Brendan Riley – författare

Imagining the figure of the fictional detective as an archetype in the study of modern culture, the author argues that contemporary detective fiction can help us better comprehend fundamental shifts of the Digital Age--in communication, family, entertainment, society, even the way we think as individuals. The nature of the detective story itself models how we build and share knowledge. Drawing on concepts from literature and media studies, the author reveals clues about modern phenomena like conspiracy theory, groupthink and the nature of our digital identities.

Celebrated Spanish writer José Ángel Mañas makes his English-language debut with Guerrero, a novel based on real-life Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Guerrero, who defied Cortez and fought against Spain with his adopted Mayan tribe.January 1512. A caravel filled with a cargo of gold and Indian slaves sinks in a fierce storm. A small boatload of survivors including Gonzalo Guerrero wash up on a beach in Yucatán, near death. Immediately captured by Cocome Mayans, some are sacrificed; the rest are enslaved. Two survive: the young priest Jerónimo de Aguilar and the seasoned soldier, Guerrero. They are redeemed by the rival and more sympathetic Tutul Xiúe Mayans. Jerónimo clings to his prayerbook, while Gonzalo becomes fascinated with Mayan culture and religion, eventually joining with his new Mayan family to fight against Spanish conquest. For his crime, he has been wiped from the record books of colonial Spain. Though little is known of the historical Guerrero today, in this masterful short novel he becomes a larger-than-life figure of resistance and honor.