Against the Inquisition

by Marcos Aguinis, Carolina De Robertis (Translator)

Overview

“[A] stirring song of freedom.” —Nobel Prize laureate Mario Vargas Llosa

From a renowned prize-winning Argentinian author comes a historical novel based on the true story of one man’s faith, spirit, and resistance during the Spanish Inquisition in Latin America.

Born in sixteenth-century Argentina, Francisco Maldonado da Silva is nine years old when he sees his father, Don Diego, arrested one harrowing afternoon because of his beliefs. Raised in a family practicing its Jewish faith in secret under the condemning eyes of the Spanish Inquisition, Francisco embarks on a personal quest that will challenge, enlighten, and forever change him.

He completes his education in a monastery; he reads the Bible; he dreams of reparation; he dedicates his life to science, developing a humanistic approach and becoming one of the first accredited medical doctors in Latin America; and most of all, he longs to reconnect with his father in Lima, Perú, the City of Kings.

So begins Francisco’s epic journey to fight for his true faith, to embrace his past, and to draw from his father’s indomitable strength in the face of unimaginable persecution. But the arm of the Holy Inquisition is an intractable one. As it reaches for Francisco, he sheds his mask to defend his freedom. Against seemingly insurmountable odds, he will prove that while the body can be broken, the spirit fights back, endures, and survives.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781503949263
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	07/01/2018
Edition description:	Translatio
Pages:	636
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.90(d)

About the Author

Marcos Aguinis is a prize-winning, internationally bestselling author. Born the son of European Jewish immigrants in Argentina in 1935, Aguinis learned at age seven that his grandfather and the rest of his family in Europe had been killed by the Nazis. Describing this as the defining moment of his life, Aguinis says it is what drove him to write, in an effort to repair the “broken mechanism of humanity.” He published his first book in 1963 and since then has published thirteen novels, fourteen essay collections, four short-story collections, and two biographies covering historical, political, and artistic themes. Aguinis was the first author outside of Spain to win the prestigious Planeta Prize for his book The Inverted Cross, and his novel Against the Inquisition was praised by Nobel Prize laureate Mario Vargas Llosa as a “stirring song of freedom.” When democracy was reinstated in Argentina in 1983, Aguinis became secretary of culture, for his brave fight against dictatorship and the defense of human rights, and sponsored the renowned “cultural renaissance.” For more information, visit www.aguinis.net.

About the Translator

Carolina De Robertis is a writer, professor, and literary translator of Uruguayan origins. She is the author of the novels The Gods of Tango and Perla, as well as the international bestseller The Invisible Mountain, and is also the editor of the anthology Radical Hope: Letters of Love and Dissent in Dangerous Times. Her own books have been translated into seventeen languages. Her award-winning translations from the Spanish include Alejandro Zambra’s Bonsai, Roberto Ampuero’s The Neruda Case, and writings by Raquel Lubartowski, Rodrigo Hasbún, and Pedro Almodóvar, among others. She is the recipient of Italy’s Rhegium Julii Prize, a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Stonewall Book Award, and numerous other honors. In 2017, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts named De Robertis to its 100 List of writers and thinkers who are “shaping the future of culture.” She teaches fiction and literary translation at San Francisco State University.

Table of Contents

Book 1 Genesis Embers of Childhood 1

Prologue 3

Book 2 Exodus the Journey of Bewilderment 153

Book 3 Leviticus the City of Kings 253

Book 4 Numbers Chile, Brief Arcadia 379

Book 5 Deuteronomy Depths and Heights 495

Epilogue 616

Acknowledgments 619

About the Author 621

About the Translator 623

Editorial Reviews

Veteran Argentine author Aguinis, the first non-Spaniard to win the coveted Planeta Prize, writes the book of a lifetime, a big, booming, open-hearted saga on a deadly serious topic—the Spanish Inquisition in Latin America…Both strong historical chronicle and spirited defense of the right to believe, presented in straightforward language appropriate for the widest range of readers.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“These issues, of religious persecution and forced suppression of cultural identity, are as relevant in parts of the world today as they were in da Silva’s time, and for that reason, along with the inherently interesting story of Francisco’s life, this book is worth reading.” —Beyond the Lamp Post

“Against the Inquisition is both a personal reflection and a universal indictment of intolerance masquerading as the quest for purity of faith…told with sensitivity and understanding…willing to delve into the ugliness of the past to illuminate the human spirit that, in the end, transcends.” —Historical Novel Review

“An utterly engrossing story that will enrich…understanding of the past while inspiring reflection on the present…” —Moment Magazine

From the Publisher

★ 06/01/2018
Veteran Argentine author Aguinas, the first non-Spaniard to win the coveted Planeta Prize, writes the book of a lifetime, a big, booming, open-hearted saga on a deadly serious topic—the Spanish Inquisition in Latin America—inspired by his having learned at age seven that his grandfather and remaining family members perished in the Holocaust. Many readers will be surprised to discover how fiercely the Inquisition burned in the New World, but Francisco Maldonado da Silva certainly understood. Born in what is now Argentina in 1592, da Silva, a real-life figure graciously portrayed here, was a child when his father was arrested for secretly maintaining the family's Jewish religion. Francisco was educated at a monastery, became a respected doctor, yet continued seeking his father and his ancient faith, eventually ending up imprisoned for 12 years before being burned at the stake. VERDICT Both strong historical chronicle and spirited defense of the right to believe, presented in straightforward language appropriate for the widest range of readers.

Library Journal