Description
The Star of Fortune (includes Parallel Lives)
Book Summary
Carlos Pérez Merinero weaves a story about the decline of a Franco-era actor, Miguel Casares, who attends a retrospective of his work at the San Sebastián Film Festival. Amidst lonely walks and the weariness of a life he considers finished, he witnesses a crime that becomes the axis for a deep reflection on cinema, image, chance, and self-destruction. This edition also includes the screenplay Parallel Lives, written by the author and intended to be directed by and star Fernando Fernán Gómez.
What is it about?
The novel follows Miguel Casares, a retired actor who was highly acclaimed during the Franco regime. Without enthusiasm, he attends the San Sebastián Film Festival for a retrospective of his work. Alone and defeated, his walks through the city lead him to witness a crime. From that event, the narrator builds a diagnosis of the film industry, the heaviness of existence, the fetishism of the image, and the determining role of chance in life. The work is complemented by Parallel Lives, a screenplay that only administrative tangles prevented from becoming a film, and which delves into the same themes through the language of cinema.
Main Themes
- The decline of a Franco-era actor and the historical memory of Spanish cinema.
- Self-destruction and homicide as the inseparable flip side of suicide.
- The fetishism of the image and the construction of identity through the screen.
- Chance as a determining force in individual destinies.
- Critique of the film industry and its administrative and creative dynamics.
Who is it recommended for?
For readers interested in contemporary Spanish narrative with historical and cinematic backgrounds. Especially suitable for those who appreciate stories that explore the psychology of characters in decline, social criticism, and the relationship between cinema, image, and reality. Also for followers of the work of Carlos Pérez Merinero and Fernando Fernán Gómez.
What this book offers
- A lucid and critical vision of Spanish cinema during and after the Franco regime.
- A reflection on self-destruction, chance, and the construction of identity through the image.
- The added value of including the screenplay Parallel Lives, an unpublished film project.
- A third-person narrative that combines the thriller with social and existential analysis.
Technical Data
- Author: Pérez Merinero, Carlos
- Publisher: Mandala Ediciones
- Language: Spanish
- Topic: Film, television and radio, screenplays, modern and contemporary fiction
- Collection: Narrativa Mandala
- Binding: Paperback
- Number of pages: 150
- Weight: 168 g
Editorial Assessment
A work that combines fictional narrative with critical analysis of film and Spanish society. The inclusion of the Parallel Lives screenplay provides significant documentary and artistic value, allowing the reader to discover a frustrated film project. Recommended for those looking for a read that transcends mere entertainment and delves into memory, image, and chance as the drivers of existence.