''The Road to San Vicente'' is a book by Leif Borthen Ibiza live The Road to San Vicente
/ref> about life in the tiny village of Sant Vicent de sa Cala in the far north east of the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

island of

Ibiza Ibiza (natively and officially in ca, Eivissa, ) is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, in Spain. Its l ...

. In 1933Title: The Road to San Vicent. Author: Leif Borthen. Published: Barbury Press. ''Borthen'' had arrived in

and settled in the remote village, along with René Paul Gauguin, the grandson of the French artist

Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...

Synopsis

The book is set in the remote valley in which ''Sant Vicent'' is situated. The story begins with ''Borthen’s'' arrival in 1933 and also on his return to the village in 1960, just before a road was completed into the valley. It chronicles the life of the local people and of the foreigners who live amongst them. Characters that include a notorious

assassin Assassination is the murder of a prominent or VIP, important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not ha ...

, a roguish

art dealer An art dealer is a person or company that buys and sells works of art, or acts as the intermediary between the buyers and sellers of art. An art dealer in contemporary art typically seeks out various artists to represent, and builds relationshi ...

and eccentric

aristocrat The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...

. The story leads the reader in to a world of rich Island

traditions A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

with house blessings,

blood feuds Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the cir ...

and a fast vanishing

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

way of life that would, and has, disappeared for good following the road construction in 1963.

Translation

The book has been translated into English by the author Martin Davies and Björn Lindholm but doesn't include the first three original chapters, but starts at the end of the fourth chapter. The text includes a number of

footnotes A note is a string of text placed at the bottom of a page in a book or document or at the end of a chapter, volume, or the whole text. The note can provide an author's comments on the main text or citations of a reference work in support of th ...

which help the reader with

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

references Reference is a relationship between objects in which one object designates, or acts as a means by which to connect to or link to, another object. The first object in this relation is said to ''refer to'' the second object. It is called a ''name'' ...

and rounds out and updates historical material mentioned in the text.

Additional Texts

The last part of the book includes six additional text which are written by other authors who have recollections, researched or lived in the valley of Sant Vicent de sa Cala.

* Preface: ''The Pityusan Tibet'' By Martin Davies *''A Note on the Text''

The Book

*Chapter 1 ''Ibiza Revisited'' *Chapter 2 ''Flotsam and Jetsam'' *Chapter 3 ''Return to San Vicente'' *Chapter 4 ''Antique Hunter'' *Chapter 5 ''Priests and Postmen'' *Chapter 7 ''A Ghost from the Past'' *Chapter 8 ''Villain''

The Additional Texts

*''An Excursion to San Vicente'' By

Walter Benjamin Walter Bendix Schönflies Benjamin (; ; 15 July 1892 – 26 September 1940) was a German Jewish philosopher, cultural critic and essayist. An eclectic thinker, combining elements of German idealism, Romanticism, Western Marxism, and Jewish mys ...

*''The Passing of San Vicente'' By Norman Lewis *''San Vicente'' By Enrique Fanjarnés Cardona *''The tax Collector’s Bread Oven'' By Jacques Massacrier *''A Brief History of Sant Vicent'' By Emily Kaufman *''Epilogue'' By Paul Richardson *''Glossary'' *''Contributors'' *''Sources and Acknowledgements'' *''Barbary Press'' *''Index''

References