Let’s start at the end, although the quality of each and every one of these books could well claim first place; we’ll do it just as the great Angel Nieto used to do it.

Un amor, by Alejandro Palomas (Ediciones Destino). I must confess I have a special fondness for this Barcelonese writer with his short, catchy titles. In Un amor, Alejandro Palomas exudes that love in everything, through every pore of his skin. But there is also wit. Witty writing is massively undervalued in our country, in contrast to the Brits. We should perhaps take a leaf out of their book! For now, let’s take some inspiration from the sensibility and calm that pours from the pen of this, the most British of our writers—if Alvaro Pombo will permit us, of course.

Espartero, by Adrian Shubert (Galaxia Gutenberg). According to the Canadian historian, the figure of Espartero has been erased from Spain’s official history. And he’s quite right. It took a foreign Hispanist to write such a magnum opus. Adrian Shubert has rifled through the general’s personal correspondence, studied his biography, both military and political, and has given us a sublime portrait of said general, known for the qualities of his steed and the little ditty they used to sing about him in the 19th century: “you’re handsome and wealthy, what more do you want, Baldomero?” What he wanted was a biography like the one Shubert has given us.

Amores, by Leonor de Redondo (Editorial Minuscula). Leonor de Redondo, a Frenchwoman of Basque descent, splits her time between music and writing, between the violin and her computer keyboard, and she succeeds in both with admirable aplomb. In Amores, she tells the story of two women with a shared desire to be mothers. They both have different ideas of feminism, but one thing unites them. She paints an intimate picture of life in the early 20th century, its hardships, its dreams, and its different kinds of love. A delight to be savored in small bites with Baroque music playing in the background.

Read the whole list here: TodoLiteratura