The writer Fabio Carreiro Lago has just published 'Regresar a Lancelot', a novel that engages with the masterpiece of Agustín Espinosa. The island of Lanzarote becomes the protagonist of a story of love, solitude, and belonging.
Fabio Carreiro Lago has achieved what seemed impossible: bringing Agustín Espinosa into the 21st century. In his new novel, 'Regresar a Lancelot', the writer and professor imagines the author of 'Lancelot 28º-7º' buying beers in a shop run by a Colombian or strolling through the streets of a multicultural Lanzarote. The work, published this month, is a tribute to the island and its literature.
Carreiro, who arrived in Lanzarote eight years ago to teach, confesses that the island captivated him from the very first moment. "I had read Agustín Espinosa in high school, but you don't appreciate it the same way when you return to it with more experience," he explains. "When I arrived on the island, I reread it and discovered many things I hadn't seen in a first reading."
A sensory novel about light and solitude
The author describes his work as "a novel very close to poetry." The narrative is constructed in the second person, an unusual voice that seeks to involve the reader in the experience. "Choosing the second person was risky, but it allowed me to take distance as a writer and, at the same time, engage the reader," Carreiro points out.
The light of Lanzarote is a central element. "In Lanzarote, there is an excessive light that sometimes dazzles and leaves you exposed," the author states. "That brightness also reflects the solitude of the character, which is one of the major themes of the novel alongside belonging."
The protagonist, who has no name, lives a story of heartbreak that intertwines with the figure of Espinosa. "Agustín Espinosa is the centrality of the novel," says Carreiro. "I reread 'Lancelot' to write it, and many of the stories dialogue directly with that work."
A tribute to booksellers and the characters of Arrecife
The novel also pays tribute to real people from the island. "I wanted to reflect the reality of the island and pay homage to people who have been important to me," Carreiro explains. Among them, he mentions Félix Hormiga, a well-known character in Arrecife for sitting in the café on Calle Real telling stories. "Félix was a generous person, with an enormous capacity for storytelling," he recalls.
Booksellers like Berto and Aléxis also appear, who "bring literature into the daily life of the island." For the residents of Lanzarote, the novel offers a mirror of their own reality: an island that has transitioned from being a close-knit community to a place where "we are connected 24 hours a day, but we are alone," the author reflects.
A queer story that speaks of belonging
The plot includes a love story between two men, something Carreiro considers "a way to broaden the perspective." "Beyond the romantic relationship, what interested me was to talk about the need to belong, to find a place or a person that makes you feel part of something," he states.
The author, who is also a poet, acknowledges that form matters to him as much as content. "I didn't want a conventional narrative with a beginning, middle, and end," he says. "I was particularly concerned with the form, the care of the words, and the structure." The result is a book that, according to his editor, "is not exactly a novel, but something very close to poetry."
For the readers of Lanzarote, 'Regresar a Lancelot' is an opportunity to see their island through different eyes. The work is already available in bookstores in Arrecife and on online platforms. Carreiro will present the book next Friday, July 17, at the Librería Aléxis in the capital, at 19:00 hours.
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