Writer Manuel Loureiro (Pontevedra, 1975), one of those Spanish authors who stand out even in the United States, publishes bone thief (“Planet”), a detective story, lies and Russian spies set on, among other things, the Camino de Santiago. The publishing commitments are astounding: it comes out with a circulation of 50,000 copies. “I’m happy because it’s coming out with a lot of power, but I’m really nervous because I still have the same feelings as a rookie. This is still important and excites me,” Loureiro told Libertad Digital.
AT bone thiefthe author again boasts of the land and colors the plot with Galician folklore: “I used Galicia because I know it firsthand, it is the place where I was born and where I live, but it is also the ideal territory to tell stories of intrigue and expectation because of the climate, landscape and environment. There is also a personal matter: I really like being home when I go to Spain I love to brag about Galicia and when I go abroad I like to brag about Spain.. We have to let go of a lot of delusions and insecurities and know that we can tell stories that will resonate everywhere and take place here. It can be amazing.”
The protagonist of this new story, Laura, arrives in Galicia, having completely lost her memory after an attack on a temple in Guadeloupe. During a romantic dinner, her boyfriend inexplicably disappears without a trace. A call on a young woman’s mobile informs her that if she wants to see her partner alive again, she will have to take on a mission that seems completely impossible: steal the relics of the apostle in the cathedral of Santiago.
“I lived in Santiago for many years. When it was winter and it was raining, I crossed the cathedral so as not to get wet, I used it as a shortcut. Sometimes, very early, I was alone, no one saw me, and I fantasized about what I would take with me. Obviously I never took anything, but years later, with theft of the Codex Calixtinus, all this surfaced and the genesis of this novel arose. I started planning the perfect heist of the Apostle’s relics and added a story about spies, transformations in transit, lies, deceit and riddles,” the author sums up, excitedly recounting that he was allowed to “roam the corridors.” and staircases closed to the public” for documentation.
Loureiro is included in fascinating world of relics, but let the reader decide whether or not to believe in its authenticity. “What matters is what they symbolize. In the Middle Ages, it was important whether they were genuine or not, today these disputes are not important. They are strong as a symbol of faith for millions of people. These symbols are part of our collective identity. culture, influences us and fascinates us, because it is a way to keep in touch with our past. For those who believe in them, it is also a material part that allows you to connect with something that is the axis of faith.”
Russian spies on the road
Loureiro gave the novel an “international dimension” and included Russian spies in its plot. “I came across ‘red band’, a spy network set up by Stalin in the 1950s in Western Europe. It was so sophisticated that it took the Western powers years to implement it. It developed and still exists, now it works not for the USSR, but for Russia. fake newspropaganda, killing dissidents with polonium…obey this network. They exist because Russia has historically been very paranoid about everything outside its borders, and this forces them to act in response. This is what makes the main characters of the novel do what they do. There is some documentation in the story about how the future spy training centers and sleeper cells operated.
Unlike his previous seven novels, bone thief does not contain any fantastic or supernatural elements. “It is very important to tell new stories and not remain petrified,” the Galician author admits. “It should be a logical evolution of storytelling that allows you to grow as a writer and allows readers to grow with you. Thriller is the type of literature that I have always loved and that allows me to grow.”
His first novel Apocalypse Z. Beginning of the End, started as a blog and turned into a bestselling novel. Other names bright light, Twenty or Doorwith over 100,000 readers.
Manuel Loureiro. bone thief. Editing Planet. 514 pages. 18.85 euros.