Josep Maria Quintana

Els herois de la nit

INFORMATION

With the rhythm and form of an adventure novel, Els herois de la nit recreates the siege and assault that, in 1558, Ciutadella de Menorca - in the novel, Pregonda - suffered by the Turks. Admiral Piale Paixà, in charge of a fleet of more than one hundred ships and some thirteen thousand men, razed the city to the ground and kidnapped some 5,000 Menorcans, who were transported to Constantinople and sold as slaves. The protagonist of the novel, Arnau Vidal, is inspired by a historical character, rescuer of slaves, spy of the king and author of a personal diary of great interest. This young protagonist manages to escape captivity and find his older brother in the bustling Ottoman capital. Despite the brother's lack of involvement, who has converted to Islam and has become rich and powerful, Arnau insists on freeing the slaves. He obtains the money to return the freedom to Helena Martorell, slave of the doctor of the great vizier, and does not cease in the attempt to compromise both the king Felipe II and the island powers in the rescue of the compatriots sceustrados. Els herois de la nit shows not only the cultural abyss between Suleiman the Magnificent's Turkey and Felipe II of Spain, but also the background of societies that operate outside the principles they preach. Josep M. Quintana has written a historical and adventurous novel that reveals the buried corruption of power.