Atlàntic
Josep Lorman Roig
Columna Edicions (2020)
Historical
Finalist of the Néstor Luján Award for Historical Novels, this epic tale of the slave trade at sea sets out on the west coast of Africa in 1842. Owner of the Mataroni Shipping Company, Captain Ferrer proceeds to buy slaves to move them to the Havana market aboard the Triton. One of the slaves who ends up in the hold of the ship is Djembo, an intelligent and resigned boy of the Fang ethnic group for whom the cabin boy, Marc Badia, begins to feel a wave of sympathy. Soon after setting course for Cuba, the Triton is intercepted by the British war frigate, the Charleston, which captures Djembo and takes him to Freetown. It is onboard the Charleston that the young pilot Simon Flaherty enters the scene, a sailor of Irish origin who will sacrifice a promising career in the Royal Navy for love and a sense of responsibility. From this moment on, the destinies of these characters unite and, despite the separations and vicissitudes that each one has to face, a deep feeling of friendship will remain alive throughout the years.
The editor requested a cover design that emulated mid-19th century classics in the tradition of Melville, Dumas, and Conrad. Our cover cooks created an illustrated design evocative of a contemporary Dickens novel, brimming with epic adventure and filled with the Atlantic's most striking ingredients: the Triton sailing with courage and tenacity across treacherous waters; the hands of the protagonists holding each other underneath the anchor of friendship; and the shackles of slaves unexpectedly framing the entire composition.