Time of Silence
1962 novel by
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Time of Silence (Spanish: Tiempo de silencio) is a 1962 novel by the Spanish writer Luis Martín-Santos.[1][2] An English translation by George Leeson was published by Harcourt, Brace & World in 1964. A new translation by Peter Bush was published by New York Review Books in 2025.
| |
| Author | Luis Martín-Santos |
|---|---|
| Original title | Tiempo de silencio |
| Language | Spanish |
| Publisher | Seix Barral |
| Publication date | 1962 |
| Publication place | Spain |
Published in English | 23 September 1964 |
| Pages | 222 |
Plot
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
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
The novel was the basis for the 1986 film Tiempo de Silencio.[4]