Author: José María García López
- Fiction
- Nocturna Ediciones SL
- ISBN: 9788493975074
- Release Date: 01-20-2014
-Reviewed by: Patricia Figueroa
In order to avoid the seemingly disastrous consequences of declining an imminent marriage proposal from her aging uncle Philip II, King of Spain, Portugal and Naples and Lord of the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands, Margarita, Archduchess of Austria, and her mother, Maria of Austria, wife of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia and Hungary, find refuge as cloistered nuns in the Monastery of Santa Clara de las Descalzas Reales in Madrid. Margarita, elderly and nearly blind, recounts the life of Tomás Luis de Victoria, alias El Abulense, a singer, organist, priest, but most importantly, a famous contemporary Castilian composer, considered one of the most important musical figures of the Counter-Reformation period.
While Margarita joins a closed convent in her adolescence, she, by no means, leads the life of an average cloistered nun. Margarita and her mother Maria have lavish chambers and access to information from the outside. They take no vows, may leave the convent at will and welcome external visitors who keep them abreast of current events and the horrors perpetrated by their influential family.
Margarita is a music enthusiast and becomes a great admirer of Victoria’s work, with whom he develops a friendship. The story sprouts from Margarita’s imaginative mind through Victoria’s music. She composes scenes based on reality and inspiration, providing the reader glimpses of Victoria’s life while channeling and interpreting his music. Margarita also provides insight into major historical events that transpire during her lifetime such as the naval battles of Lepanto and St. Bartholomew's Day massacre. She describes the imperial cities of Vienna, Prague and Budapest as well as the exploits of her brother Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor, known for his affinity to alchemy and the occult; the misery and inbreeding that went on in the House of Habsburg; the legends of Golem of Prague and Elizabeth Báthory, the Blood Countess of Csejte, known as the most prolific female serial killer in history; the art of Giuseppe Arcimboldo, who portrayed heads with ingenious compositions made of fruits, vegetables, flowers and books; and the writing of Miguel Cervantes.
Paradoxically, all these violent and often irrational stories are illustrated with Victoria’s peaceful and conciliatory music in the background.
José María García López combines a fluid narrative style with a modern adaptation of 16th Century diction delivered by a highly educated female aristocrat. Margarita expresses herself in a courteous and eloquent manner without the perceived verbosity of the period. Her thoughts are impeccably articulated and measured.
