من الفرار من رصاص الحرس أو انتظار الفرصة المناسبة للفرار والنجاة
وهكذا حتى يصله خبر احتضار أبيه.. ينزل من مخبأه الذي صمد فيه لسنوات كبطل أسطوري... كشبح حقيقي يتجول كذئب... مجازفة أخيرة ��قوده فيها مشاعره الثائرة ..الخوف من الحرس.. الحنين للقرية.. غرابة التواجد بين البشر بعد سنوات.. وصبره النافذ وما تحمله في انتظار الحرية كلها أمور تجبره على تقرير مصيره في نهاية الرواية التي كانت اهدأ مما توقعت ولكن الرواية رائعة بهذا الكم الزاخر من المشاعر والوصف الجميل كثيرة هي روايات الحرب ولكن الأجمل دوماً هي التي تنطلق من دواخل الشخصيات وهذه إحداها.
كل اللذين أحبوا رواية المطر الأصفر أظن أنهم سيحبون هذه الرواية جداً .. كما أن الترجمة رائعة .. الرواية من إصدارات دار كنعان.
إبان حكم الديكتاتور فرانكو تفر مجموعة من المقاومين الإسبان إلى الجبال هرباً من الحرس المتربصين بهم لقتلهم .
تروى الرواية على لسان آنخل المعلم الثائر المؤمن بالحرية ومن منظوره نرى كيف تمزق الحروب حياة المرء وروحه وتحرمه من كل جميل في حياته وتدنيها إلى الحضيض.
يعيش آنخل لسنوات مع رفاقه الثوار الشباب مثل الذئاب عبر الجبال والكهوف في عتمة حالكة ورطوبة خانقة لا يخروجون منها إلا لصيد ما يسد جوعهم.. أو علاج أحدهم أو مداهمة للحرس فيفرون لكهف أو مغارة أخرى .. يبقون على حدود الحياة يشاهدون قريتهم وأحباءهم من الأعلى من الجبل عبر المنظار .ويحاولون بكل السبل النجاة أو الفرار أو أقلها البقاء على قيد الحياة ما استطاعوا.
كم كلف آنخل إيمانه بالحرية؟ وثباته على حق الشعب في التحرر من الظلم؟ حياة يلفها الملل والجمود داخل الكهف نهاراً والرعب والخوف ليلاً ..ثم يبدأ يفقد رفاقه تباعاً بصورة أليمة.. يصبح كشبح أو حيوان وحشي يظهر ليلاً في الخفاء ..وحيداً ومرهقاً من الفرار من رصاص الحرس أو انتظار الفرصة المناسبة للفرار والنجاة
وهكذا حتى يصله خبر احتضار أبيه.. ينزل من مخبأه الذي صمد فيه لسنوات كبطل أسطوري... كشبح حقيقي يتجول كذئب... مجازفة أخيرة ��قوده فيها مشاعره الثائرة ..الخوف من الحرس.. الحنين للقرية.. غرابة التواجد بين البشر بعد سنوات.. وصبره النافذ وما تحمله في انتظار الحرية كلها أمور تجبره على تقرير مصيره في نهاية الرواية التي كانت اهدأ مما توقعت ولكن الرواية رائعة بهذا الكم الزاخر من المشاعر والوصف الجميل كثيرة هي روايات الحرب ولكن الأجمل دوماً هي التي تنطلق من دواخل الشخصيات وهذه إحداها.
كل اللذين أحبوا رواية المطر الأصفر أظن أنهم سيحبون هذه الرواية جداً .. كما أن الترجمة رائعة .. الرواية من إصدارات دار كنعان.
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