‘Rocamora’
A Novel of Seventeen Century Spain.
by Donald Michael Platt

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel, learned a lot, which is one of the good things about historical novels, and became fascinated with this very complex man, Vincente de Rocamora. His life and the Spain he lived in are so far removed from us today, and yet, religious persecution still takes place, and there are groups of people who believe racism, purity of a race, is correct.

Mr Platt comes from ‘an assimilated Jewish family’ and his ‘interest in Judaism was restricted to history of the Jews and not its practice.’ And that history is full of tantalising glimpses of the lives of people who made difficult choices and had to live with them. His curiosity about Spain and all things Spanish began long ago when he saw how ‘it was portrayed as the villainous Catholic country in conflict with virtuous Protestant England in many of the swashbuckler novels I read and films I saw starring Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power. Adding to Spain’s villainy was the Inquisition and its relentless persecution of Jews and Moors, first because of religion and later because of “blood”, so similar to what the Nazis were advocating and doing.’

From that early interest and a taste for reading ‘serious histories of the crypto Jews of Spain and Portugal, I asked myself if I would have chosen conversion in preference to exile or death.’ For those were the choices many Jews and non-Catholic Christians faced in Europe. Interestingly Donald feels that ‘ Although much would have depended upon my age, wealth, and marital situation. I believe I would have converted and lived an external life as a Catholic.’ Many did and with the alternative of dreadful torture and a slow and painful death it is not surprising.

Writing about a real historical character can be frustrating because sometime facts stand in the way of a good story. However when Donald began to follow up the glimpses he found of Vicente de Rocamora he discovered that there was ‘no book, monograph, or even an article in any historical journal about Vicente de Rocamora.’ The man ‘stood out as an anomaly.’ so different from others who found themselves in a situation like his, but I can’t say more as it would spoil the novel. Vicente de Rocamora did stand out, not only was he a Dominican but he became the father confessor to the ‘most protected princess in all Europe.’ How and why did he become her spiritual director when he was an attractive young man only five years older than the princess? There were so many questions and the answers, as Donald sees them, make a satisfying read.

Research meant not only the University library and special collections but writing to archivists in Spain, Amsterdam, and Rome. Donald also had ‘the good fortune to have a genealogist in the Netherlands find documents tenuously connecting Vicente to the titled de Rocamoras who appear in the novel.’ Some original material appeared on the internet but it only ‘confirmed the lack of information about Rocamora’s life.’ A fact which made Donald very happy because he ‘could use (his) imagination and logic to fill in the huge gaps in Rocamora’s life.’ He’s done it well, written a satisfying novel, with a terrific ending. Read it and see.