El árbol de la ciencia: novela

A vivid portrait of early‑twentieth‑century Madrid unfolds through the eyes of Andrés Hurtado, a fresh‑minded student stepping into the bustling courtyard of the School of Architecture. On his very first day of the medical‑pharmacy program, he reunites with old schoolmate Julio Aracil and encounters a colorful cast of classmates, each buzzing with the restless optimism that marks the transition from secondary school to university life. The narrative captures the noisy, theatrical atmosphere of an old chapel‑turned‑lecture hall, where towering wooden tiers and frescoed ceilings set the stage for a chaotic entrance into the world of science.

Amid the clamor, an eccentric, Paris‑educated professor makes a grand, pompous debut, invoking the great names of Liebig, Pasteur, and Berthelot while the students respond with a mixture of awe and irreverent humor. Through these early encounters, the novel explores the clash between provincial naiveté and metropolitan ambition, hinting at the deeper questions of knowledge, identity, and the restless yearning that drives a generation toward the promise of modern science.