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El Hacho
The brilliant debut novel by Luis Carrasco, El Hacho is a timeless evocation of inheritance, duty and our relationship to the landscape that defines us. Set in the stark beauty of the Andalusian mountains it tells the story of Curro, an olive farmer determined to honour his family tradition in the face of drought, deluge and the lucrative temptations of a rapidly modernising Spain. Wonderfully crafted, El Hacho is a poignant and compelling story of struggle and hope. Review of El Hacho by Jon McGregor - Costa Book Award Winning author of Reservoir 13 - 'El Hacho is a tiny diamond of a novel, told in a voice at once softly-spoken and fearless as hell. Luis Carrasco’s writing is new to me, but he reads here as if he’s been doing this for years; his control and restraint are masterly, and the end result makes for a cracking read.'
82 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 22, 2018
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March 15, 2023
I first became aware of this richly atmospheric, almost poetic paean to the people, landscape and lifestyles of the hills of Andalusia thanks to Jon McGregor's Twitter feed, and McGregor also wrote the cover quote, in which he describes it as "a tiny diamond of a novel". For once such praise seems entirely justified.
There is much more atmosphere than plot. Curro and his brother Jose-Marie have inherited the small olive farm on the slopes of El Hacho, a mountain between Cádiz and Málaga which was farmed in the same traditional way by their father and grandfather. The indefatigable Curro faces various trials - first a drought which threatens to devastate the crop and destroy the trees, and then a spell of heavy rain that persists and almost thwarts his attempts to harvest the crop.
Marie is less enthusiastic, and wants to sell his share of the farm, aware that a mining company has made a substantial offer to buy them out, a prospect which horrifies Curro as it did his father. Curro knows that Marie will never be a wholehearted farmer and breaks the family tradition of financial independence to mortgage his share to buy Marie off. His stoic wife supports him through this trial, and the book ends on a brief note of hope.
The Anglo-Spanish author credits a short period "living in the Sierra de Grazelema and the Serranía de Ronda" as his inspiration, and he succeeds brilliantly in sharing his love of the landscape and respect for its people. At times Curro is reminiscent of Bjartur in Independent People, but this book is much shorter and much less relentlessly bleak.
A very impressive and promising first novel - I hope it finds the wider audience it deserves.
This book was the first publication by époque press, a newish Anglo-Irish independent press
There is much more atmosphere than plot. Curro and his brother Jose-Marie have inherited the small olive farm on the slopes of El Hacho, a mountain between Cádiz and Málaga which was farmed in the same traditional way by their father and grandfather. The indefatigable Curro faces various trials - first a drought which threatens to devastate the crop and destroy the trees, and then a spell of heavy rain that persists and almost thwarts his attempts to harvest the crop.
Marie is less enthusiastic, and wants to sell his share of the farm, aware that a mining company has made a substantial offer to buy them out, a prospect which horrifies Curro as it did his father. Curro knows that Marie will never be a wholehearted farmer and breaks the family tradition of financial independence to mortgage his share to buy Marie off. His stoic wife supports him through this trial, and the book ends on a brief note of hope.
The Anglo-Spanish author credits a short period "living in the Sierra de Grazelema and the Serranía de Ronda" as his inspiration, and he succeeds brilliantly in sharing his love of the landscape and respect for its people. At times Curro is reminiscent of Bjartur in Independent People, but this book is much shorter and much less relentlessly bleak.
A very impressive and promising first novel - I hope it finds the wider audience it deserves.
This book was the first publication by époque press, a newish Anglo-Irish independent press
April 2, 2023
“ YOU! he roared at the mountain,his fist raised high and quivering in wretched anger, his eyes red wells of pain.
What do you want of me? Have I not loved you? Have I not protected you when they wanted to pull you down?….Have I not earned enough of your affection for you to save me from this mud?…Answer me! He bawled,his arms aloft, the words like broken glass in his throat.”
These words, reminiscent of the trials of Job, are spat out by Curro, the protagonist of this engaging novel.He is an olive farmer who lives on the Andalusian mountain called El Hacho.He is locked in a Sisyphean struggle to coax a living from the slender beloved olive trees that dominate the rhythms of his existence.
Churro’s story unfolds during one dry season that threatens to drive him and his brother Jose Marie into penury unless rain suddenly arrives. Curro has followed in his father’s footsteps and has upheld the tradition of working the land even as he resists the temptations of selling his plot to a mining company that, under the guise of modernization, wants to despoil the environment.He has a three pronged relationship with his wife, his brother and the land itself. While Curro copes with the onslaught of natural disasters ranging from draught to deluge, the struggle between traditional rural values and modern urban incursion threatens to divide his family. His brother Jose Marie shares the inheritance of the family farm. He is a less enthusiastic farmer than Curro and wants to sell his share of their farm in order to live a more modern, less physically demanding lifestyle.The novel presents this conflict in evocative and visually descriptive prose that fuses the land with the conflicting viewpoints , creating an atmosphere of both disagreement and love that holds the reader in its thrall.
It is easy to romanticize traditional agrarian values that cast this lifestyle as a noble endeavor that resists the corrosive influences of modern dehumanizing technology. This novel, in its beautiful descriptions of land and overcoming challenges, sometimes teeters in that direction. Overall, though, the narrative manages to avoid devolving into facile sentimentality about a fading and difficult way of life. I read the novel as a story of love that overcame differences in lifestyle and aspirations. The dichotomy of the two brothers’ self concept and vision highlights the struggle to accommodate a traditional way of life with the inexorable demands and costs of mechanization and technology. Filial love, marital love and love of the land minimized the tensions but did not leave a clear resolution of a properly balanced path forward. Ultimately, I was left with the image of the slender olive trees as a symbol of the precarious hold on a way of life portrayed in the novel.I had a lingering feeling of wistfulness as I closed the pages of this richly drawn work.
What do you want of me? Have I not loved you? Have I not protected you when they wanted to pull you down?….Have I not earned enough of your affection for you to save me from this mud?…Answer me! He bawled,his arms aloft, the words like broken glass in his throat.”
These words, reminiscent of the trials of Job, are spat out by Curro, the protagonist of this engaging novel.He is an olive farmer who lives on the Andalusian mountain called El Hacho.He is locked in a Sisyphean struggle to coax a living from the slender beloved olive trees that dominate the rhythms of his existence.
Churro’s story unfolds during one dry season that threatens to drive him and his brother Jose Marie into penury unless rain suddenly arrives. Curro has followed in his father’s footsteps and has upheld the tradition of working the land even as he resists the temptations of selling his plot to a mining company that, under the guise of modernization, wants to despoil the environment.He has a three pronged relationship with his wife, his brother and the land itself. While Curro copes with the onslaught of natural disasters ranging from draught to deluge, the struggle between traditional rural values and modern urban incursion threatens to divide his family. His brother Jose Marie shares the inheritance of the family farm. He is a less enthusiastic farmer than Curro and wants to sell his share of their farm in order to live a more modern, less physically demanding lifestyle.The novel presents this conflict in evocative and visually descriptive prose that fuses the land with the conflicting viewpoints , creating an atmosphere of both disagreement and love that holds the reader in its thrall.
It is easy to romanticize traditional agrarian values that cast this lifestyle as a noble endeavor that resists the corrosive influences of modern dehumanizing technology. This novel, in its beautiful descriptions of land and overcoming challenges, sometimes teeters in that direction. Overall, though, the narrative manages to avoid devolving into facile sentimentality about a fading and difficult way of life. I read the novel as a story of love that overcame differences in lifestyle and aspirations. The dichotomy of the two brothers’ self concept and vision highlights the struggle to accommodate a traditional way of life with the inexorable demands and costs of mechanization and technology. Filial love, marital love and love of the land minimized the tensions but did not leave a clear resolution of a properly balanced path forward. Ultimately, I was left with the image of the slender olive trees as a symbol of the precarious hold on a way of life portrayed in the novel.I had a lingering feeling of wistfulness as I closed the pages of this richly drawn work.
September 3, 2024
Carrasco's well chosen words tell the story of Curro who is blessed with love in his life.
A well tended love story with his wife, his partner - few words said but lots of love flows between them.
Same can be said for Curro's love for the land, who exacts huge amounts of sweat and pain but rewards with food and shelter and belonging.
Beneath these two love stories lies a more fundamental question. "Do we need work which we love to do to be happy or can we only be happy with more money regardless of the work we do." I know in which category my answer falls, same as Carrasco, it's not the money that it the ultimate salvation. Yes we do need some but the trick is in finding the balance of how much and not let it take away our happiness because having a good life/work that make us happy counts very much as well. Being respectful towards the Earth that nurtures us brings us peace which money will not. The grab for more money just makes us selfish and uncaring.
A well tended love story with his wife, his partner - few words said but lots of love flows between them.
Same can be said for Curro's love for the land, who exacts huge amounts of sweat and pain but rewards with food and shelter and belonging.
Beneath these two love stories lies a more fundamental question. "Do we need work which we love to do to be happy or can we only be happy with more money regardless of the work we do." I know in which category my answer falls, same as Carrasco, it's not the money that it the ultimate salvation. Yes we do need some but the trick is in finding the balance of how much and not let it take away our happiness because having a good life/work that make us happy counts very much as well. Being respectful towards the Earth that nurtures us brings us peace which money will not. The grab for more money just makes us selfish and uncaring.
November 21, 2021
Jose-Marie’s legs were long and thin about the ankles and his bandy frame bought Curro back to their father’s own in its shape and gait when he walked, but there was nothing more in him to recommend the comparison. Marie worked the farm simply because it was what he had to work and he worked it like a weight upon him and not because there was something of him in the soil that made him work it so. Perhaps it was because he was the younger one and had never felt the hereditary pressure that hung over Curro, had never known the responsibility inherent in the line. Or maybe it was because his eye was forever scanning the horizon when their father was set to drilling the mores of the land into their skin. To Ronda, Málaga. Who knew? Maybe even Madrid. Farther than the shadow of El Hacho anyhow.
A beautifully if rather over-written novella set in the Sierra de Grazalema in Andalusia and featuring an olive farmer Curro, whose hand to mouth existence farming olives (supplemented by rabbit trapping and barter) is under threat as the fierce Summer heat continues on for an unprecedented period into late November.
The plot is as sparse as the soil on his mountainside farm
(His brother Jose-Marie wants to sell out to developers, the eventual rain turns into an equally problematical deluge)
The description as illuminating as the fierce sun (albeit suffering from the common literary fiction issue of whether the author as narrator can really be voicing the thoughts of the main third party character, given their disparities in education, literary ability etc):
He eyed the angle of the sun and judged its warmth. He still had time to water the herbs and flowers that glistened with a filmy dew before the angel of life and death reared implacably above the valley wall and scorched the thin leaves dry.
And the relationship between Curro and his wife, is as timeless and deep as his family’s connection to the land:
She reached across the table and laid her hands on his and stroked the ridges of his knuckles, her fingers cresting the peaks and massaging the softer flesh between them. We’ll be okay, she said.
So there is much to love in this novel, but something did not quite work for me.
I think my first issue was that (particularly when I learned the author lives in England) the book felt like a fictional variation on the “Driving Over Lemons” style book.
The second that having grown up in a farming area, developed a life long antipathy towards gardening and taken a career in finance, my sympathies were I fear too much with Marie, who I do no think I was meant to see as the hero of the story.
“As he cut his lengths he studied his brother from beneath the rim of his hat and saw him working slowly, mechanically, with his mind whirring off someplace else, calculating credit arithmetic”
March 5, 2019
This is a very short book, barely 100 pages in length. Part of that is because it starts in the middle of a story and doesn’t feel the need to tell us the full breadth or length of that story. But the important thing is that this does not matter: it is beautiful.
When we open the book, we read a very brief encounter between a farmer and a man who wants to buy his land. As his son listens in, the farmer politely but decisively rejects the offer (and any future offers people might be tempted to make: the land is not for sale). Then we skip forward to find the young son, Curro (Francisco), now a grown man, attempting to make a living from the land. He is hampered by a lack of rain, far more than the usual dry conditions, and by a brother whose heart is not in the work they must do.
The beauty of the book lies in the language. Carrasco has a way with words that perfectly captures the hardships involved in working the land and he has a way with dialogue that takes you to the heart of people and their relationships just by listening in to their conversations. There were times when Curro and his wife, Carmen, talked and it brought tears to my eyes. When Carmen reveals a plan to bring some more money into the house, we read the following conversation:
I had no idea.
Why would you?
You don’t mind the work?
I want to help.
He straightened his back and billowed his chest. You think this harvest will fail.
Don’t let pride be the enemy of your belly Francisco, she said and squeeze his knee. You give every drop of yourself to this farm and if God does not reward you for it with a harvest worthy of your work, we’ll still have a little coming in for flour and coffee.
He relaxed his rigid frame and leant across to kiss her and she angled her cheek to meet it. You’re right, was all he said.
The relationship between Curro and Carmen is the highlight of the book for me and it is written sensitively and beautifully.
There’s no need to write much about this book. It will only take you and hour or two to read it and I whole-heartedly recommend that you do.
When we open the book, we read a very brief encounter between a farmer and a man who wants to buy his land. As his son listens in, the farmer politely but decisively rejects the offer (and any future offers people might be tempted to make: the land is not for sale). Then we skip forward to find the young son, Curro (Francisco), now a grown man, attempting to make a living from the land. He is hampered by a lack of rain, far more than the usual dry conditions, and by a brother whose heart is not in the work they must do.
The beauty of the book lies in the language. Carrasco has a way with words that perfectly captures the hardships involved in working the land and he has a way with dialogue that takes you to the heart of people and their relationships just by listening in to their conversations. There were times when Curro and his wife, Carmen, talked and it brought tears to my eyes. When Carmen reveals a plan to bring some more money into the house, we read the following conversation:
I had no idea.
Why would you?
You don’t mind the work?
I want to help.
He straightened his back and billowed his chest. You think this harvest will fail.
Don’t let pride be the enemy of your belly Francisco, she said and squeeze his knee. You give every drop of yourself to this farm and if God does not reward you for it with a harvest worthy of your work, we’ll still have a little coming in for flour and coffee.
He relaxed his rigid frame and leant across to kiss her and she angled her cheek to meet it. You’re right, was all he said.
The relationship between Curro and Carmen is the highlight of the book for me and it is written sensitively and beautifully.
There’s no need to write much about this book. It will only take you and hour or two to read it and I whole-heartedly recommend that you do.
December 9, 2020
Sterk zintuiglijk verhaal. Twee broers leven in hun stukje aards paradijs, ergens op een berg in Spanje waar hun olijfbomen groeien. Het is eind oktober en nog altijd zomers heet. De olijven hebben regen nodig. Ze zijn te klein en te droog, en straks komt de oogst er al aan. Eén broer is geneigd een smak geld te aanvaarden voor zijn stuk berg, de andere niet. Mooi hoe menselijk de spanning tussen de broers wordt beschreven. En dan komt opeens de regen. Niet zomaar een buitje, wel een stortvloed die langer dan een maand duurt. Nog nooit meegemaakt in Spanje! Oogsten moet in de gietende regen, met de voeten in het water. Dit boek is een lofzang op de natuur en het simpele leven waarin eten en drinken volstaan om gelukkig te zijn. Een ode aan de boerenstiel als slachtoffer van de klimaatverandering. De boodschap is impliciet, maar komt aan.
September 27, 2020
Je zweet, je huilt, je vloekt, je verstilt
Spanje kruipt onder je huid
je bakt brood
je slaat op bomen
je weerstaat de natuur
en lost niks
parel
https://www.antwerpenleest.be/leestip...
Spanje kruipt onder je huid
je bakt brood
je slaat op bomen
je weerstaat de natuur
en lost niks
parel
https://www.antwerpenleest.be/leestip...
August 22, 2019
Stunning, beautiful little book about perseverance and duty. Wonderful, evocative, economic writing that's a little bit Cormac McCarthy, a little bit John Steinbeck. I loved every page.
February 9, 2021
Lifehack: lezen over onverdraaglijke Andalusische hittegolven bij -5°C om de winter in België toch te appreciëren.
May 1, 2018
El Hacho, by Luis Carrasco, is a story of one man’s attachment to the land his family has worked for generations. Curro is an olive farmer in the Andalusian mountains. He was born and raised in the house where he now lives with his wife as they age. Curro has never travelled, even as far as the sea. Thanks to their toil, he and his brother, Marie, can feed their loved ones but there is little money to spare for indulgences, the temptations of encroaching modernity. Curro is content to continue in the traditional way but Marie hankers after change.
When the story opens the region is suffering a drought. Curro’s olives should be ready for harvest but are parched, the trees becoming unstable. Marie is unwilling to help with the back breaking work required to improve access. He observes the local tourists, the material trappings of his developing country, and arranges to meet a stranger.
Curro understands his brother’s need for something beyond their settled if demanding lifestyle. For himself he remembers their father’s words when a stranger visited:
“he glossed his hand over the valley to the south-east, over the pink lace of the almond blossom, over the white toe of the Montejaque village and beyond to where the land buckled in a granite ribbon. The dipping sun crept around El Hancho’s flank and fired the valley slopes with a copper glaze.
And what could I buy with ten times your offer that could give me more than this?”
Curro also remembers his grandfather telling of a long drought and the difficulties it wrought. His wife assures him that they will manage somehow even if the harvest fails. Curro supplements their food supplies with rabbits he catches in traps. Then Marie stops turning up for work.
The olive farm and landscape in which it lies are beautifully evoked. The rhythms of Curro’s life, his work and its value, are rendered in concise, vivid detail. There is acceptance of difficulties, recognition that others have coped with similar challenges in times past. The pleasures to be found in food, rest, companionship and location are relished.
The writing is canorous and compelling, the picture painted offering a reminder of what in life has true value. Although novella in length, the story told is powerful and enduring. This is a recommended read.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, époque press.
When the story opens the region is suffering a drought. Curro’s olives should be ready for harvest but are parched, the trees becoming unstable. Marie is unwilling to help with the back breaking work required to improve access. He observes the local tourists, the material trappings of his developing country, and arranges to meet a stranger.
Curro understands his brother’s need for something beyond their settled if demanding lifestyle. For himself he remembers their father’s words when a stranger visited:
“he glossed his hand over the valley to the south-east, over the pink lace of the almond blossom, over the white toe of the Montejaque village and beyond to where the land buckled in a granite ribbon. The dipping sun crept around El Hancho’s flank and fired the valley slopes with a copper glaze.
And what could I buy with ten times your offer that could give me more than this?”
Curro also remembers his grandfather telling of a long drought and the difficulties it wrought. His wife assures him that they will manage somehow even if the harvest fails. Curro supplements their food supplies with rabbits he catches in traps. Then Marie stops turning up for work.
The olive farm and landscape in which it lies are beautifully evoked. The rhythms of Curro’s life, his work and its value, are rendered in concise, vivid detail. There is acceptance of difficulties, recognition that others have coped with similar challenges in times past. The pleasures to be found in food, rest, companionship and location are relished.
The writing is canorous and compelling, the picture painted offering a reminder of what in life has true value. Although novella in length, the story told is powerful and enduring. This is a recommended read.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, époque press.
December 21, 2019
El Hacho is the mountain in Andalusia where Curro, the main character, inherits the family land. As I was reading it, I felt there were two love stories. The love for nature and the beautiful love between Curro and his wife Carmen, which were written seamlessly in this wonderfully immersive novella that speaks quietly about the beauty of the simplicity of life, struggles and perseverances to remain true to oneself, and much more... I was astonished to learn that this is the author's debut novel and, moreover, a small independent press (Epoque Press) chose it for its first publication. Everything is beautiful about this book, both the reading experience and the amazing circumstances around its publication. I bought the kindle edition but will try to find a print copy as well.
December 23, 2025
Het leven zoals het is in Andalusië, geblakerd door de zon en weggespoeld door de regen. Kortom, over de hindernissen die op je pad komen, de keuzes die gemaakt worden, of je nu kiest voor een eenvoudige manier van leven of niet.
March 9, 2019
This book crept up on me, and it and I had a little wrestle: at first I was trying to chuck it off but it clung on and on, and wouldn't let go, until finally I calmed down and let it win me over. It's a simple (and very short) story of a Spanish olive farmer who stoically suffers through a terrible drought and blasting sunshine, and then torrential endless rain. The descriptions of the landscape and the weather are magnificent, as are the way Carrasco describes the actions of work whether that's kneading dough, or sharpening a knife and cutting leather.
My tussles at the beginning were over some of the language and grammar choices. I'm not sure when it's set (they have cars and televisions), but the language can be very old fashioned, biblical even (and I'm sure that was deliberate and to do with the story), but each time 'upon' or 'unto' was used, it snapped me out. Carrasco is one of the few authors who is clever about not using speech marks - I was never lost with who was speaking when. But he has also decided to use as few commas as possible, and sometimes lines run on with so many uses of 'and', that they became nonsensical. (And finally a minor point - why didn't the man's wife get out there in the rain and help him!?)
Highly recommended.
My tussles at the beginning were over some of the language and grammar choices. I'm not sure when it's set (they have cars and televisions), but the language can be very old fashioned, biblical even (and I'm sure that was deliberate and to do with the story), but each time 'upon' or 'unto' was used, it snapped me out. Carrasco is one of the few authors who is clever about not using speech marks - I was never lost with who was speaking when. But he has also decided to use as few commas as possible, and sometimes lines run on with so many uses of 'and', that they became nonsensical. (And finally a minor point - why didn't the man's wife get out there in the rain and help him!?)
Highly recommended.
January 6, 2020
I fell in love with olive farmer, Curro, and his wife (his equal in industry and enterprise) and their wonderful mutually supportive relationship. “She met him on the terrace and fussed over his aches and took his satchel and rough palms in hers and worked her thumbs into the knots and kissed the split and broken nails…” Find someone who cares about you in the way they do about each other and you’ll be a happy person. “When he entered the house his wife was wearing the worry of her love.“
Their simple life is depicted with such clarity I felt I could smell the coffee brewing, the almonds roasting and the bread baking. And how’s this for making your mouth water? “[He] soaked a crust of moist warm bread with oil and split a ripe tomato upon it with a grind of pepper and a pinch from the salt bowl.”
The El Hacho of the title refers to the mountain that overlooks the village. To Curro, though, it’s more than just a topographical feature but something to be respected and preserved. “To tear down that mountain would be to rip the heart from this village… El Hacho is our version of the name they give to a mountain that watches over the people that live in its shadow, that protects them from those that would turn them out… We don’t own it, we are just its guardians, and for a very short time.”
Curro watches in despair as the long drought threatens his livelihood and that of surrounding farms. “Never in my born days can I remember it so intense so late, he said despairingly. It’s like God himself has abandoned this valley to the devil and refuses to turn the wheel to winter.” In an example of one of the wonderful descriptions of landscape and weather in the book, Curro sees the land around him “heave a singular, terrible, beseeching lament for rain.”
There’s a saying that ‘it never rains but it pours’ and when the drought does end it does so in the most dramatic way. “He saw the horizon beyond the eastern valley invaded by great shapeless towers of purple-black thunder heads streaked upon their hulls with sulphuric yellow light. They heaved across the sky in frothing anger and the groaning of the thunder began to clap in pearls of shocking weight.” Once more Curro must singlehandedly battle the forces of the natural world arrayed against him.
El Hacho is a simply but beautifully told story of overcoming obstacles and of never giving up.
Their simple life is depicted with such clarity I felt I could smell the coffee brewing, the almonds roasting and the bread baking. And how’s this for making your mouth water? “[He] soaked a crust of moist warm bread with oil and split a ripe tomato upon it with a grind of pepper and a pinch from the salt bowl.”
The El Hacho of the title refers to the mountain that overlooks the village. To Curro, though, it’s more than just a topographical feature but something to be respected and preserved. “To tear down that mountain would be to rip the heart from this village… El Hacho is our version of the name they give to a mountain that watches over the people that live in its shadow, that protects them from those that would turn them out… We don’t own it, we are just its guardians, and for a very short time.”
Curro watches in despair as the long drought threatens his livelihood and that of surrounding farms. “Never in my born days can I remember it so intense so late, he said despairingly. It’s like God himself has abandoned this valley to the devil and refuses to turn the wheel to winter.” In an example of one of the wonderful descriptions of landscape and weather in the book, Curro sees the land around him “heave a singular, terrible, beseeching lament for rain.”
There’s a saying that ‘it never rains but it pours’ and when the drought does end it does so in the most dramatic way. “He saw the horizon beyond the eastern valley invaded by great shapeless towers of purple-black thunder heads streaked upon their hulls with sulphuric yellow light. They heaved across the sky in frothing anger and the groaning of the thunder began to clap in pearls of shocking weight.” Once more Curro must singlehandedly battle the forces of the natural world arrayed against him.
El Hacho is a simply but beautifully told story of overcoming obstacles and of never giving up.
July 10, 2020
Pure, narrow, great lit but somewhat old fashioned story about the struggle between man and nature (weather and harvest) and the burden of taking over a family farm from father to son.
I was expecting more of a Cynan Jones-atmosphere.
I was expecting more of a Cynan Jones-atmosphere.
October 25, 2025
4,5*
Een ode aan het noeste leven van een olijfboer. Helder, krachtig proza. Sober, hard, maar ook kwetsbaar en dankbaar. En dan is daar de oogst.
Heerlijk verhaal !
Een ode aan het noeste leven van een olijfboer. Helder, krachtig proza. Sober, hard, maar ook kwetsbaar en dankbaar. En dan is daar de oogst.
Heerlijk verhaal !
September 25, 2019
Two brothers inherit their father's olive farm on the side of a mountain, the El Hacho of the title. One is happier to keep on farming in the traditional way than the other. This is a short book, but provides a good look at a fading way of life and an appealing, if unoriginal story.
March 26, 2018
Review Also On My Blog : https://emmajanemason.wordpress.com/
El Hacho By Luis Carrasco (Review)
As I use my hand to shield my eyes from the blistering heat I gaze out at the dust filled wasteland before me. The skeletons of trees threaten to disintegrate at the mere mention of a breeze. The ground crumbles beneath my feet, laughing at my attempts to straighten my walk. She, the devil’s mistress is already branding her mark deep into my neck. Reddened and swollen from just a few minutes in her gaze. This is but a taste of where my mind has been exploring the past few days. Intrigued? Read on.
Today on the blog dear readers I have a delightful review for you. A big thank you to the wonderful people at époque press for sending a copy and giving me this opportunity to review the debut novel of Luis Carrasco, El Hacho.
Époque Press is a new independent publisher based in Brighton and Cheltenham who aim to bring inspirational and thought-provoking work to a wider audience. If you are a regular reader here on my blog you will know how I fully support independent publishers seeking out new voices and authors.
Synopsis
El Hacho is a timeless evocation of inheritance, duty and our relationship to the landscape that defines us. Set in the stark beauty of the Andalucían mountains it tells the story of Curro, an olive farmer determined to honour his family tradition in the face of drought, deluge and the lucrative temptations of a rapidly modernising Spain.
Wonderfully crafted, El Hacho is a poignant and compelling story of struggle and hope.
Upon opening El Hacho I was instantly transported to the tranquil Andalusian mountains. A sight I long to see in the flesh one day. But for now, I can pretend I have planted my feet firmly on Spanish soil. El Hacho has more than satisfied my craving. Filled with breathtaking scenery and all the detail to drink in, I was never in short supply of discovering how drastically the sun can wreak havoc with the landscape.
‘He still had time to water the herbs and flowers that glistened with a filmy dew before the angel of life and death reared implacably above the valley wall and scorched the thin leaves dry.’
It opened my eyes to how the simplest thing such as the heat can have devastating effects to those that rely on rain to quench their crop’s thirst. Something I think we are all guilty of taking for granted. I learnt a lot from El Hacho and one thing for definite is to be grateful for what I have and to not obsess over what I don’t. It really is the little things in life that make it all worth while. Cliche as it sounds but honestly dear reader. It’s the truth.
Curro is a kind, thoughtful and wise character. He’s not even mad when he goes to release his traps and he sees some animal has stripped a few of the carcasses first. He knows their need is just as important as his own. His way of thinking is part of an old world that has all but ceased to exist and it is a welcome sight. Again, something we can all learn from and adapt to our modern society.
‘The man is richest whose pleasures are the cheapest. Let’s try to find the balance.’
The endless amounts of love Curro has for his family, his wife Carmen and the land echoes calmly throughout El Hacho. The love for his parents and his father’s approval is touching to read. A small tear escaped me as I followed Curro on his journey to remain true and honest to his family’s traditions. The land is a part of them all, it’s in their veins and grows deep like the roots of the trees. They are connected from generation to generation and will one day all be reunited underground, giving back to the land. A disturbing beautiful imagine that captures the reality of life itself.
I admired the striking imagery of the bull and Curro, it was perfectly done and had the desired effect. Curro and the bull are one and the same. Both incredibly stubborn and determined to finish what they started. This image painted a strong symbol of struggle and hope in my mind. A message to the reader to not give up and never give in. Powerful stuff.
‘Why doesn’t he escape the heat, he thought, and knew he was the bull himself.’
As I read page after page of Curro working himself till he bled I felt exhausted. My bones ached at the weight this man was carrying upon his shoulders. There were times where I wished it to end, for the rain to come and his sentence to be done. But it didn’t. I had to read through his torment, day after day, praying it would all be worth it in the end. That Curro would finally be rewarded. A well used technique by Carrasco, as the reader is completely immersed in the character’s experiences. They too have to continue to watch this play out with no quick escape route in site. The reader is solely relying on only the hope and strength of this one character holding it all together. Genius writing.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading how the relationship between Curro and his brother Jose-Marie played out as they are complete polar opposites. While Curro is all about tradition and hard work. Jose-Marie dreams of a life of luxury and money. So when an offer was laid out on the table to Curro, I was extremely curious how this was going to pan out.
‘The way you look at others.
How do I look at others?
Like there’s nothing in them but a way to make some money. We’re all spokes on the same wheel Marie. We turn together.’
You can’t help but understand why Marie wants a different and better life as he is young and never wanted to work on the land. Yet you want him to stay working with Curro, to carry on their family’s tradition. I was desperately biting my lip hoping that Curro would do what most of us normal folk would do. Choose the money. The fact that I cared about this character to choose an easy way out spoke volumes to me. I am not one to quit and will fight to the bitter end. But I couldn’t bear the thought of Curro continuing to struggle, losing flesh, sweat and blood in the process. It made me tense up which admittedly made me read more.
‘To tear down that mountain would be to rip the heart from this village.’
However, I gained more respect for Curro. Not only did he let his brother go but he also gave him a small lump sum of money. That, right there dear readers is a gentlemen. A man among men. Someone who sacrifices their own personal gain in the name of family. The greed in humans is what destroys and pollutes the world we live in. The place we call home. It’s in all of us waiting to manifest and corrupt our lives. But if we could all learn and take something away from Curro, it would be to live a life of worth by enjoying the simplest of pleasures. To be rich in love, family, life and not allow money to dictate to us whether we can be happy without it.
Towards the end of El Hacho I was cheering Curro on to succeed. I felt helpless but I persisted for I owed it to him, to not abandon him like his own brother. And boy was I glad I did. Only at the end did I realise how much I had learned and felt stronger in myself. A powerful journey, one I would willingly take again and again. It’s books like El Hacho that truly show you the beauty in it all. They leave an imprint on your heart that stays with you for a lifetime. El Hacho strips back to the basics in life. What and who really matters when it all falls down before your eyes. To not give up and to always be true to yourself.
I give El Hacho By Luis Carrasco a Four out of Five paw rating.
A story with a lot of heart. I can not recommend this book enough. If you are looking for a journey of self discovery and a glimpse of an old world long forgotten. El Hacho is for you. It speaks to so many people on different levels that you will be surprised with what you discover each time you escape to the Andalusian mountains.
Hop hop wiggle wiggle
El Hacho By Luis Carrasco (Review)
As I use my hand to shield my eyes from the blistering heat I gaze out at the dust filled wasteland before me. The skeletons of trees threaten to disintegrate at the mere mention of a breeze. The ground crumbles beneath my feet, laughing at my attempts to straighten my walk. She, the devil’s mistress is already branding her mark deep into my neck. Reddened and swollen from just a few minutes in her gaze. This is but a taste of where my mind has been exploring the past few days. Intrigued? Read on.
Today on the blog dear readers I have a delightful review for you. A big thank you to the wonderful people at époque press for sending a copy and giving me this opportunity to review the debut novel of Luis Carrasco, El Hacho.
Époque Press is a new independent publisher based in Brighton and Cheltenham who aim to bring inspirational and thought-provoking work to a wider audience. If you are a regular reader here on my blog you will know how I fully support independent publishers seeking out new voices and authors.
Synopsis
El Hacho is a timeless evocation of inheritance, duty and our relationship to the landscape that defines us. Set in the stark beauty of the Andalucían mountains it tells the story of Curro, an olive farmer determined to honour his family tradition in the face of drought, deluge and the lucrative temptations of a rapidly modernising Spain.
Wonderfully crafted, El Hacho is a poignant and compelling story of struggle and hope.
Upon opening El Hacho I was instantly transported to the tranquil Andalusian mountains. A sight I long to see in the flesh one day. But for now, I can pretend I have planted my feet firmly on Spanish soil. El Hacho has more than satisfied my craving. Filled with breathtaking scenery and all the detail to drink in, I was never in short supply of discovering how drastically the sun can wreak havoc with the landscape.
‘He still had time to water the herbs and flowers that glistened with a filmy dew before the angel of life and death reared implacably above the valley wall and scorched the thin leaves dry.’
It opened my eyes to how the simplest thing such as the heat can have devastating effects to those that rely on rain to quench their crop’s thirst. Something I think we are all guilty of taking for granted. I learnt a lot from El Hacho and one thing for definite is to be grateful for what I have and to not obsess over what I don’t. It really is the little things in life that make it all worth while. Cliche as it sounds but honestly dear reader. It’s the truth.
Curro is a kind, thoughtful and wise character. He’s not even mad when he goes to release his traps and he sees some animal has stripped a few of the carcasses first. He knows their need is just as important as his own. His way of thinking is part of an old world that has all but ceased to exist and it is a welcome sight. Again, something we can all learn from and adapt to our modern society.
‘The man is richest whose pleasures are the cheapest. Let’s try to find the balance.’
The endless amounts of love Curro has for his family, his wife Carmen and the land echoes calmly throughout El Hacho. The love for his parents and his father’s approval is touching to read. A small tear escaped me as I followed Curro on his journey to remain true and honest to his family’s traditions. The land is a part of them all, it’s in their veins and grows deep like the roots of the trees. They are connected from generation to generation and will one day all be reunited underground, giving back to the land. A disturbing beautiful imagine that captures the reality of life itself.
I admired the striking imagery of the bull and Curro, it was perfectly done and had the desired effect. Curro and the bull are one and the same. Both incredibly stubborn and determined to finish what they started. This image painted a strong symbol of struggle and hope in my mind. A message to the reader to not give up and never give in. Powerful stuff.
‘Why doesn’t he escape the heat, he thought, and knew he was the bull himself.’
As I read page after page of Curro working himself till he bled I felt exhausted. My bones ached at the weight this man was carrying upon his shoulders. There were times where I wished it to end, for the rain to come and his sentence to be done. But it didn’t. I had to read through his torment, day after day, praying it would all be worth it in the end. That Curro would finally be rewarded. A well used technique by Carrasco, as the reader is completely immersed in the character’s experiences. They too have to continue to watch this play out with no quick escape route in site. The reader is solely relying on only the hope and strength of this one character holding it all together. Genius writing.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading how the relationship between Curro and his brother Jose-Marie played out as they are complete polar opposites. While Curro is all about tradition and hard work. Jose-Marie dreams of a life of luxury and money. So when an offer was laid out on the table to Curro, I was extremely curious how this was going to pan out.
‘The way you look at others.
How do I look at others?
Like there’s nothing in them but a way to make some money. We’re all spokes on the same wheel Marie. We turn together.’
You can’t help but understand why Marie wants a different and better life as he is young and never wanted to work on the land. Yet you want him to stay working with Curro, to carry on their family’s tradition. I was desperately biting my lip hoping that Curro would do what most of us normal folk would do. Choose the money. The fact that I cared about this character to choose an easy way out spoke volumes to me. I am not one to quit and will fight to the bitter end. But I couldn’t bear the thought of Curro continuing to struggle, losing flesh, sweat and blood in the process. It made me tense up which admittedly made me read more.
‘To tear down that mountain would be to rip the heart from this village.’
However, I gained more respect for Curro. Not only did he let his brother go but he also gave him a small lump sum of money. That, right there dear readers is a gentlemen. A man among men. Someone who sacrifices their own personal gain in the name of family. The greed in humans is what destroys and pollutes the world we live in. The place we call home. It’s in all of us waiting to manifest and corrupt our lives. But if we could all learn and take something away from Curro, it would be to live a life of worth by enjoying the simplest of pleasures. To be rich in love, family, life and not allow money to dictate to us whether we can be happy without it.
Towards the end of El Hacho I was cheering Curro on to succeed. I felt helpless but I persisted for I owed it to him, to not abandon him like his own brother. And boy was I glad I did. Only at the end did I realise how much I had learned and felt stronger in myself. A powerful journey, one I would willingly take again and again. It’s books like El Hacho that truly show you the beauty in it all. They leave an imprint on your heart that stays with you for a lifetime. El Hacho strips back to the basics in life. What and who really matters when it all falls down before your eyes. To not give up and to always be true to yourself.
I give El Hacho By Luis Carrasco a Four out of Five paw rating.
A story with a lot of heart. I can not recommend this book enough. If you are looking for a journey of self discovery and a glimpse of an old world long forgotten. El Hacho is for you. It speaks to so many people on different levels that you will be surprised with what you discover each time you escape to the Andalusian mountains.
Hop hop wiggle wiggle
December 20, 2023
This novella brings us one small piece of the generations-long life of one family on their olive and fruit tree farm, in the shadow of the rocky El Hacho mountain. One brother is deeply embedded in the continuum of this generational chain, the other is eager to break free.
It's a gently told story that draws you into the slow rhythm of the land and the unbreakable bond between this land and the farmer who is committed to continuity, no matter what the difficulties.
His life and that of the farm are inextricably joined forming one whole and inseparable entity. Logic doesn't enter this equation, nor do financial considerations. With no children of his own to continue this endeavor, with the relentless back-breaking work, and faced with the reality of his advancing age and physical limitations, it's clear that at a certain point in time in the future, the continuity will doubtless be broken. But for the farmer it is what it is, and the bond with the land must be perpetuated, as it always has been.
The days will elapse, the seasons and years will inexorably flow, and the sense is that, for him, the recurring droughts and floods and the endless work are not futile, no matter what the future holds. His close and loving relationship with his wife is part and parcel of this whole.
It's a beautifully rendered story.
It's a gently told story that draws you into the slow rhythm of the land and the unbreakable bond between this land and the farmer who is committed to continuity, no matter what the difficulties.
His life and that of the farm are inextricably joined forming one whole and inseparable entity. Logic doesn't enter this equation, nor do financial considerations. With no children of his own to continue this endeavor, with the relentless back-breaking work, and faced with the reality of his advancing age and physical limitations, it's clear that at a certain point in time in the future, the continuity will doubtless be broken. But for the farmer it is what it is, and the bond with the land must be perpetuated, as it always has been.
The days will elapse, the seasons and years will inexorably flow, and the sense is that, for him, the recurring droughts and floods and the endless work are not futile, no matter what the future holds. His close and loving relationship with his wife is part and parcel of this whole.
It's a beautifully rendered story.
April 27, 2018
Luis Carrasco's El Hacho is a novella set in Andalusia. The main character, Curro, is a farmer who lives and works on the olive farm he has inherited from his late father, along with his brother Jose-Marie. Looming over the olive grove is El Hacho itself, the mountain that dominates the surrounding landscape, and which has attracted the interest of a quarrying firm. Despite the hardships of running a tiny olive farm in the punishingly hot weather conditions of southern Spain, Curro refuses point-blank to sell his land - while Jose-Marie loathes working on the farm and longs to take the money.
El Hacho isn't a plot-driven novel - very little actually happens - but rather an extended vignette. We see Curro struggle to keep his farm going in a terrible drought, carrying out back-breaking physical tasks alone in the heat, trapping rabbits for him and his wife to eat while she makes gloves from their skins to sell to tourist shops in the nearby town, and we follow the dispute between him and Jose-Marie over the future of the farm. Curro's relationship with his wife is touchingly solid and affectionate, as indeed is his relationship with the land and his olive trees. This book reminded me somewhat of Jean De Florette, and also of the Icelandic film Rams in that is has that same sense of a relentlessly difficult relationship between farmers and their land, and of a desire to preserve an inherited way of life in a changing nation.
The arid Spanish landscape is brilliantly described in a way that's extremely evocative - you can almost feel the sun beating down and taste the salted almonds that Curro roasts as a snack. Curro himself is dogged and stubborn: just as his neighbour's mistreated bull refuses to back away from him, Curro is battered and beaten by the land, the weather and sheer exhaustion but insists on plodding on to do his duty to his meagre inheritance.
I do think it's a good thing that this book so short, because if this were a longer novel the richness of the descriptions and the heat-soaked slowness of pace would soon become too much. But as a short novella and a glimpse into a way of life that's rapidly dying out, it works beautifully. I recommend reading it with some Spanish-style bread and a dish of olives beside you.
El Hacho isn't a plot-driven novel - very little actually happens - but rather an extended vignette. We see Curro struggle to keep his farm going in a terrible drought, carrying out back-breaking physical tasks alone in the heat, trapping rabbits for him and his wife to eat while she makes gloves from their skins to sell to tourist shops in the nearby town, and we follow the dispute between him and Jose-Marie over the future of the farm. Curro's relationship with his wife is touchingly solid and affectionate, as indeed is his relationship with the land and his olive trees. This book reminded me somewhat of Jean De Florette, and also of the Icelandic film Rams in that is has that same sense of a relentlessly difficult relationship between farmers and their land, and of a desire to preserve an inherited way of life in a changing nation.
The arid Spanish landscape is brilliantly described in a way that's extremely evocative - you can almost feel the sun beating down and taste the salted almonds that Curro roasts as a snack. Curro himself is dogged and stubborn: just as his neighbour's mistreated bull refuses to back away from him, Curro is battered and beaten by the land, the weather and sheer exhaustion but insists on plodding on to do his duty to his meagre inheritance.
I do think it's a good thing that this book so short, because if this were a longer novel the richness of the descriptions and the heat-soaked slowness of pace would soon become too much. But as a short novella and a glimpse into a way of life that's rapidly dying out, it works beautifully. I recommend reading it with some Spanish-style bread and a dish of olives beside you.
December 21, 2020
Curro werkt samen met zijn broer Jose-Marie op het land dat ook hun vader en diens vader bewerkten. Het is gelegen aan de berg El Hacho in Andalusië. Olijfboomgaarden zijn de voornaamste bron van inkomsten. Het is hard labeur omwille van de droogte en de hitte. Maar Curro voelt het als zijn plicht tegenover zijn overleden vader om vol te houden. Zijn broer wil liever een ander en gemakkelijker leven leiden, met wat meer luxe ook.
"Het hellen van een leven" is een met veel oog voor detail geschreven roman over verbondenheid met het land, de strijd tegen de natuur en de elementen, trouw aan de familie en aan traditie, over onbaatzuchtige liefde en koppige volharding.
Alles aan dit boek is voor mij perfect : het verhaal, de eenvoudige en toch poëtische taal en ook de knappe omslag. Geen "bladvulling" en elk woord op zijn plaats, niets te veel of te weinig.
Knap debuut van de in Zuidwest Engeland levende Luis Carrasco.
"Het hellen van een leven" is een met veel oog voor detail geschreven roman over verbondenheid met het land, de strijd tegen de natuur en de elementen, trouw aan de familie en aan traditie, over onbaatzuchtige liefde en koppige volharding.
Alles aan dit boek is voor mij perfect : het verhaal, de eenvoudige en toch poëtische taal en ook de knappe omslag. Geen "bladvulling" en elk woord op zijn plaats, niets te veel of te weinig.
Knap debuut van de in Zuidwest Engeland levende Luis Carrasco.
April 14, 2025
Een ode én klaagzang van een trager leven.
"Hij liep met zijn laarzen het koele blauw van het terras op en ging op de rand zitten, strikte de veters en strekte zijn hals uit naar een rijpe maan die zachtjes de contouren van de vallei bedekte en de tombe van stilte onderging die een plek had gevonden tussen het einde van de insecten en het begin van de vogels. Zijn adem was het enige geluid."
"Hij liep met zijn laarzen het koele blauw van het terras op en ging op de rand zitten, strikte de veters en strekte zijn hals uit naar een rijpe maan die zachtjes de contouren van de vallei bedekte en de tombe van stilte onderging die een plek had gevonden tussen het einde van de insecten en het begin van de vogels. Zijn adem was het enige geluid."
January 20, 2023
I bought this book spontaneously on Monday because I thought I might have found a little gem, and the ratings on Goodreads were high. I liked the idea of picking something up that the established reviewers (of The Guardian for example) had missed, maybe by accident, a novel by a small(er) independent publishing company.
It just felt like I was reading the Spanish retelling of The Old Man and the Sea, but then... The Olive Farmer and the Drought. Apart from the overall theme, the rest of the novel was nothing like Hemingway's masterpiece. The characters were too flat and the dialogues felt awkward and unnatural at times. I found the main character annoyingly ignorant, the "meaningful message" of the novel was clear from the start and didn't change, plot was too predictable etc. I did enjoy reading about the life of a Spanish olive farmer, and there was some gorgeous language used every now and then. I wish we had read more about Jose-Marie's journey to defy his hereditary duty to his father or about the drive behind Curro's wife's loyalty. It was all about Curro's own obsession with the land of El Hacho and the necessity of rain.
Although señor Carrasco did try to be more than that, with all due respect, for me it was just mainly an entertaining read. I wish I had read it on a day spent at the beach, think I might have found the main character a lot more relatable then.
It just felt like I was reading the Spanish retelling of The Old Man and the Sea, but then... The Olive Farmer and the Drought. Apart from the overall theme, the rest of the novel was nothing like Hemingway's masterpiece. The characters were too flat and the dialogues felt awkward and unnatural at times. I found the main character annoyingly ignorant, the "meaningful message" of the novel was clear from the start and didn't change, plot was too predictable etc. I did enjoy reading about the life of a Spanish olive farmer, and there was some gorgeous language used every now and then. I wish we had read more about Jose-Marie's journey to defy his hereditary duty to his father or about the drive behind Curro's wife's loyalty. It was all about Curro's own obsession with the land of El Hacho and the necessity of rain.
Although señor Carrasco did try to be more than that, with all due respect, for me it was just mainly an entertaining read. I wish I had read it on a day spent at the beach, think I might have found the main character a lot more relatable then.
September 16, 2023
For someone who couldn’t wait to get away from the semi rural place where they grew up I do love a book about the clash between age old tradition and modernity (hypocritically often coming down on the side of tradition…). This is another such book but set on an olive farm in sun-blistered Andalusia. Sparsely but beautifully rendered and made all the more evocative by having spent time in the area in the past few days. Nothing happens and everything happens and I finished the book with a contradictory reassurance of the permanence of the land and a fear of what happens as those who are its current guardians are tempted away more and more by the promise of an easy buck. Very quickly read but leaving plenty to ponder.
July 5, 2025
Koop je jezelf uit de armoede of blijf je arm in de traditie staan waaruit je bent voortgekomen? Daar moeten twee broers met een door erfenis verkregen olijfboomgaard uit kiezen. Hun opa breidde de gaard uit en hun vader zette hem voort, maar de twee broers, Francisco en José-Marie, kunnen er nog maar net met hun gezinnen van rondkomen. Armoe is troef. Ze krijgen een bod op hun bezit waarmee ze zich makkelijk een jaar of vijf zouden kunnen redden. Wat besluiten ze en waarom? Daar geeft Luis Carrasco antwoord op in zijn kleine ingetogen roman El Hacho, die in 2020 onder de titel Het hellen van een leven in Nederland werd uitgebracht, vertaald door Jona Hoek.
Carrasco beschrijft een soort dilemma waar kleine familiebedrijven wel vaker voor staan. Grootgrondbezitters of grootbedrijven die meer productie willen draaien azen op land dat vruchtbaar is of natuurlijke rijkdommen bevat. Ze gebruiken dikwijls moderne productietechnieken die weliswaar tot snelle resultaten leiden maar doorgaans ook tot uitputting of verwoesting van het leefmilieu. In El Hacho heeft een steenfabrikant zijn oog op de olijfboomgaard van de broers laten vallen, die hij wil omvormen tot een steengroeve. Vanwege het nabijgelegen natuurlijke waterreservoir, waaruit niet alleen water voor de groeve kan worden geput maar waarvan ook het dorp van Francisco en José-Marie profiteert, is de ligging van de gaard voor de fabrikant ideaal. We zijn in Andalusië, het dorp heet Montejaque en de berg waartegen de olijfboomgaard ligt El Hacho.
Carrasco laat de lezer in het ongewisse over de dagen waarin het verhaal zich precies afspeelt. Er rijden auto’s rond en mensen kijken tv, maar de zeer lange periode van droogte en de ongewoon hevige regenval worden niet expliciet aan klimaatverandering gekoppeld. Het woord klimaatverandering komt niet eenmaal in deze roman voor. Daar is het Carrasco ook niet direct om te doen, lezers leggen hun eigen verbanden. We bevinden ons in de moderne tijd, waarin grote maatschappelijke veranderingen zich voltrekken die alles en iedereen raken. Niets blijft bij het oude. Van generatie op generatie overgeleverde leefwijzen verpulveren onder druk van hebzucht en kapitaal, aloude banden van de mens met de natuur worden met vlijmscherpe messen doorgesneden. Tegen dat decor discussiëren de broers over hun toekomst. Ze zijn het niet eens met elkaar, maar komen wel tot een vergelijk.
Een vergelijk waar ik als lezer, en ik denk vele lezers met mij, vrede mee heb. De ene broer koopt de andere uit, zij het tegen een lager bedrag dan ze beiden van de fabrikant hadden kunnen krijgen. Carrasco weet de standpunten van de broers invoelbaar en begrijpelijk te maken. Iedere lezer zal zich ook afvragen wat hij in hun plaats zou hebben gedaan. De tragiek van El Hacho is echter dat geen enkel besluit hoopvol stemmend is. Je vreest dat de olijfboomgaard op termijn tóch zal verdwijnen. Ondanks de rampzalige gevolgen voor mens, dier en milieu lijken alleen verdergaande schaalvergroting en mechanisering van bedrijven nog bespreekbaar te zijn. Deze uitzichtloze toekomst van het kapitalisme is een impliciete boodschap van deze roman. Als we dat wrede juk niet van ons af weten te werpen gaan we naar de verdommenis. En dát blijft na lezing hangen. Olijfboer Francisco doet wat we eigenlijk allemaal zouden moeten doen, weerstand bieden aan grootkapitaal en hebzucht, die van anderen én van jezelf.
Carrasco beschrijft een soort dilemma waar kleine familiebedrijven wel vaker voor staan. Grootgrondbezitters of grootbedrijven die meer productie willen draaien azen op land dat vruchtbaar is of natuurlijke rijkdommen bevat. Ze gebruiken dikwijls moderne productietechnieken die weliswaar tot snelle resultaten leiden maar doorgaans ook tot uitputting of verwoesting van het leefmilieu. In El Hacho heeft een steenfabrikant zijn oog op de olijfboomgaard van de broers laten vallen, die hij wil omvormen tot een steengroeve. Vanwege het nabijgelegen natuurlijke waterreservoir, waaruit niet alleen water voor de groeve kan worden geput maar waarvan ook het dorp van Francisco en José-Marie profiteert, is de ligging van de gaard voor de fabrikant ideaal. We zijn in Andalusië, het dorp heet Montejaque en de berg waartegen de olijfboomgaard ligt El Hacho.
Carrasco laat de lezer in het ongewisse over de dagen waarin het verhaal zich precies afspeelt. Er rijden auto’s rond en mensen kijken tv, maar de zeer lange periode van droogte en de ongewoon hevige regenval worden niet expliciet aan klimaatverandering gekoppeld. Het woord klimaatverandering komt niet eenmaal in deze roman voor. Daar is het Carrasco ook niet direct om te doen, lezers leggen hun eigen verbanden. We bevinden ons in de moderne tijd, waarin grote maatschappelijke veranderingen zich voltrekken die alles en iedereen raken. Niets blijft bij het oude. Van generatie op generatie overgeleverde leefwijzen verpulveren onder druk van hebzucht en kapitaal, aloude banden van de mens met de natuur worden met vlijmscherpe messen doorgesneden. Tegen dat decor discussiëren de broers over hun toekomst. Ze zijn het niet eens met elkaar, maar komen wel tot een vergelijk.
Een vergelijk waar ik als lezer, en ik denk vele lezers met mij, vrede mee heb. De ene broer koopt de andere uit, zij het tegen een lager bedrag dan ze beiden van de fabrikant hadden kunnen krijgen. Carrasco weet de standpunten van de broers invoelbaar en begrijpelijk te maken. Iedere lezer zal zich ook afvragen wat hij in hun plaats zou hebben gedaan. De tragiek van El Hacho is echter dat geen enkel besluit hoopvol stemmend is. Je vreest dat de olijfboomgaard op termijn tóch zal verdwijnen. Ondanks de rampzalige gevolgen voor mens, dier en milieu lijken alleen verdergaande schaalvergroting en mechanisering van bedrijven nog bespreekbaar te zijn. Deze uitzichtloze toekomst van het kapitalisme is een impliciete boodschap van deze roman. Als we dat wrede juk niet van ons af weten te werpen gaan we naar de verdommenis. En dát blijft na lezing hangen. Olijfboer Francisco doet wat we eigenlijk allemaal zouden moeten doen, weerstand bieden aan grootkapitaal en hebzucht, die van anderen én van jezelf.
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December 8, 2020Zoek een knus plekje, zet een bordje zwetende manchego en een glas wijn klaar en waan je met dit kleinood in de bergen van Andalusië. En ervaar het contrast tussen die gezelligheid en het harde leven van het hoofdpersonage.
January 20, 2023
Genres : Levensverhalen;Mood: Dromerig;Literatuur: Zuid-Europa
Citaat :
Als je die berg afbreekt zal je het hart uit dit dorp rukken. Die twee zijn door een geschiedenis met elkaar verbonden die teruggaat tot de Moren die deze huizen en straten gemaakt hebben.
Review :
‘Het hellen van een leven’ is een tijdloze evocatie van erfgoed, plicht en onze verhouding tot het landschap dat ons definieert. De roman speelt zich af in de schoonheid van de Andalusische bergen en vertelt het verhaal van Curro, een olijfboer die vastbesloten is om zijn familietraditie in ere te houden te midden van droogte, stortregens en de lucratieve verleidingen van een in rap tempo moderniserend Spanje.
Het hellen van een leven is een prachtig geschreven, doordringend en meeslepend verhaal over strijd en hoop. Er is veel meer sfeer dan plot, maar dat maakt het verhaal juist zo speciaal. Curro en zijn broer Jose-Marie hebben de kleine olijfboerderij geërfd op de hellingen van El Hacho, een berg tussen Cádiz en Málaga waarop dezelfde traditionele manier olijven worden gekweekt als door hun vader en grootvader. De onvermoeibare Curro wordt geconfronteerd met verschillende beproevingen - eerst een droogte die het gewas en de bomen dreigt te verwoesten en daarna gevolgd door weken van zware regen die hem bijna verhindert om het gewas te oogsten.
José-Marie is minder enthousiast, en wil zijn aandeel in de boerderij verkopen, zich ervan bewust dat een mijnbouwbedrijf een aanzienlijk aanbod doet om ze uit te kopen, een vooruitzicht dat curro doet gruwelen net als wijlen zijn vader. Curro weet dat Marie nooit een oprechte boer zal zijn en breekt de familietraditie van financiële onafhankelijkheid om Marie af te kopen met een hypotheek. Zijn nuchtere maar toch liefdevolle vrouw steunt hem in dit proces, en gunt hem volledig het recht op zijn keuzes en zijn leven.
De Anglo-Spaanse auteur woonde een korte periode in de Sierra de Grazelema en de Serranía de Ronda waar hij zijn inspiratie voor dit boek opdeed. Hij slaagt er dan ook op briljante wijze in om de droge Spaanse landschappen heel mooi en visueel te beschrijven.
Vertaalster Jona Hoek, die overigens zeer sterk vertaalwerk levert koos voor Het hellen van een leven, als titel omdat die zowel de poëzie als de moraal van het verhaal weergeeft. Toch verkies ik de originele titel El Hacho, want het is de berg die een dominerend personage in het boek vormt.
Citaat :
Als je die berg afbreekt zal je het hart uit dit dorp rukken. Die twee zijn door een geschiedenis met elkaar verbonden die teruggaat tot de Moren die deze huizen en straten gemaakt hebben.
Review :
‘Het hellen van een leven’ is een tijdloze evocatie van erfgoed, plicht en onze verhouding tot het landschap dat ons definieert. De roman speelt zich af in de schoonheid van de Andalusische bergen en vertelt het verhaal van Curro, een olijfboer die vastbesloten is om zijn familietraditie in ere te houden te midden van droogte, stortregens en de lucratieve verleidingen van een in rap tempo moderniserend Spanje.
Het hellen van een leven is een prachtig geschreven, doordringend en meeslepend verhaal over strijd en hoop. Er is veel meer sfeer dan plot, maar dat maakt het verhaal juist zo speciaal. Curro en zijn broer Jose-Marie hebben de kleine olijfboerderij geërfd op de hellingen van El Hacho, een berg tussen Cádiz en Málaga waarop dezelfde traditionele manier olijven worden gekweekt als door hun vader en grootvader. De onvermoeibare Curro wordt geconfronteerd met verschillende beproevingen - eerst een droogte die het gewas en de bomen dreigt te verwoesten en daarna gevolgd door weken van zware regen die hem bijna verhindert om het gewas te oogsten.
José-Marie is minder enthousiast, en wil zijn aandeel in de boerderij verkopen, zich ervan bewust dat een mijnbouwbedrijf een aanzienlijk aanbod doet om ze uit te kopen, een vooruitzicht dat curro doet gruwelen net als wijlen zijn vader. Curro weet dat Marie nooit een oprechte boer zal zijn en breekt de familietraditie van financiële onafhankelijkheid om Marie af te kopen met een hypotheek. Zijn nuchtere maar toch liefdevolle vrouw steunt hem in dit proces, en gunt hem volledig het recht op zijn keuzes en zijn leven.
De Anglo-Spaanse auteur woonde een korte periode in de Sierra de Grazelema en de Serranía de Ronda waar hij zijn inspiratie voor dit boek opdeed. Hij slaagt er dan ook op briljante wijze in om de droge Spaanse landschappen heel mooi en visueel te beschrijven.
Vertaalster Jona Hoek, die overigens zeer sterk vertaalwerk levert koos voor Het hellen van een leven, als titel omdat die zowel de poëzie als de moraal van het verhaal weergeeft. Toch verkies ik de originele titel El Hacho, want het is de berg die een dominerend personage in het boek vormt.
October 6, 2024
Lent to me by a friend :) Very beautiful writing
June 25, 2022
Wonderful little book - I loved it!
The GR description of this book includes this sentence: El Hacho is a timeless evocation of inheritance, duty and our relationship to the landscape that defines us. And that is exactly what it is. Curro is an olive farmer. His small farm is on the side of a mountain - El Hacho. His father refused to sell and Curro has inherited his father's attachment to the mountain and the family plot, despite the backbreaking work it entails. Curro's brother fells quite differently about the farm.
The setting is Andalusia, Spain. I was there hiking in the area where the book is set a few months ago. It is beautiful. There are many olive farms. Some are set in gentle rolling hills; others, like Curro's, are on challenging mountain sides. I know from firsthand experience that growing up on a farm includes arduous work, even with tractors to help. Curro had no tractor and no animal - he was the one who had to wheel the cart, empty and full, to and fro the olive trees at harvest. He loved the land, he loved his life, although in the midst of a drought and in the midst of an everlasting rain, he despaired.
Beautiful little book.
The GR description of this book includes this sentence: El Hacho is a timeless evocation of inheritance, duty and our relationship to the landscape that defines us. And that is exactly what it is. Curro is an olive farmer. His small farm is on the side of a mountain - El Hacho. His father refused to sell and Curro has inherited his father's attachment to the mountain and the family plot, despite the backbreaking work it entails. Curro's brother fells quite differently about the farm.
The setting is Andalusia, Spain. I was there hiking in the area where the book is set a few months ago. It is beautiful. There are many olive farms. Some are set in gentle rolling hills; others, like Curro's, are on challenging mountain sides. I know from firsthand experience that growing up on a farm includes arduous work, even with tractors to help. Curro had no tractor and no animal - he was the one who had to wheel the cart, empty and full, to and fro the olive trees at harvest. He loved the land, he loved his life, although in the midst of a drought and in the midst of an everlasting rain, he despaired.
Beautiful little book.
July 16, 2018
The Andalusian sun saturates this extraordinary novella. You feel its heat on the very first page and it burns throughout the 100+ pages. It is just one of the burdens facing two olive farming brothers who try to scratch a living from poor soil in an unforgiving climate. One is wedded to the land, heart and soul. It’s part of his DNA, while the other is imprisoned by it and longs to escape.
This is a beautifully written book, perfect for book groups because there are plenty of issues to chew over...
This is a beautifully written book, perfect for book groups because there are plenty of issues to chew over...
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