New section in which reviews of remarkable works of Mediterranean literature and authors from the countries of the Mediterranean basin are regularly published. This third volume is devoted to Aita Tettaouen, the sixth novel in the fourth series of the Épisodes nationaux by Pérez Galdós, which focuses on the so-called war of Tétouan (1859-1860).
If 2020 was destined to be the year of Galdós, since it commemorates the centenary of the death of the writer (1843-1920), the illness imposed by the health alert and the access to his work in a simple and free way, led him to the position of the most widely read author of the Réseau Municipal des Bibliothèques de Séville during the last month of March. More precisely, two titles from the first series of his national episodes, Trafalgar and Bailén, were the most sought-after books. Among the 46 historical romances that make up this great work, researchers or those who are simply interested in the relations between Spain and Morocco can pay a special tribute to the great writer by reading Aita Tettaouen, - the sixth novel in the fourth series of the Épisodes nationaux - which focuses on the so-called war of Tétouan (1859-1860), also known in Spanish historiography as the war of Africa.
Aita Tettaouen It retraces the historical events that took place between the declaration of war in Morocco by O'Donnell's government on 12 October 1859, when Queen Elizabeth II occupied the Spanish throne, and the seizure of the Moroccan city of Tétouan by the Spanish troops on 6 February 1860. Divided into four parts, the diversity of perspectives it presents is remarkable, even supported by the introduction of different voices - represented by a Christian, a Muslim and a Jew - which has led some to call it the epic of the three cultures.
The first part reflects the patriotic fierceness that has been cast upon Spanish society after the declaration of war on its southern neighbour. Benito Pérez Galdós does not miss the opportunity to write the reasons why O'Donnell decided to enter the battle, being given that the grief "was not one of those who demanded blood reparation": "The Spaniards went to war because they needed to gallop a little ahead of Europe and to give public sentiment, at home, a healthy and restorative nourishment. (...) General O'Donnell (...), an imitator of Napoleon III, has sought in the military world a way of integrating nationality (...)".
María Rosa de Madariaga, a specialist in Spanish-Moroccan relations, agrees to highlight the external and internal factors as the main drivers of the war in Africa in her illustration Historia de Marruecos (Los Libros de la Catarata, 2017), an essential starting point for anyone interested in the subject. For this historian, on the one hand, Spain's colonial aspirations were stimulated by the French occupation of Algeria in 1830 and the progressive conquest of the country's territory in the following years. On the other hand, the discredit suffered by the Spanish government following a series of scandals involving the misappropriation of funds has led the general to consider the war as something of a providential step when he was trying to prevent a new military declaration under the pretext of "saving the country". Ainsi, O'Donnell " (...) thought that occupying them in an external enterprise would free them from their tendencies to coup d'état" (p. 101). De Madariaga also emphasises the very important role played by the press in "the intoxication of the masses".
The second part recounts the events that took place between the disembarkation of the Spanish troops in Ceuta and their arrival in the Tétouan valley, a journey that serves to represent the transformation of the protagonist of the piece and to express the main arguments in favour of pacifist theories. Ainsi, Juan Santiuste incarne la transition entre l'idéalisation de la guerre et la dura réalité inhérente à tout conflit. His ardent patriotism is transformed into implacable pacifism and even humanism: "War, seen in reality, has become as haunting to me as it was magnificently represented when I was amused by the reading". "(...) I maintain that war is a stupid game, contrary to the law of God and to nature itself. I assure you that when I saw the incalculable number of deaths caused by the balls these days, I had no more pity for the Spanish than for the Maures".
In this second part, it is also worth mentioning the detailed account that Galdós gives of the confrontations, battles, scarmouches, supplies and other war activities that marked the path of the Spanish army to Tétouan, a city that the writer visited personally, as well as Tangiers, in his documentation work in preparation for this episode. This method has been used by the author throughout the book and has included, where possible, interviews with eyewitnesses of the events or their direct descendants, which undoubtedly gives the episodes the air of a true historical chronicle.
The third part situates the action in the town of Tétouan shortly before the entry of the Spanish troops. The author gives a profound twist to the structure of the novel by changing the narrator. Thus, the story is told by the Muslim convert Sidi El Hach Mohammed Ben Sur el Nasiry as an epitome of the Chérif Sidi El Hach Mohammed Ben Jaher El Zebdy. There is no doubt that Galdós had to document himself extensively from the Arab chronicles, since he faithfully reproduces their style, using the invocations, languages and expressions that are proper to them and even using the date of the Muslim or Islamic calendar at the beginning of the story - the month of Rayab in 1276.
Le Nasiry then recounts the events he has witnessed since the appearance of the Spanish in the Tétouan valley, producing a very interesting account of the conflict between the two armies from the point of view of a Moroccan. It is worth noting the central place occupied by the Jewish community in this chronicle, in which the stereotypes are not absent, but where the relevant position of the community in the society is highlighted. Another remarkable aspect is Galdós's use of Judeo-Spanish or Ladino, the language used by the Sephardic Jewish population after the expulsion from Spain in 1492 and which is used by the Jews of Tétouan in the novel.
In the fourth and last part, dated in Tétouan between January and February 1860, the narrator bases his story on the "gifts and news" of the young Mazaltob, a Tétouanese celestine who plays an important role in the friendly relations between Santiuste and a young woman from the Sephardic community. The young Spaniard discovers a diverse and tolerant city in which " (...) if the Maures and the Jews fought over the four corners, they never did it for religious reasons: the synagogues and mosques functioned in absolute independence and in mutual respect for their venerated rites".Although the novel ends with the entry of the Spanish troops into the city, the intrigue continues through the first twelve chapters of the next national episode of the fourth series, Charles VI at La Rapita.
Dans Aita TettaouenWe find a fascinating account of one of the most significant chapters of the complicated, volatile, volatile, unbreakable and still desirable relations between Spain and Morocco. If the war of Tétouan strengthened O'Donnell's government and the Spanish presence in North Africa, for Morocco, vain and defenceless, "it meant a real catastrophe (...), a terrible catastrophe which would contribute to further plunge the country into a political and financial dependence on foreign countries" (María Rosa de Madarija de Madarija).), une terrible hécatombe qui allait contribuer à plonger encore plus le pays dans une dépendance politique et financière vis-à-vis des pays étrangers" (María Rosa de Madariaga, Histoire du Maroc, p. 103). The national epic of the three cultures reflects the historical and geographical necessity of these relations in the words of the old Ansúrez, the spokesman, like many other Galdosian characters, of the wisdom often found in the hearts of the people: "(...) the French and the Spanish are closer than they seem to be. Learn a bit of religion, learn a bit of language, and the airs of parenthood and family will be in your eyes. What is a maure de plus qu'un mahométan espagnol ? Et combien d'Espagnols voyons-nous qui sont des maures en costume chrétien ? (...) cette guerre que nous menons actuellement est un guerre civile un peu (...)".
Aita Tettaouen can be easily downloaded from the network of the municipal libraries of Séville by searching for the title in the e-book section and clicking on it in the download box, from where it is downloaded to your computer in compressed Zip format, via this link.