On the occasion of the 85th anniversary of the execution of Doctor Juan Peset Aleixandrre, the UV pays homage to one of the most renowned figures of the scientific and humanist Valencianism of the 20th century. In this context, Professor Martí Domínguez, author of Ingrata Pàtria, reclaims the human and moral dimension of who was the principal of the Universitat de València.
The Ingrata pàtria novel recreates the last three hours of live of Doctor Joan Baptista Peset Aleixandre before being executed by the Francoist regime in the afternoon of 24 May 1941. Through an intimate story full of emotional tension, Martí Domínguez goes deep into thoughts, memories, and uncertainties of the main character in his last moments, while he represents the repression and political revenge atmosphere of the Spanish post-war period.
Professor of the Department of Language Theories and Communication Sciences from the Universitat de València, and director of the Mètode journal, Martí Domínguez goes deep into the figure of the republican doctor and principal in an in-depth interview, produced by the Universitat de València and conducted by the UV journalist Cristina Soriano.
During the conversation, the author reflects on the research process that led to the origin of the novel, as well as on the hate, betrayal, and repression mechanisms used during the post-war period. Additionally, he reclaims Peset’s intellectual and ethical legacy as a symbol of culture, science and progress, in contrast to barbarie.
‘Thanks to the homage to Doctor Juan Peset, which was promoted by the Universitat de Valéncia in 2001 through the publication of the summary’, I discovered that he had been accused by twelve university colleagues, and that, after that, four doctors pressed for a new court-martial that ultimately led to his death sentence. That event brought me real down, and since then, I started to develop the idea of writing a novel that explored human nature: envy, rivalry, and hate,’ explains Domínguez.
In Ingrata pàtria, the author builds an intense and moving story on fear, hope, and the last thoughts of a man sentenced to death. Through a kaleidoscope of voices —both from the prisioners and the executioners themselves— the novel offers a deep insight into human condition in one of the darkest periods of contemporary history.