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During a ceremony at Casa de América in Madrid this evening, writer Arturo Pérez-Reverte and Iberdrola Board of Directors secretary Julián Martínez-Simancas presented Bajo dos banderas, the first work published by Zenda, which contains ten stories by Spanish authors about episodes involving Spain in the American War of Independence.

Bajo dos banderas, a work managed by Arturo Pérez-Reverte and coordinated by Leandro Pérez, contains stories by some of the most important writers on today’s literary scene, namely Juan Eslava Galán, Espido Freire, Agustín Fernández Mallo, Susana Fortes, Luz Gabás, Juan Gómez-Jurado, Emilio Lara, Cristina López Barrio, José María Merino, Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Clara Sánchez and Lorenzo Silva.

The writers drew their inspiration from the exhibition Recovered memories. Spain, New Orleans, and the support for the American Revolution, organised by Iberdrola and currently on display in Louisiana to commemorate the third centenary of the founding of New Orleans. The cover of the book is a fragment of the work The March of Gálvez, a painting by Augusto Ferrer-Dalmau which is part of that exhibition.

The prologue of this book, sponsored by Iberdrola, was written by Ignacio Galán, the company’s chairman, who says that “the stories by the eminent authors who accompany the reader on this journey invite us to remember Spain’s vital role in episodes that, while pivotal, are largely unknown. These texts that look at our past with different viewpoints from both sides of the ocean, reminding us that we are all memory”.

Zenda editor Arturo Pérez-Reverte pointed out that “the Spanish support for American independence is one of the greatest, most epic and forgotten episodes of our history, which we must recover and disseminate. The stories in this book will help to make this possible”.

This compendium of stories, which have already been published on the Zenda website, will not be on sale in bookshops. The electronic version is available free of charge. Printed copies of the book will be given out as prizes in literary competitions and prize draws organised on this digital platform for readers and writers.

Second anniversary of Zenda

The publication of the book Bajo dos banderas (Under two flags) is part of Zenda’s second anniversary celebrations. In just two years, more than 3,500 articles by around 400 authors (writers, critics, journalists, bloggers,...) have been featured on the website managed by Leandro Pérez - zendalibros.com - where they have been read by millions of readers. Thousands of internet users have also taken part in its literary competitions.

IBERDROLA, committed to culture

Iberdrola’s exhibition, Recovered memories. Spain, New Orleans, and the support for the American Revolution, is currently on display in the United States. The collection illustrates the decisive role played by the Spanish monarchy in the birth and formation of the United States.

Though a selection of more than 200 works of art, historical documents, maps, period clothing and other objects, Iberdrola is helping to raise awareness of a part of history that is still largely unknown, as well as notable Spanish figures whose lives impacted the emerging new country of America.

During the presentation of Bajo dos banderas, Iberdrola displayed an information panel about the exhibition, highlighting some of the works in the collection, such as The Swing, by Francisco de Goya, on loan from the Prado Museum; original portraits of important governors during the Spanish colonial period like Bernardo de Gálvez; and historic items, such as the British flag captured after Great Britain was defeated in the battle of Baton Rouge in 1779.