Manuel Rivas on Tras do Ceo: noir, society, and a hunter’s gaze

In a voice husky from a catarrhal ailment, Manuel Rivas, born in A Coruña in 1957, speaks in Galician about his latest novel, Tras do Ceo (Xerais), which goes on sale tomorrow. The work is a noir, savage tale with no sugar coating, part of a larger literary project set against the human pursuit of humans and the social and natural predation that follows. It invites readers to reflect on the condition of humanity. The Galician writer and journalist, whose books have been translated into more than twenty languages, is scheduled to appear next month at Club Faro to present this story, set during a day of hunting organized to kill a boar known for its killer reputation. Although it is not his first foray into noir, having written Todo é silencio in 2013, which was a finalist for the Hammett Prize for Noir Novel, Tras do Ceo explores the genre with his own signature marks and even a hint of parody aimed at the thriller form, signaling a shift toward a radical new genre.