Politički prvak

In this satirical novel, José María Carretero follows the rise and fall of Don Laureano Roldán, a petty clerk who, thanks to his cunning and survival instinct, becomes a local political leader. Laureano seems harmless at first, but when he realizes that the fastest way to advance in politics is through adaptation and disguise, his ambitions flare up. The path to the top is opened for him by Don Fermín Aguilar, an experienced party strategist who sees Laureano as an obedient and pliable collaborator. Under his guidance, Laureano learns the mechanisms of political manipulation and builds networks of influence that lead him to the position of jefe político.

Laureano's public rise stands in sharp contrast to his private decline. His wife Doña Remedios finds it increasingly difficult to tolerate moral compromises and alienation, while the ambitious María Jesús, a young widow with her own agenda, draws him deeper into intrigue. As Laureano's power grows, the circles of those who envy him or want to remove him tighten. Alliances break down, and Fermín abandons him as soon as he becomes a burden. A series of miscalculations and betrayals leads to his political downfall.

In the end, Laureano is left without a party and family, faced with the truth that he built a career on illusions that shattered as soon as he lost the protection of the powerful. Carretero turns this into a sharp political satire about a system in which those who act the best succeed, but those who believe in their own role always pay the most.