Diego del Alcázar, president of the Instituto de Empresa, will publish his second fiction work, La idea de volver, with the editorial house Siruela, according to coverage from villaviciosadigital.es and Amazon.es. The novel explores the search for identity, roots, and the limits of human knowledge by contrasting rural Cantabrian tradition with the fast-paced environment of metropolitan cities like New York.
Plot, Setting, and Dual Narrative Voices
The narrative weaves together two distinct trajectories: Fausto, an elderly mountaineer in a fictional village named Suso in Cabuérniga, who confronts the loss of his wife and the ghosts of his past through ancestral wisdom, and Adrián, an academic who returns from living in New York to introduce his partner to his family, according to the primary source. Originally titled Tío Fausto, the book underwent structural changes in its beginning, middle, and end during the writing process. Del Alcázar states that his connection to Cantabria stems from forty years of summering in Comillas and walking through local forests, while his time in New York was informed by opening a university campus there three years ago.
Did You Know?
Diego del Alcázar’s fourth apellido is Cabeza de Vaca, which inspired the academic protagonist Adrián Miller to investigate the historical journeys of the 16th-century conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, though no empirical genealogical link connects the author to the historical figure.
Literary Inspirations and Cultural Themes
To capture the authentic voice of his characters, the author drew inspiration from regional literature after meeting writer Marcos Pereda at a book fair and reading Cantabria. Tierra de Leyendas, which helped him shape the vocabulary used by Fausto. According to the author, the novel also incorporates echoes of Miguel Delibes’ El camino, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun, Goethe and Thomas Mann’s versions of Fausto, Ortega y Gasset’s La rebelión de las masas, the diaries of Cabeza de Vaca, Simone Weil, and the Odyssey. Cultural critics have also praised the work; writer Antonio Lucas notes in villaviciosadigital.es that the novel pushes readers to seek the essence of human identity, while Alfonso J. Ussía describes the book on Amazon.es as an unusual blend of realism and magic.
Expert Insight:
By setting personal trauma and modern distractions like artificial intelligence against ancient cave paintings and mythical entities like the ojáncanu, del Alcázar uses fiction to question how modern society processes reality and grief.
Technology, Tradition, and Future Implications
The novel touches on modern challenges such as artificial intelligence and digital avatars, which the author views as tools that must be approached with personal self-awareness rather than outright rejection. Del Alcázar notes that while AI can serve as a mirror for human trauma or help structure thoughts, true wisdom requires a humanistic foundation rooted in literature, philosophy, and art rather than mere access to data.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will La idea de volver be available in bookstores?
According to villaviciosadigital.es, the novel is scheduled to arrive in Spanish bookstores on September 2.
What is the connection between the novel and historical figures?
The protagonist Adrián Miller investigates the historical figure Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, reflecting a personal and aspirational connection shared with the author, whose fourth apellido is also Cabeza de Vaca, though no empirical genealogical tree links them, as explained in the primary source.
Who publishes Diego del Alcázar’s second work of fiction?
The book is published by the editorial house Siruela, following the author’s literary debut with Planeta.
How do you balance the rapid pace of modern technology with a connection to your own roots and local traditions?
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