Just Finished Reading: An Englishman in Madrid by Eduardo Mendoza (FP: 2010) [380pp] 

Madrid, 1936. It was an opportunity he could hardly refuse. Art expert Anthony Whitelands has been commissioned to appraise a selection of paintings to assess their origin and their value for a high-ranking Spanish family. With the political clouds darkening in that country, it might be the last time for several years (at least) that such a visit to his favourite European city is possible. Of course he accepts. What he doesn’t expect is that his visit is a ruse. There are no paintings, there is just one. One work that will change his career path, one work that will make his name, one work that would be a global sensation. If he can prove it is in fact as advertised, he would be the toast of the artistic world. But the word IF is a very important one. IF it is indeed by the great Spanish artist Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez its owners are sitting on an unimaginable fortune. The secret is, however, already being rumoured. The idea that the painting will be used to create a safe haven for the family outside Spain might be a lie. Will it be used to buy arms for the expected Civil War and will the authorities try to stop the sale? Will the Falangists, so desperate for weapons, intervene? Will the Socialists, or their Soviet handlers, prevent the painting leaving the country, or even worse destroy it? At the centre of everything is an Englishman. An innocent abroad – but innocent for how long? 

As usual with such things I picked this up a few years ago because “it looked interesting and different”. I had no idea, despite it winning the Planeta Prize, that it would be SO good. The blurb on the back, which I honestly usually just skim, called it a ‘perfectly balanced blend of PG Wodehouse (who I’ve never read), Evelyn Waugh (who I’ve only seen adaptations of) and Graham Greene (who I’ve never read a bad book by). It did have a Greene feel to it – so I guess the others must apply too! I wasn’t, at first, sure what to make of it. It was clear from the start that it was (very) well written which definitely helped. The description of mid 30’s Madrid and the Spanish culture of that time was super immersive. I’ve read a little about the Civil War and the circumstances around that conflict (MUCH more later) so I was aware of some of that but this really put you THERE, on the street, in the meetings, in the private smoke filled rooms and made you understand what was what – without the feeling that any great mental effort was involved. It had a quite wonderful FEEL to it that’s (obviously) difficult to describe. 

Then, as always for me, was the characterisation. Anthony Whitehead is a GREAT character. Full of passion for Velazquez and for Spain itself his rather blinkered approach gets him into trouble after trouble, but his mastery of the language and his personality make it difficult for anyone to actively dislike him. Even those who have been tasked to kill him apologise for the event and seem genuinely sad to do so! He becomes involved with teenage prostitutes (complete with babe in arms), high class ladies, aristocrats, both fascist and socialist activists, the Spanish secret police and the British secret service and even the Prime Minister of Spain itself. One of the funniest recurring jokes (there are MANY funny moments in this often-serious book) was the comments from the exasperated staff at the Englishman's hotel who have to deal with a seemingly constant stream of visitors – the police, radicals, prostitutes, spies - looking for him or leaving cryptic messages on his return. It did indeed often read like a classic farce which caused much chuckling and not a few laugh-out-loud moments.  

Needless to say, as you’ve probably picked up on by now, I absolutely LOVED this book. It is, not to put too fine a point on it, totally brilliant and is definitely one of the top ten novels of the year for me. Yet again a translated book knocks it out of the park. If you have any interest in Spanish history (especially around the Civil War period), Spanish culture (especially art and most especially Velazquez) or Spanish politics in the 1930’s, or just a VERY good read indeed that will leave you with a desire to visit that city in reality then this is definitely the book for you. A total and absolute delight and, therefore, very highly recommended. I’ll most assuredly be seeking out more by this author.  

Translated from the Spanish by Nick Caistor.