In the Midst of So Much Fire
A look at the disasters of war through the love story of Achilles and Patroclus.
In In the Midst of So Much Fire, the playwright Alberto Conejero, winner of the National Prize for Dramatic Literature in 2019, reinterprets one of the most universal tales of classical mythology: the story of Achilles and Patroclus. From the sixteenth canto of Homer's Iliad, Conejero gives voice to a secondary character in the epic tale, transforming him into the protagonist of an intimate, passionate, and deeply human work.
Love and War: An Antiwar Perspective
This is not the Trojan War as we know it. It is a poetic exploration of the boundaries between love and death, told from the flesh and desire. Patroclus emerges here as much more than "the devoted companion" or "the most beloved among the soldiers." He is an insatiable lover, a deeply human being who seeks to break euphemisms to claim his free and dissident desire.
Conejero crafts an antiwar plea that transcends times and borders, weaving the voices of figures such as Sappho, Pedro Lemebel, Anne Carson, and Luis Cernuda, among others. Through their quotes and references, the text becomes an oratory for the victims of war, exploring concepts such as power, passion, violence, and homeland.
Art as Resistance
In the Midst of So Much Fire is more than a literary work: it is an act of resistance. Conejero not only rescues the love between Achilles and Patroclus as a hymn to desire but also imagines a different future, where art and dissent are refuges against the destructive power of war.
An essential work for those seeking to rethink the classics from a contemporary and emotional perspective. A celebration of love, desire, and resistance against the devastating fire of war.
About the author:
Alberto Conejero (Vilches, 1978) is a poet, playwright, stage director, and teacher. He holds a degree in Stage Direction and Playwriting from the Royal School of Dramatic Art (RESAD) and a doctorate in Classical Philology from the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM). Among his dramatic works stand out La geometría del trigo (National Prize for Dramatic Literature 2019), Los días de la nieve (Lorca Prize for Theatrical Authorship 2019), La piedra oscura (Max Award for Best Playwright 2016, Ceres Award for Best Author 2015, among other honors), Ushuaia (Ricardo López de Aranda Prize 2013), Cliff (acantilado) (distinguished in the IV LAM Contest 2010), Húngaros (National University Theatre Prize 2000), Todas las noches de un día (winner of the III AAT Theatrical Texts Contest), and Fiebre (runner-up National Short Theatre Prize 1999). His work has been translated into English, French, Italian, Greek, Polish, Romanian, Hungarian, and Portuguese. Since January 2020, he has directed the Madrid Autumn Festival.
