Noroeste (Northwest) is a novel based on real events with several fictional subplots in which the past and present are connected. It transports the reader to one of the greatest adventures in history: the discovery of the Northwest Passage. Through the character Vallescá and his stirring letters to the king of Spain, the reader discovers the details of the expedition through Alta California that led to the discovery of the San Francisco Bay and the subsequent creation of the original settlements there. The reader also learns about the monotonous and strenuous days of the sailors, the dances of silence that were as liberating as they were problematic and the meticulous work of the mapmaker of the Northwest territories.

Héctor Oliva, a journalist and traveller with a PhD in Political Law, is the author of four non-fiction books related to North America. His most recent publication was 17 Cimas, about the seventeen highest peaks in the Spanish autonomous communities. “I really like the historical and travel novel and this time I wanted to do something different”, explained the author. “In fact, Noroeste is the offspring of my first book, Pasajes a América, in which I talk about different Catalans who emigrated to the American continent. While doing research for that book, I had to leave a lot of things out and since then, for the last six years, I’ve been working on this novel in the few moments I could find”.

The book, published by Espasa Narrativa, will be presented on Thursday, 4 July 2013, at Casa América de Barcelona.