<DIV><b>Manuel Rivas</b> has been heralded as one of the brightest in a new wave of Spanish writers influenced by Spanish and European traditions, as well as by the history of Spain over the past seventy years. A bestseller in Spain, <b>The Carpenter's Pencil</b> has been published in nine countries.<br><br> Set in the dark days of the Spanish Civil War, <b>The Carpenter's Pencil</b> charts the linked destinies of a remarkable cast of unique characters. All are bound by the events of the Civil War-the artists and the peasants alike-and all are brought to life, in Rivas's skillful hand, with the power of the carpenter's pencil, a pencil that draws both the measured line and the artist's dazzling vision.<br><br> Translated from the Galician by Jonathan Dunne.</div>