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Olga Guirao. Mi querido Sebastian. Barcelona. Anagrama. 1993 ((C) 1992). 190 pages.
Olga Guirao was born in Catalonia in 1956. She studied law at the University of Barcelona and practiced in that city for a number of years. At the moment she is in the ruling Socialist administration. Mi querido Sebastian, her first novel, is indeed an indication of how tolerant Spanish society has become since Franco's death. It was the finalist for the renowned literary prize Herralde de Novela, in which Luis Goytisolo was one of the members of the selection committee.
The title refers to an imaginary letter which Guillermo India, the narrator-protagonist, is writing to his boyhood friend Sebastian. The story begins in the 1950s, a period in Spain's history notorious for its intransigency and lack of political and personal freedom. It is during those years that Guillermo realizes he is in love with Sebastian, but naturally, due to the political climate in the country and his family's conservative mores, he is unable to reveal his true feelings. Forced to lead an empty life,...