The twenty days of Turin

It narrates the investigation undertaken by an anonymous protagonist to clarify what happened ten years ago in Turin. And from July 2 to 22, known as “twenty days,” there was an epidemic of insomnia that drove people to wander absentmindedly through streets and squares, bloody massacres occurred, chilling noises were heard, the air smelled of vinegar. , etc…

The protagonist soon understands that his undertaking will be very difficult. Apparently, the witnesses of the “twenty days” do not want to talk about it, or they did not retain much; The authorities, for their part, are determined to hide information and bury what happened; and shadowy antagonists harass and threaten those who pursue the truth.

So, in The twenty days of Turin There are dark forces of unknown magnitudes, conspiracies and a lot of paranoia (both individual and collective). There are also very interesting Kafkaesque aromas (the basement guards, the climax) and Borgesian aromas (the library that compiled diaries with intimate confessions of Turinese people).

I admit, of course, that not all of his enigmas present the same level of sophistication. Some, furthermore, seem necessarily interconnected or deceitful in their approach. Be that as it may, it correctly balances giving explanations to the reader without being obvious or sacrificing part of the mystery. The proof is the cryptic dialogue between the narrator and the lawyer Segre towards the end of the story.

Summing up: The twenty days of Turin It is a gem as brief as it is intense. Although inferior to similar proposals, it will surely seduce you if, like me, you like horror literature seasoned with inexplicable mysteries, strange elements and a lot of subtlety.

Hermida’s edition is the first to be made of the work in Spanish. It has a cover illustration (I think the same as the 1977 Italian publication) that is extremely pertinent, not only because of how ominous and disturbing it is.

Ah, Oscar Mariscal’s translation does justice to the original text, although for my taste it abuses the word “verbigracia” too much, which seems forced even for the cultured and solemn register that the novel opts for.