Stars Over the Desert

About the Book

Stars Over the Desert traces the exploits of Izzy, a rather naive, innocent Catalan villager, who flees the clutches of his traditional family to discover the rest of the world in all its strangeness and vitality. He faces personal and economic hardship as he seeks jobs and fights off the loneliness of the big city.

Izzy finally finds fulfilling work as a clerk in a fruit shop run by Rocky, an aging adventurer. Rocky encourages him to find a wife, settle down and start a family for the emotional rewards that Rocky himself never enjoyed in his vagabond life. Rocky introduces Izzy to several promising lady clients, all of whom leave Izzy dizzy and confused by their hilariously outlandish ways. Here the novel becomes very funny indeed.

Finally Izzy's quest for the perfect wife focuses on Amina, an immigrant girl shrouded in mystery who walks by the shop every day. He sets out to learn more about her by stalking her every move, until he finally runs her to ground in 'The Mutes Café' in one of the shabby quarters of the city. When he enters the café he is faced with an even stranger cast of characters.

Amina's family are traditionalist immigrants from North Africa who want their daughter to marry within their own community. Izzy's attempts to get closer to her are rebuked by her family. He is forced to invent ways to be with her that border on 'magical realism'.

The conflict comes to the boil when he discovers that her family has pledged Amina in marriage against her wishes to an aged desert sheik already four times married. Izzy vows not to allow this to happen and willfully sets about forcing circumstances his way. The rest of the novel charts the hilarious and yet deeply committed actions of the hero as he fights to free his love from her hide-bound family. By forcing the issue, Izzy inevitably leads his love to a tragic end.

About the Author

Francesc Estival, author:
Day by day he fritters away his vital juices as a government bureaucrat, which brings little light to his life. For a Spaniard raised on the Mediterranean, lack of light is slow death. The author escapes this dire reality by writing fiction. He builds his stories around the Mediterranean sea, its civilizations, its lights and its lies. The final result is always the same: a civilized Mediterranean lie, guaranteed to keep the reader turning the pages. Stars Over the Desert is Estival's third published book.

John L. Getman, translator:
Getman was born in New York. He earned a BA in English Literature, then an MA in Spanish and Linguistics. He has taught English, Spanish, German, Catalan, French and Danish. Tired of all that grammar, he went back to the basics and studied literary translation, earning a Masters of Fine Arts. Conclusion: translation is more art than science. His books in translation from the Catalan have earned several awards. He now lives in Catalonia, near the edge of the Mediterranean, where its light, its civilization and its lies feed his fantasies. His hobbies are painting, poetry and punning.