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Ruler of Darkness Book Description Javier Cercas, who is considered one of the most important writers of contemporary Spanish literature, once again brought the Spanish Civil War into literature with The Ruler of Darkness, fifteen years after Soldiers of Salamina, which brought him worldwide fame. This novel, which he has been planning since he decided to become a writer, was shaped by the darkness of Cercas' own family's past. Manuel Mena, who at the age of nineteen left his home, his family, his whole life behind, joined the war on the side of Franco and never returned... And years later, he was a man he knew from his black and white portrait, but was talked about within the family as if it were a big family secret or a sin. Another man, the writer, Cercas, who is buried in his curiosity, question marks, and guesses about this young man who is never talked about... On the one hand, personal feelings, goals, sacrifices, and on the other hand, the judgments that history imposes on all of these in the long run. Is it possible to know right now, right now, that you are on the right side of history? The war was almost eighty years ago. We are in our forties. Knowing that the cause Manuel Mena died for is unfair is child's play for us. What about him? Was this easy for someone who didn't have the perspective gained by time, who didn't know what would happen next, who was young and hadn't been out of his town much? (From the Promotional Bulletin)