European Book Club: The Club Dumas by Arturo Pérez-Reverte

The European Book Club features contemporary works by European authors and April’s selection is “The Club Dumas” by Spanish author Arturo Pérez-Reverte.

The European Book Club, in partnership with the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) in Ottawa, promotes works by contemporary European authors. Each month, a book title from an EU country is chosen for discussion. This April, the focus is on The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte.

Arturo Pérez-Reverte

Arturo Pérez-Reverte was born in Cartagena in 1951. From a young age, he was captivated by history, adventure, and literature. He studied Political Science and Journalism and spent two decades as a war correspondent, covering conflicts in the Balkans, the Middle East, and Africa. This experience profoundly shaped his narrative style, characterized by realism and a keen attention to historical detail.

In the early 1990s, he fully transitioned to literature. His breakthrough novel, El húsar (1986), was followed by La tabla de Flandes (1990) and El club Dumas (1993), which blended mystery, history, and erudition. His most celebrated series, Las aventuras del capitán Alatriste, debuted in 1996, transporting readers to 17th-century Spain through the eyes of a soldier-turned-mercenary.

Beyond fiction, Pérez-Reverte has been a member of the Royal Spanish Academy since 2003 and regularly writes columns that offer sharp critiques of contemporary society. His works, translated into multiple languages, have established him as one of Spain’s most internationally recognized authors.

The Club Dumas

Centuries after the era of knights and secret societies, ancient manuscripts continue to spark obsessions, rivalries, and deadly conspiracies. The Club Dumas follows Lucas Corso, a cynical book detective hired to authenticate a rare 17th-century occult text rumored to summon the devil. As he navigates the shadowy world of rare book collectors and bibliophiles, Corso uncovers a web of mysteries connecting the book to The Three Musketeers and a secret society concealed within the pages of history.

A journey through dusty libraries, coded manuscripts, and perilous encounters, The Club Dumas is both a literary thriller and a tribute to the power of books. Echoing Alexandre Dumas’ swashbuckling tales, Arturo Pérez-Reverte weaves a narrative filled with the sinister undercurrents of forbidden knowledge, where literature transforms into a battleground.