The Mapmaker's Opera: A Novel

Listen as Béa Gonzalez discusses some of the things that influenced the writing of The Mapmaker's Opera in this series of exclusive videos.

IN A TOWN IN THE HEART OF LA MANCHA, home to Don Quijote and his windmills, to long afternoons and silent, silent nights, the Clemente family lived for centuries, their fortunes tied to those of a plant…

So begins the grand bulería that is The Mapmaker’s Opera. Born in Seville, Spain, to a dishonoured governess, a young Diego Clemente finds solace in the world of books, in particular John James Audubon’s Birds of America. Aided by this magnificent volume, he nurtures the artistic talent that will transform his life.

Presented with the tremendous opportunity to assist the renowned American naturalist Edward Nelson, Diego moves to Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula to help the master complete the first guide to the region’s birds. Arriving on the eve of the Mexican Revolution, Diego finds himself in a world that is as precarious as it is beautiful, where opulent henequen plantations are built on the backs of slave labour and the social order is on the brink of imploding. There, Diego falls for the young Sofia, a woman who longs to be as free as the birds she also loves.

In this mesmerizing tale of star-crossed passions, a pair of mysterious birds and a young man’s quest to honour both his mentor and his father, The Mapmaker’s Opera transports its audience in a tour de force of magical storytelling.

BÉA GONZALEZ

was born in Vigo, Spain, and immigrated withher family to Canada as a child. Following studies in Spain and in Toronto, shecompleted an M.A. in European literary and historical studies at King’sCollege, University of London. Gonzalez also develops and leads cultural toursto Spain and Latin America to study the works of their poets and writers.