This volume contains four of the best short stories by Spanish National Book Award winner Paco Martín. In ＂The New Fire＂, a commune has been set up in an abandoned village. One of the residents, Mr Mirión, has a kind of totem pole in his yard, which the narrator and his friend would like to use for the St John’s bonfire, but they’re afraid to approach him. In ＂Fina＂, a local doctor writes a letter to his ex-wife and a group of friends to explain the case of a young patient called Fina, who later became a very beautiful woman, and how desperate she was to have a child. In ＂Pitchfork＂, a name used in Galician to refer to the common earwig, Rita is having an affair with a married composer, Silvio Moreiras, who introduces her by a different name wherever they go. Silvio arranges to take her to a friend’s villa with a view to having a good time and then calling off their relationship. In ＂Motorway＂, Milucho is an unofficial guide who accompanies tour groups to various destinations. On the way from Galicia to Madrid, the brand-new bus they are on breaks down, and Milucho is left to appease the travellers in searing heat, without being able to pinpoint on the map exactly where they are. A rich and varied story collection with elements of the supernatural.

Paco Martín is well known for his stories and children’s literature. In 1986, he was one of only two Galician writers to win the Spanish National Book Award for his novel The Things of Ramón Lamote, illustrated by Xoán Balboa and also available in English from Small Stations Press.