Torquemada en el purgatorio

A diligent yet mischievous chronicler named Juan de Madrid narrates the rise of the flamboyant Francisco Torquemada, whose newly recovered splendor draws a parade of elegant diners, lavish gardens and endless conversation. Through a chorus of rival historians and archpriests, the opening sketches a world of sumptuous feasts, elaborate attire and the cramped ambitions of a man attempting to rewrite his own reputation.

The prose swirls with period‑specific diction, witty footnotes and a gentle satire of aristocratic vanity, turning every banquet into a stage for linguistic gymnastics. Listeners will be carried through the bustling streets of early‑20th‑century Madrid, hearing the clink of silver, the rustle of Brussels lace, and the ever‑changing catch‑phrases that Torquemada adopts to impress his peers. It’s a vivid portrait of a society obsessed with appearances, where the line between genuine erudition and pretentious babble is as thin as the lace on a lady’s sleeve.