Jaume Cabré: Confessions

‘Brothers, may peace be with you on this day of the birth of Our Lord.’

‘May the Lord’s peace be with you as well.’

Three strangers. The tallest one pulled back his hood, revealing a noble forehead.

‘Who is the dead man?’

‘Josep de Sant Bartomeu. The father prior.’

‘Praise be the Lord. So you are Adrià Ardèvol.’

‘Well, I …’ He lowered his head: ‘Yes.’

‘You are dead.’

‘I’ve been dead for some time.’

‘No: now you will be dead.’

The dagger glimmered in the faint light before sinking into his soul. The flame of his candle went out and he neither saw nor lived anything more. Nothing more. He wasn’t even able to say where am I because he was no longer anywhere.

Matadepera, 2003–2011

I deemed this novel definitively unfinished on 27 January, 2011, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

During the years in which the novel grew in my life, I asked many people for help and opinions.

There are so many of you, and I’ve been pestering you for so many years, that I’m terrified I’ll leave out someone’s name. So I would instead like to once again count on your generosity as I make a generic acknowledgement in which, I hope, each and every one of you will see yourselves included and reflected.

I am deeply grateful to you all.

Adrià Ardèvol i Bosch

Sara Voltes-Epstein

Bernat Plensa i Punsoda

Black Eagle

Valiant Arapaho Chief

Sheriff Carson

Of Rockland

Fèlix Ardèvol i Guiteres

Adrià Ardèvol’s father

Carme Bosch

Adrià Ardèvol’s mother

Adrià Bosch

Adrià Ardèvol’s grandfather

Vicenta Palau

Adrià Ardèvol’s grandmother

Little Lola (Dolors Carrió i Solegibert)

Carme Bosch’s trusted maid

Big Lola

Little Lola’s mother

Caterina

Angeleta

Seamstress to the Ardèvol i Bosch family

Cecília

Fèlix Ardèvol’s employee

Mr Berenguer

Fèlix Ardèvol’s employee

Signor Falegnami / Mr Zimmermann

Concierge at the Ufficio della Giustizia e della Pace

Doctor Prunés and Mrs Prunés

Visitors

Tecla

Bernat Plensa’s wife

Llorenç Plensa

Bernat Plensa’s son

Xènia

Journalist friend of Bernat Plensa

Mrs Trullols

Violin teacher to Adrià Ardèvol and Bernat Plensa

Master Joan Manlleu

Adrià Ardèvol’s violin teacher

Herr Casals, Herr Oliveres, Herr Romeu, Mr Prats, Signor Simone, Doctor Gombreny

Adrià Ardèvol’s language instructors

Father Anglada, Father Bartrina, Mr Badia, Brother Climent

Adrià Ardèvol’s teachers at the Jesuit School on Casp

Street

Esteban, Xevi, Quico, Rull, Pedro, Massana, Riera, Torres, Escaiola, Pujol, Borrell

Adrià Ardèvol’s classmates at the Jesuit School on Casp

Street

Mr Castells and Antònia Marí

Piano accompanists

Uncle Cinto, from Tona

Fèlix Ardèvol’s brother

Aunt Leo

Cinto Ardèvol’s wife

Rosa, Xevi and Quico

Adrià Ardèvol’s cousins

Eugen Coşeriu

Linguist, professor at the University of Tübingen

Johannes Kamenek

Professor at the University of Tübingen

Doctor Schott

Professor at the University of Tübingen

Kornelia Brendel

Adrià Ardèvol’s classmate at Tübingen

Sagrera

Lawyer

Calaf

Notary

Morral

Bookseller at the Sant Antoni Market

Caterina Fargues

Little Lola’s replacement

Gensana

Adrià Ardèvol’s classmate at the university

Laura Baylina

Professor at the University of Barcelona and Adrià

Ardèvol’s girlfriend

Eulàlia Parera, Todó, Dr. Bassas, Dr. Casals, Omedes

Professors at the University of Barcelona

Heribert Bauçà

Editor

Mireia Gràcia

Presenter of one of Bernat Plensa’s books

Saverio Somethingorother

Luthier in Rome

Daniela Amato

Carolina Amato’s daughter

Albert Carbonell

Daniela Amato’s husband

Tito Carbonell Amato

Daniela Amato and Albert Carbonell’s son

Jascha Heifetz

World famous violinist

Master Eduard Toldrà

Musical composer and director of the Barcelona

Symphony Orchestra

Rachel Epstein

Sara Voltes-Epstein’s mother

Pau Voltes

Sara and Max Voltes-Epstein’s father

Max Voltes-Epstein

Sara Voltes-Epstein’s brother

Giorgio

Max Voltes-Epstein’s friend

Franz-Paul Decker

Director of the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and

National Orchestra of Catalonia (OBC)

Romain Gunzbourg

French horn in the OBC

Isaiah Berlin

Philosopher and historian of ideas

Aline de Gunzbourg

Isaiah Berlin’s wife

Pau Ullastres

Luthier in Barcelona

Doctor Dalmau

Doctor and Adrià Ardèvol’s friend

Doctor Valls

Doctor Real

Jònatan, Wilson and Dora

Nurses

Plàcida

Adrià Ardèvol’s maid

Eduard Badia

Director of the Artipèlag Gallery

Bob Mortelmans

Matthias Alpaerts’s roommate in the nursing home

Gertrud

Accident victim

Alexandre Roig

Gertrud’s husband

Helena and Àgata

Dora’s friends

Osvald Sikemäe

Gertrud’s brother

Aadu Müür

Àgata’s ex-boyfriend

Eugen Müss

Doctor at Bebenbeleke

Turu Mbulaka

Tribal chief

Elm Gonzaga

Detective VIC AND ROME 1914–1918

Josep Torras i Bages

Bishop of Vic

Félix Morlin, from Lieja

Fèlix Ardèvol’s classmate

Drago Gradnik, from Ljubljana

Fèlix Ardèvol’s classmate

Faluba, Pierre Blanc, Levinski and Daniele D’Angelo, S. J.

Fèlix Ardèvol’s professors at the Pontificia Università

Gregoriana

Carolina Amato

Saverio Amato

Carolina Amato’s father

Sandro

Carolina Amato’s uncle

Muñoz

Bishop of Vic

Father Ayats

Episcopal secretary BARCELONA, ’40s AND ’50s

Commissioner Plasencia

Inspector Ocaña

Ramis

The best detective in the world

Felipe Acedo Colunga

Civil Governor

Abelardo

Client of Fèlix Ardèvol

Anselmo Taboada

Lieutenant Coronel

Wenceslao González Oliveros

Civil Governor GIRONA, SANTA MARIA DE GERRI, SANT PERE DEL BURGAL (14th AND 15th CENTURIES)

Nicolau Eimeric

Inquisitor General

Miquel de Susqueda

Secretary to the Inquisitor

Ramon de Nolla

Assassin for the Inquisitor

Julià de Sau

Monk at Sant Pere del Burgal

Josep de Sant Bartomeu

Father Prior of Sant Pere del Burgal

Wall-eyed Man of Salt

Wall-eyed Woman of Salt

Wife of the Wall-eyed Man of Salt

Friar Maur and Friar Mateu

Monks at the monastery of Santa Maria de Gerri

Josep Xarom, from Girona

Jewish doctor

Dolça Xarom

Josep Xarom’s daughter

Emanuel Meir, from Varna

Dolça Xarom’s descendant

The twins PARDÀC, CREMONA, PARIS (17th AND 18th CENTURIES)

Jachiam Mureda

Tonewood tracker

Mureda

The father of the Mureda family

Agno, Jenn, Max, Hermes, Josef, Theodor and Micurà. Ilse, Erica, Katharina, Matilde, Gretchen and Bettina

Jachiam Mureda’s siblings

Bulchanij Brocia

The fattest man in Moena

The Brocias of Moena

Enemies of the Muredas of Pardàc

Brother Gabriel

Monk at the abbey of La Grassa

Blond of Cazilhac

Jachiam Mureda’s assistant