Solo Goya

Solo Goya: Goya and the Duchess of Alba at Sanlucar is a meticulously researched historical novel about the great Spanish painter Francisco Goya and his most famous patron, the 13th Duchess of Alba. The encounter between Goya and the Duchess of Alba which figures in this novel took place at Sanlucar de Barrameda in the late summer of 1796, when Goya was aged 50 and the Duchess was a widow of 34. These facts and many others in this story are historically accurate, and most of the characters you will meet in this book actually lived at that time and place. But this is a novel, a work of fiction, and not a book of history. Since many of the details of Goya?s life are obscure or in dispute, the goal of this book is not to prove that this detail or that actually took place, but to create a plausible and engaging narrative that brings to life the major issues and ambiance of life in late 18th century Bourbon Spain. Author Jon Manchip White is uniquely equipped to recreate the world in which Goya lived ? the artist?s easy access to extremes of social class, the dominance of the Catholic church, and his cultural preoccupations with war, violence, religion, art and politics.