In February 1981, as Spain emerged from Franco's dictatorship and prepared for its first democratic vote for a new prime minister, Colonel Tejero and a band of right-wing soldiers burst into parliament and began firing shots. Only three men refused to take cover: Adolfo Suárez, the outgoing prime minister who had guided Spain out of authoritarianism; General Gutiérrez Mellado, a conservative general loyal to democracy; and Santiago Carrillo, the head of the Communist Party, which had just been legalized. In Anatomy of a Moment, Javier Cercas turns this extraordinary real event - the only coup ever captured live on film - into a groundbreaking documentary novel on a defining moment in Spanish collective memory. Combining the facts of history with the novelist's flair, this landmark work by one of Europe's most celebrated writers deconstructs the tense hours when democracy hung in the balance.
| ISBN: | 9781804272534 |
| Publication date: | 27th August 2026 |
| Author: | Javier Cercas |
| Publisher: | Fitzcarraldo Editions |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 512 pages |
| Genres: |
True stories: general Fiction in translation European history |
In February 1981, as Spain emerged from Franco's dictatorship and prepared for its first democratic vote for a new prime minister, Colonel Tejero and a band of right-wing soldiers burst into parliament and began firing shots. Only three men refused to take cover: Adolfo Suárez, the outgoing prime minister who had guided Spain out of authoritarianism; General Gutiérrez Mellado, a conservative general loyal to democracy; and Santiago Carrillo, the head of the Communist Party, which had just been legalized. In Anatomy of a Moment, Javier Cercas turns this extraordinary real event - the only coup ever captured live on film - into a groundbreaking documentary novel on a defining moment in Spanish collective memory. Combining the facts of history with the novelist's flair, this landmark work by one of Europe's most celebrated writers deconstructs the tense hours when democracy hung in the balance.
Anatomy of a Moment features in the following genres: True stories: general, Fiction in translation, European history
Anatomy of a Moment is available in Paperback
Anatomy of a Moment was written by Javier Cercas and published by Fitzcarraldo Editions
Anatomy of a Moment has 512 pages
£15.29