The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #2
The Angel's Game
by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Contents
Act One - City of the Damned — Chapter 6
Overview
David is ostracized at the newspaper and officially dismissed after complaints, delivered gently by Don Basilio. After a desolate week, David visits Pedro Vidal, who reveals he engineered the firing to push David toward a better opportunity: writing a sensational Grand Guignol serial for new publishers.
The setback becomes a pivot, deepening Vidal’s mentorship, hinting at Cristina’s growing role, and redirecting David’s career toward darker, more lucrative fiction.
Summary
On the anniversary of his first story, David arrives at the newspaper to find the newsroom deserted for a Christmas dinner he wasn’t invited to. Don Basilio sits with him and, after hesitation, delivers the news: complaints have forced the editor to end The Mysteries of Barcelona and dismiss David.
David empties his desk and watches his colleagues celebrate at Set Portes from outside, then spends a week drifting between the city streets and the Ateneo, drafting and tearing up letters to the enigmatic Andreas Corelli whose card he still carries.
Determined to seek guidance, David travels to Pedro Vidal’s Villa Helius in Pedralbes. Amid radio music and sea breezes, they speak candidly about failures and money. Vidal praises his secretary—Cristina, Manuel’s daughter—and then reveals a harsh truth: he advised the editor to fire David.
Vidal explains the motive: he has arranged a superior opportunity with new publishers who want David to create a more baroque, bloody, and delirious Grand Guignol serial that will eclipse his newspaper work. Shock gives way to relief as Vidal embraces David, turning the dismissal into a deliberate step toward a bolder literary path.
Who Appears
- David MartínProtagonist; fired from the newspaper, endures a bleak week, then accepts Vidal’s plan for a new Grand Guignol serial.
- Pedro VidalMentor; confesses he engineered David’s firing to secure a better publishing deal and guides his career shift.
- Don BasilioEditor; conveys the dismissal with sympathy, acknowledging complaints and a weak editor-in-chief.
- ManuelVidal’s driver; greets David at Villa Helius and mentions his daughter, Cristina.
- CristinaManuel’s daughter and Vidal’s capable secretary; praised by Vidal, signaling her importance to David’s orbit.
- Andreas CorelliMysterious figure; David contemplates writing to him, then repeatedly tears up the drafts.