Last summer I received a message from the Dutch translator of Javier Cercas' latest book Anatomía de un momento, on Tejero's failed coup d'état of 1981 (February 23, or 23-F). The book had a reference to my PhD. dissertation, and the translator had questions about the links between the military and civil society; in particular, the "think tank", "discussion club", or however we should call it (this was in fact one of the translator's questions) Club Siglo XXI.
I had not even read the book yet (the usual confusion between urgent and important tasks).In spite of its popularity, it is sometimes hard to find (I had to buy several copies to give it to friends) because bookstores tend to classify this well documented history book as a novel. The reason must be, besides some personal notes, that it is extremely well written. Therefore, it reads like a thriller that perfectly conveys the tension and uncertainty of the moment.
From a historical perspective, documenting this uncertainty may be one of the most important contributions of this study. While it is unknown which political forces backed the military coup, and if these forces involved decided to back out in the evening of the 23d, how and why, no doubt that in a few decades mainstream historiography will claim to know an unquestionable truth, which will also be the most comfortable one: that all democrats were heroic, and that those who were not heroic went to jail.
The coup's failure meant the end of the democratic transition in Spain, which since then is considered to be a mature democratic society. It is, in the sense that there is a peaceful alternation of governing political forces. It is not, though, if we consider the mentality by which this alternation is seen as an usurpation of power claimed by traditional social forces.
Besides those interested in recent Spanish history, this book should be read by history students because of its research approach and style.
