Description
The Dark City
Book Summary
A theatrical work that explores the shadows of Spain's recent history through a plot of suspense and mystery. The suicide of a jockey acts as a trigger for a writer in crisis, a police inspector, and a young woman searching for her origins to confront the ghosts of the past and present. The Dark City is a literary exorcism that uses theater to confront a nation's open wounds, combining horse racing, political conspiracies, and parapsychology.
What is it about?
The play begins with the suicide of a jockey, an event that reopens old collective wounds. From this event, three characters become narrators of a story that investigates Spain's past and future. A down-on-his-luck writer, a police inspector, and a young woman searching for her origins weave a plot where reality mixes with the paranormal. The piece suggests that the country's history can be understood as a horror story, a haunted house populated by political specters and emotional chains. In this city darkened by manipulation and fear, horse racing, fascist conspiracies, and parapsychology intertwine with literature, presented as the only possible exorcism to face the ghosts that inhabit us.
Main Themes
- Historical memory and the unresolved wounds of the Spanish Transition.
- Political manipulation and conspiracies as mechanisms of social control.
- Literature and theater as tools for exorcism and confrontation with the past.
- The search for identity and origins in a context of uncertainty.
- The presence of the paranormal as a metaphor for collective traumas.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at readers and viewers interested in contemporary Spanish theater that addresses political and social issues. It is also recommended for those seeking works that blend realism with elements of suspense and psychological horror, as well as for students and professionals of the performing arts who wish to explore new dramaturgy regarding national identity.
What this book offers
- An original and critical perspective on Spain's recent history through a suspense plot.
- A reflection on the power of artistic creation as a tool for facing collective traumas.
- A choral narrative structure that intertwines the voices of three characters in search of answers.
- A brief and intense work, ideal for study, performance, or reading in a single sitting.
Technical Sheet
- Author: Rojano, Antonio
- Publisher: National Institute of Performing Arts and Music
- Language: Spanish
- Subject: PLAYS, THEATRICAL TEXTS
- Collection: THEATRICAL WORKS
- Binding: Other
- Publication Date: January 2015
- Number of pages: 42
- Weight: 200 g
Editorial Review
This is a compact theatrical proposal of great symbolic density, which uses the horror genre as a vehicle for political and emotional reflection. The play stands out for its ability to condense into a few pages a critique of historical manipulation and the ghosts that still persist in Spanish society. Its choral structure and oppressive atmosphere make it an attractive text both for individual reading and for staging, especially for audiences interested in engaged, auteur theater.