José Donoso House · Calaceite

In addition to the monumental wealth of Calaceite, there is a fascinating chapter in the literary history of the 20th century. During the 1970s, this beautiful corner of the Matarraña region became, almost magically, the epicenter and refuge of the literary phenomenon known as the Latin American "Boom". The great architect of this cultural effervescence was the famous Chilean writer José Donoso (author of El obsceno pájaro de la noche), who arrived in the village in 1970 fascinated by "that town of stone houses frozen in time". Together with his wife, María Pilar Serrano, he acquired and painstakingly restored a remarkable 16th century house located in the upper part of the historic quarter (at the junction of Calle del Castillo and Calle Bellmunta). His stay between 1971 and 1975 transformed the cultural physiognomy of the municipality. Figures of the stature of Nobel Prize winners Gabriel García Márquez and Mario Vargas Llosa, as well as Carlos Fuentes, Jorge Edwards and Luis Buñuel, strolled through the cobblestone streets of Calaceite.