THE MAN WHO KILLED DURRUTI
Sinopsis
A former policeman, now a Major in the Spanish Republican Army, is sent to Madrid to investigate the circumstances in which the legendary anarchist was killed. In his search for the truth he interviews the key witnesses and uncovers a number of contradictory accounts. Nobody tells the same story in quite the same way, but as an experienced police officer he knows it is not inconceivable that they are all telling the truth. But it is also possible that some of them are lying, that some are trying to hide what they know, and, more sinisterly, that some may be seeking to sabotage his investigation for darker political ends.
Making imaginative and ingenious use of the detective novel as a literary device, Pedro de Paz explores various hypotheses and scenarios that could at last provide us, seventy years on, with believable explanations about the chain of events leading to the death of a truly remarkable man.
Writer note
At the end of November of 2004, six months after The man who killed Durruti was published in Spanish, somebody who called himself Stuart Christie contacted with me to tell me he had heard about my novel. He said he was interested in obtaining a copy and asked where could he acquire it in England. I had heard speak of Stuart Christie, historical anarchist of half-full of the sixties, and the fact that he had known of the existence my novel and came to me interested in it was at least surprising to me. Initially, I thought they were playing a joke on me, a peculiar one nevertheless. Although Stuart, in his note, gave a series of references that induced me to think that he really was whom claimed to be. I told him that it would be hard to find a unit in England but that I would be glad to send him one. For me, it was an honour and a complete satisfaction the fact that somebody like Stuart Christie was interested in my book. That day, my ego raised several levels. But biggest surprise was about to arrive. Accidentally - or not -, Stuart Christie is owner of an editorial, ChristieBooks. The following message that I received from him was to communicate his desire to publish the novel in English. I suppose that you can imagine my stupor at that time. I will also suppose that you can imagine what was my answer.
Throughout the successive months I did not have too many news of Stuart. We got in touch sometimes and, very courteously with my showing impatience, he indicated to me that I should not worry, that everything getting along. In some occasion I even got to think that the project had been dropped or that it had been postponed indefinitely. It went on like this until the summer of 2005. A hot day of September, Stuart sent by e-mail the draft of the book cover and that day I had the certainty that everything was going to end up well. And indeed it has been. The result of that eventful journey is the one that you can see. I hope you enjoy it.
Some people say...
- "...If you want to explore all the possibilities and like to mix fact and fiction, 'The Man Who Killed Durruti' makes interesting reading. Whether you believe the ending or not, is a matter you'll only find out if you get a hold of the book..." (Anarchist Age Weekly Review, number 671 - December 2005)
- "...it's an intriguing and well-crafted detective story that stands on its own..." (Larry Talbot, Fifth Estate Magazine - Issue 372 - Spring 2006)
Press
Book data
ChristieBooks/Read and Noir, 2005. Illustrated by Richard Warren & Linda Samson. Translated by Paul Sharkey. 144 pages. ISBN: 1-873976-26-7. Price: £7.99
