Time of Silence (Spanish: Tiempo de silencio) is a 1962 novel by the Spanish writer Luis Martín-Santos.[1][2]

Time of Silence
AuthorLuis Martín-Santos
Original titleTiempo de silencio
CountrySpain
LanguageSpanish
PublisherSeix Barral
Publication date
1962
Published in English
23 September 1964
Pages222

Plot edit

The novel is about the medical student Pedro, who studies cancer in mice, and his interactions with people in Madrid. An assistant wants to sell the mice illegally. Pedro's lower-class landlady tries to marry off her granddaughter. Pedro has an intellectual friend who achieves very little. Pedro becomes ensnared in a deadly drama when he performs an abortion on a girl who ends up dead. The girl's boyfriend then murders Pedro's fiancee.[3]

Reception edit

Kirkus Reviews wrote that the novel suffers from too much intellectualism, but that the depiction of Madrid gives it "a degree of power".[3]

Adaptation edit

The novel was the basis for the 1986 film Tiempo de Silencio.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ Pérez-Magallón, Jesús (1994). "El Proyecto Acosado: El Fracaso En 'Tiempo de Silencio' de Luis Martín-Santos". Revista Hispánica Moderna (in Spanish). 47 (1): 134–145. JSTOR 30203379.
  2. ^ Saludes, Esperanza G. (1982). "Presencia de Ortega y Gasset en la novela 'Tiempo de silencio' de Luis Martín-Santos". Hispanic Journal (in Spanish). 3 (2): 91–103. JSTOR 44362715.
  3. ^ a b "Time of Silence". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  4. ^ Schwartz, Ronald (1991). The Great Spanish Films: 1950–1990. London: Scarecrow Press. p. 73. ISBN 0-8108-2488-4.