The Fencing Master

The Fencing Master (1988) Arturo Pérez-Reverte translated by Margaret Jull Costa (1998)

Don Jaime Astarloa is the fencing master of Madrid. He has a fencing school, and has private clients, including Luis de Ayala, the Marques de los Alumbres, but Don Jaime is getting old. His world is disappearing into the past, replaced with pistols.

“The pistol is not a weapon, it is an impertinence. If two men are to kill each other, they should do so face-to-face, not from a distance, like vile highway men. Unlike other weapons, the sword has its own ethics and, if you press me, I would almost say it has its own mysticism too.

And amidst that Spain is in turmoil as the court of Isabella II seethes with intrigue, and revolution is spoken of openly.

But Don Jamie fences, and when a young woman appears, asking him to teach her his special sword thrust, something changes.

This is the story that introduced me to Arturo Pérez-Reverte, and I went on to read many more of his books, though those that have been translated into English probably are fewer than he has written.

There are so many things I like about this story, so many passages I marked for further consideration.

“You’re forgetting about God.”

“He doesn’t interest me. God tolerates the intolerable, he is irresponsible and inconsistent. He is not a gentleman.”

And there is fencing.

It’s an interesting story, an historical mystery, set in Spain, during a time about which I know nothing. Not that one learns too much about historical Spain–Don Jamie doesn’t care about politics. Of course, he’s drawn in, whether he likes it or not.
Rating: 8.5/10

Published by Harcourt

 
 

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