SpaniaXXI Ediciones is preparing the English translation of La credulidad de Hjalmar, Víctor M. Aguirre’s vast historical novel set in the turbulent Viking world of the ninth century. Soon, English-speaking readers will be able to enter a story of exile, loyalty, violence, love and astonishing courage.
At the heart of the novel stands Hjalmar: a young man marked by suffering, betrayal and loss, yet driven by an extraordinary will to rise above the brutality that shaped him. His journey is not merely one of war and wandering, but of inner conquest. Hjalmar must learn how to survive without surrendering his soul, how to love in a world that punishes tenderness, and how to remain human when everything around him demands hardness.
The novel moves through a medieval world that is decaying, violent and unstable, but also alive with immense force: Viking warbands, ruined kingdoms, slave markets, sea journeys, oaths, betrayals, old gods, Christian frontiers and the dark beauty of the North Atlantic. Among its most powerful episodes is the furious and almost deranged assault on Dunnottar, a scene of wild ambition, danger and desperate heroism.
On the eastern coast of Alba rose a rocky promontory, occupied by the Celts since many centuries before. It was a position of such strategic advantage—especially once raiders began arriving by sea—that a formidable fortress had been raised upon its heights. It seemed the work of cyclopean hands, built on a colossal scale, fashioned from the hard timber of local oaks. It was steeped in the sacred magic of the Celts, towering above the mists, commanding them. It gazed out over the sea, watching it, as though suspended above the cliffs to contemplate the waves crashing below.
Its name was Dunnottar, one of the favored strongholds of the King of Alba. He spent much of the year there, finding in it a refuge both pleasant and secure. Dunnottar was an icon of Alba, second only in renown to the Stone of Scone or Iona itself. If a daring Viking wished to earn glory and carve his name into history, Dunnottar was the place whose burning and plundering would grant him eternal fame.
But was there anywhere in the world more dangerous to assault than Dunnottar? (The Innocence of Hjalmar, chapter 16)
The innocence of Hjalmar is not simply a Viking adventure. It is a novel about overcoming fear, humiliation and abandonment; about the memory of first love; about the fragile line between innocence and strength; and about the courage required to believe in goodness after witnessing evil.
The forthcoming English edition will open this world to new readers. For those who love historical fiction with emotional depth, epic landscapes and characters who fight not only against enemies, but against destiny itself, Hjalmar’s journey is coming.
And it is worth waiting for.
The English edition is now on its way. Hjalmar has crossed seas before; this time, he is crossing languages. We’ve commissioned a brand-new cover for The Innocence of Hjalmar. I’ll be posting the final artwork soon—stay tuned!
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