THE SPIRITISTS OF TELDE

All the end of April 1930, a 21-year-old woman was killed by her own family during a spiritism sesión. This horrifying case left an indelible mark in the history of the Canary Islands. The story of the novel begins in the early 16th century, when Pieter Van de Walle, a Jew facing charges of embezzlement, flees from Flanders. He settles in Gran Canaria and his sugar mills prosper, affording him a privileged position in local society. The last generation of his family falls under the influence of Juan Camacho, an emigré who returns from Cuba, bringin spiritism and santería practices with him. Luis León Barreto´s novel is base don a documented true story. The autor, spurred on by his belief that the crime should never have happened, examines both its roots and its significance in further depht, in terms of its present and future dimesions. The text takes on allegorical proportions, is transformed into myth, in the opinión of Yolanda Arencibia, profesor of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. This work, which has reached so many people, constitutes a landmark, a classic of the literatura of the Canary Islands, writes Osvaldo Rodríguez, also a profesor at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.