Review of the book “The ailantos and the sacred mastic”, by Franz Xaver Canela
How beautiful I find those blurred boundaries between reality and fiction. How beautiful are the stories that invite you to dream, to travel, to cross those limits and discover new realities. How wonderful that there are books like The ailanthus and the sacred mastic to escape and immerse ourselves in a dream. How brave this bet by the publisher Books and Literature that you cannot miss, readers.
In the pages of this novel, Franz Let me take you into the plot.
The famous baron and former model Narziss von Maazel receives a visit from a group of American journalists at his home in Capri. After a life full of passions and multiple adventures, the time has come to tell his story. The report must be perfect, because the life of the interviewee deserves no less. Soon, journalists will discover that Narziss’s story moves within those blurred boundaries. And, a legend that occurred on the island of Capri more than two thousand years ago about the emperor’s favorite ephebe and the sacred mastic is intertwined with the true story of Narziss. Or is it perhaps the other way around?
In this way, while we discover the life of the baron, we learn at the same time the story of Paulus and Flor, who are united by the seed of that “tree of heaven” or “tree of the gods” and a unique mission that surpasses any reality and that extends, in perfect synchrony, in a stable rhythm of seventy beats per minute, through time. A legend as old as its protagonists, who are continually reborn and rediscovered, who, with their special powers, travel the world depositing their seeds from the sacred ailanthus lineage to form a new empire:
“The ailantos will lead the way. Where these trees of the gods survive, there will also be new human life that our descendants will constantly chisel. The ailanthus seed spreads everywhere and is unstoppable. Nothing can stop the ailantos and their lineage. From the entire Mediterranean, the precious flying seeds of the ailanthus come out to the north and south, and to the west and east, to shape a new humanity.”
It is difficult for me to write more about the plot without giving too much away, but, on the other hand, I find it extremely easy to praise Franz Xaver Canela’s skill in weaving this subtle story. Entering the pages of Los ailantos y el lentisco sacred is to take a dreamlike journey, an evocation full of that brilliant sensuality that permeates the pages of this original novel told at a slow pace that is delicious.
Travel through history, tour the island of Capri, see new places, encounter old legends that are reborn again and again, even meet Oscar Wilde in a cafe, let yourself be swayed by the wind and fly over the Mediterranean, dream and travel, love and understand… All this and much more awaits you in the pages of The ailanthus and the sacred mastic. A novelty of Books and Literature essential for those in love with life and love.
Source: https://www.librosyliteratura.es/los-ailantos-y-el-lentisco-sagrado.html