2 minute read
The value of memory. From Ventas Prison to Ravënsbruck Camp
BOOK REVIEW
Advertisement
Author: Mercedes Núñez Targa From the reader report by: Lindsey Ford
Núñez Targa is a deeply talented writer, presenting her experiences in a clear-headed and frank manner. This is not to say she lacks emotion in her writing. Her experiences are harrowing and heartwarming in turn, and she has a great skill for drawing the characters of the women she meets. She is excellent at creating tension, even when we know the end result – she won’t be shot at Ventas, or gassed at Leipzig, and the war will end, but nevertheless we are still on the edge of our seats. While the book is unquestionably a difficult read, it is still shot through with optimism, demonstrated through its pervading sense of solidarity and forgiveness. Núñez Targa ultimately seeks to deliver a testimony on behalf of the many people she met in these terrible places, and she certainly does them justice.
… Her focus on solidarity and perseverance in the face of hardships makes this a book with fairly universal appeal… To have survived both life in a Spanish Civil War prison and a Nazi concentration camp is an extraordinary experience, and Núñez Targa’s story should definitely be known by more people.
PUBLISHED IN NEW SPANISH BOOKS US | UK
RENACIMIENTO LIBRERIA Y EDITORIAL
Title
THE VALUE OF MEMORY. FROM VENTAS PRISON TO RAVËNSBRUCK CAMP EL VALOR DE LA MEMORIA. DE LA CÁRCEL DE VENTAS AL CAMPO DE RAVËNSBRUCK
Author Mercedes Núñez Targa Genre Literature Pages 336
ISBN 978-84-16685-89-9 Year of publication 2016 Number of editions 1 Language Spanish Spanish retail price 20.00 €
Author’s biography: Mercedes Núñez Targa (Barcelona, 1911-Vigo, 1986), was the secretary of the poet Pablo Neruda during the Spanish Republic when he was the Chilean consul in Barcelona. She fought in the Civil War with the Catalan socialists and in 1940 was sentenced to twelve years in Ventas Prison. But she was freed the same year after a bureaucratic error and escaped to France where she continued in the anti-fascist movement. In 1944 she was arrested by the Nazis and sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp, where she survived several months of horror before being freed a few days before she was due to be executed. Synopsis: From Franco’s prisons to Nazi extermination camps, Mercedes Núñez Targa, a twentiethcentury woman of conviction, (Barcelona 1911-Vigo 1986), tells her incredible odyssey. The story is told in the first person with sincerity and talent, mixing autobiography with sociological analysis, and her testimony is made especially interesting by the female perspective of the narrative. On 14th April 1931 Mercedes welcomed in the proclamation of the Second Republic. In 1934 she became Pablo Neruda’s secretary when he was the Chilean consul in Barcelona. On 18th June 1936 Franco’s military coup took place. But Mercedes would pay for her commitment to the values of the Republic with her freedom.
Publisher: Editorial Renacimiento Independent publishing house founded on the conviction that all great stories are classic and modern, regardless of their origins. Our catalogue aims to represent a transversal reflection of authors and genres that helps us to understand our times.
Publishing rights available from: Libreria y Editorial Renacimiento, S.A. - CIF A41963505 Buganvilla, 1. Pol. Navexpo, Valencina de la Concepción, Sevilla www.editorialrenacimiento.com Contact: Abelardo Linares [editorial@editorialrenacimiento.com] Phone: (+34) 955 998 232
Reviews and prizes: www. elpais.com/elpais/2019/05/01/opinion/1556734423_112738 www.angelvinas.es/?p=1711 | www. elpais.com/elpais/2017/03/22/fotorrelato/1490205819_120281. html#1490205819_120281_149020
