Your Honor

The novel by the outstanding Catalan writer Jaume Cabré “Your Honor” (1991) was created long before his famous “I Confess.” Even then, the author was preoccupied with the theme of the powerful, the corruption of justice, and absolute power—power that recognizes only the right of the strong.

Winter 1799. In Barcelona, rains don’t stop; the city seems paralyzed, and yet high society life is in full swing. It seems that the aristocrats care only about how to celebrate the arrival of the new—nineteenth—century. In the cathedral, Te Deum is performed, and in luxurious halls, a chain of social receptions unfolds… But the festive atmosphere is darkened by the strange murder of a French singer. A young poet is arrested—accidentally in the “wrong time and wrong place.” He is unequivocally declared guilty, especially since documents are found that could lead to the downfall of “your honor”—Don Rafael Massó, the chairman of the High Court. It is known that this man, who holds the power to condemn or pardon, has one weakness: he adores beautiful women. So what will tip the balance: justice or power, the executioner or the victim—“I didn’t kill her!” of one or “I didn’t want this!” of the other?…