As I left the Prado Museum one day in Madrid, I sat outside with the other "Madrilenos" enjoying the beauty of the day and trying to find a respite from a relentless sun.
My attention turned to a solitary guitar player, his strumming was lovely and melodic, and the notes that he spun seemed to cast a spell over all of us in the square.
Then suddenly, two members of the Civil Guard showed up, and with a few condescending gestures swept the man away and told him to leave the premises. As I watched this, I felt a sudden chill grow inside me, and noted the irony of this event within the context of my novel.
Federico Garcia Lorca hated the "Guardia Civil". His poetry spoke of their black souls and malice as they efficiently and meticulously carried out the will of the government. They were the cudgels and the anvils of the state, the "jackboots" against those of the left or those who were disenfranchised within the state.
He particularly denounced their campaign of terror towards the gypsy population, whom the poet idealized, as he felt their flamenco and their singing represented the "duende", or the soul of Andalusia itself.
And it was this event, as fleeting as it was, that caused me to put my focus on them too.
My attention turned to a solitary guitar player, his strumming was lovely and melodic, and the notes that he spun seemed to cast a spell over all of us in the square.
Then suddenly, two members of the Civil Guard showed up, and with a few condescending gestures swept the man away and told him to leave the premises. As I watched this, I felt a sudden chill grow inside me, and noted the irony of this event within the context of my novel.
Federico Garcia Lorca hated the "Guardia Civil". His poetry spoke of their black souls and malice as they efficiently and meticulously carried out the will of the government. They were the cudgels and the anvils of the state, the "jackboots" against those of the left or those who were disenfranchised within the state.
He particularly denounced their campaign of terror towards the gypsy population, whom the poet idealized, as he felt their flamenco and their singing represented the "duende", or the soul of Andalusia itself.
And it was this event, as fleeting as it was, that caused me to put my focus on them too.