The shadow of the cypress is long

The shadow of the cypress is long is the first novel by Miguel Delibes, published in 1948 and awarded the Nadal Prize in 1947. It was included in the list of the 100 best novels in Spanish of the 20th century from the Spanish newspaper El Mundo. And this despite the fact that the work was not to the taste of its author, who considered it a failed attempt in his search for a personal style.

The novel is written in the first person, and it is a traditional narrative in terms of path and expressive resources, which takes place partially in an unprotected Ávila; by its walls, but "enclosed" by them.

The first part describes the life of the protagonist and narrator, Pedro, as a child. He is an orphan and finds himself in a difficult situation since his uncle leaves him in charge of a teacher, Don Mateo Lesmes. He has a pessimistic view of life. Later he will meet Alfredo, his first and best friend, and things will end up getting complicated for both of them.

In the second part, the protagonist has become a sailor after having studied at the university. He tries to escape the pessimism acquired by the subjective education of his teacher. On one of his trips abroad, for work reasons, he falls in love with a woman, but he must leave her, since he himself abides by her internal rules and does not allow himself the luxury of changing them or to disobey them.

With the entire novel narrated in an objective tone, the author reveals a mystical scene, dominated mainly by pessimism and the sense of death. However, in the second part of the book, before the protagonist has lost all hope in friendship and love, through some acquaintances he manages to abandon his pessimism and achieve a more balanced perspective on life. Finally, the outcome of the novel implies an inevitable return to the previous pessimism.

Film director in exile in Mexico Luis Alcoriza made a film based on the book during the years 1989 and 1990.