
[](https://www.gutenberg.org/images/cover_lg.jpg)
INTRODUCTION
THE CITY OF THE DISCREET - CHAPTER I A CONVERSATION ON THE TRAIN
CHAPTER II O, ORIENTAL, ROMANTIC CITY!
CHAPTER III INFANCY: SOMBRE VESTIBULE OF LIFE
CHAPTER IV BLUE EYES, BLACK EYES
CHAPTER V NOBLE AND ANCIENT ANCESTRAL HOMES!
CHAPTER VI CONCERNING AN ADVENTURE OF QUENTIN’S IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF EL POTRO
CHAPTER VII IN WHICH IS TOLD THE HISTORY OF A TAVERN ON SIERRA MORENA
CHAPTER VIII A FIGHT IN AN OLIVE ORCHARD
In a modest Spanish town where gossip circulates like a silent current, a newcomer arrives with a notebook and a restless curiosity. He quickly discovers a tight‑knit circle of residents who move through the streets with practiced discretion, their true intentions hidden behind courteous smiles. As he attempts to penetrate their guarded world, everyday encounters—coffee at the local café, a stroll along the riverbank—reveal the subtle ways people protect their secrets and cling to familiar routines.
Through a series of vivid vignettes, the narrative captures the town’s rhythm, from lively market stalls to quiet evenings in dimly lit taverns. The protagonist’s observations expose the gentle absurdities and unspoken tensions that shape each character’s life. Listeners are invited to linger over the nuances of human behavior, feeling the quiet pull of a community that values privacy above all, while wondering what lies beneath its calm surface.
Language
en
Duration
~8 hours (478K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Bryan Ness, Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Release date
2018-01-06
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1872–1956
A leading voice of Spain’s Generation of ’98, he wrote sharp, restless novels that looked hard at modern life and the people pushed to its edges. Before literature took over, he even trained and worked as a doctor for a short time.
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