With The Dance of the Maids, Marta Platel, winner of the 2026 Fernando Lara Novel Award, brings to light the stories of thousands of women who, in anonymity, sustained entire households during the post-war period. Set in a Barcelona marked by Francoism, social inequalities, and a visible Nazi presence, the novel places maids—an invisible witness to a tumultuous era—at the forefront of a narrative where memory, dignity, and survival take center stage.
In this conversation with GoAragón, the author reflects on the origin of the novel, the research process, and the capacity of literature to illuminate those stories that have remained in the shadows for too long.
Novels often begin with an image, a question, or an emotion that stays with the author for a long time. In the case of The Dance of the Maids, what was the first thing that appeared?
It was a memory. While contemplating possible themes for a new novel, I was reminded of the maids I used to see as a child in my neighborhood and in my friends’ homes. They were elderly women who had served the same family their entire lives and continued to do so. I specifically recalled one woman. At over seventy years old, she still wore her uniform and earned a pitiful wage, yet she exhibited unwavering loyalty to her employers; when younger maids told her she should demand more money, she became angry with them.
Over the years, all writers come across interesting stories, but not all end up as books. What needs to happen for an idea to transition from being a historical curiosity to a novel that you will dedicate years of your life to?
It has to combine with other elements that create an interesting and captivating story for the reader. The Dance of the Maids is a fusion of genres. It includes elements of spy intrigue, secrets of the boudoir, social criticism, and contemporary suspense that begins in 2001 and resolves at the end of the novel. All of this unfolds in 1941, in a Barcelona dominated by Francoism and where Nazis roamed freely.
The Dance of the Maids centers on women who were present in thousands of households, yet rarely appear as protagonists in history. What did you find in them that convinced you a novel was waiting to be told?
The Francoist regime considered maids essential for the proper functioning of families. Many worked for room and board, with only the more fortunate receiving a small salary. They had no rights or vacations, just one afternoon off per week, and were often mistreated, but they accepted their situation without complaint, knowing that if they complained, they would end up on the street. I wanted to give voice to these women. It is the maids who carry the weight and humanity of the novel.
“I wanted to give voice to these women. It is the maids who carry the weight and humanity of the novel.”
While writing about these invisible women of the post-war period, was there any moment when you felt you were also writing about the women you encountered during your childhood?
Of course. As I wrote, I regretted not having paid more attention to the stories those women told. Although the maids in the novel are fictional characters, they represent an entire generation of women who left their villages fleeing from misery during the post-war period and came to Barcelona and other cities to serve.
In the novel, the maids see everything but are rarely seen by others. Do you think literature also has the responsibility to look where others do not?
I believe that is exactly what it does. Good novels, in addition to entertaining, teach us hard stories and realities that we were unaware of. I am delighted when a reader tells me they are learning many things from my novel. In order to tell those stories, I had to conduct thorough research. That is why I like to express my gratitude to the historians whose work greatly facilitates the jobs of fiction authors.
“The gentlemen and society at the time considered them invisible, forgetting that someone who listened to their conversations and knew their intimacies could become a dangerous loose end.”
Many of these women knew the most intimate secrets of the families for whom they worked. Would you say that the maids were, in a way, the great invisible observers of their time?
Undoubtedly, they were. They welcomed guests, served dinners, cleaned the living rooms… But society and the gentlemen of the time viewed them as invisible, forgetting that someone who heard their conversations and knew their intimacies could become a dangerous loose end.
The novel takes place in a Barcelona where the misery of the post-war period coexists with the upper bourgeoisie and a surprisingly visible Nazi presence. What was the most unexpected or revealing discovery you made during your research on that era?
I was shocked to discover the extent to which the Nazi presence was part of everyday life in Barcelona during World War II. Between 1940 and 1943, the city hosted high-ranking Nazi officials and diplomats and was the scene of events linked to the Third Reich. Some of these events took place in public buildings with great displays of Nazi paraphernalia: swastikas, portraits of Hitler… The assembly hall of the University of Barcelona, for example, hosted an exhibition of German books; the Nazi colony, which was very traditional, celebrated its harvest festival at the Palau de la Música. And, as depicted in the novel, they commemorated Hitler’s 52nd birthday at the Coliseum theater. All of this coexisted with the harsh reality of the post-war period.
Nazism appears in the novel not only as an ideology but as a reality integrated into certain social circles. Were you interested in showing how certain ideas can become normalized in everyday life?
During my research, I discovered that, during World War II, part of the upper bourgeoisie in Barcelona engaged in business relations with the Nazis. It is highly likely they did this out of economic pragmatism rather than ideological affinity. Franco and his associates were convinced that Germany would win the war, and being on the side of the victor would yield benefits. I was interested in showing how these types of characters thought and acted.
Melisa begins as a young woman trying to survive and ends up facing decisions that change her destiny. What interested you in exploring through her evolution as a character?
Melisa lives in a society where surveillance, fear, and class differences prevail. She starts off cautious and vulnerable, but life pushes her to rebel, to lose her fear, and to make bold decisions.
