Javier Cercas will read from his latest works and discuss the state of contemporary Spanish literature at the Library of Congress.

Javier Cercas is a celebrated Spanish novelist, short-story writer, and essayist. His best-known work, Soldados de Salamina (2001), has sold more than 500,000 copies in Spain, has been published in more than 20 languages, and was made into a feature film. His latest novel, Anatomía de un instante (The Anatomy of a Moment), is a chilling reconstruction of the attempted coup in the Spanish Parliament on 23 February 1981, when army insurgents sought to bring fascism back to democratic Spain.

For this event, Javier Cercas will discuss various themes that arise in his work: the influence of the past on the present and the reflection the past casts in literature. For the writer, the past is a dimension of the present. Cercas will explore Spain's relationship with its recent past (the transition to democracy after Franco's dictatorship) and reflect on the reasons for the success of Soldados de Salamina and the influence it has had on his career path.

In conversation with translator Anne Mclean. Free and open to the public. Book sales and a signing will follow.

Venue

Venue

Thomas Jefferson Building, Room LJ-119, Library of Congress, 10 First Street, SE, Washington, D.C. 20540

Phone

202-707-5000

More information

Venue's website

Credits