City of the Moon was conceived prior to the events of September 11, 2001, and completed following the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The book serves as a poignant metaphor for a civilization that perceives itself as superior and thus feels justified in imposing its moral standards on others—turning myth into reality through fanatical ideologies. Two decades later, we witness a resurgence of neo-medievalism and a wave of anti-Enlightenment sentiment, known as the Dark Enlightenment. This movement, incensed by its decline yet emboldened by a perceived ethnic, ideological, and cultural superiority, is once again taking root in the West. It seeks to persecute and suppress diversity and tolerance, ironically under the banners of democracy, freedom, higher moral values, and true faith.

First published in 2009, City of the Moon is set in Calataid, a walled city in southern Algeria between 1955 and 1992. This city, surrounded by the Sahara Desert, probably founded by a stray corps of the Spanish army after the Iberian Reconquista of 1492, has the peculiarity of being inhabited almost exclusively by white Europeans, mostly Christians, confined to a silent and unknown corner after Algiers’ independence in 1962. To survive, Calataid attempts to sever physical and cultural ties with the outside world, especially with the train that arrives there once a month. One of its protagonists and narrators is the «monster-son» of an Argentine doctor who, from his solitude, sees the reality of a society that considers itself perfect, the moral reserve of a corrupt world. Calataid is a metaphor for sectarian cruelty and fanatical pride. Despite the obvious signs of ethical, economic, and urban decline, Calataid resists any change until it succumbs to a tidal wave of sand that overcomes the resistance of its thick walls. Part of the narrative in this novel experiments with Cubist perspectives, so that different narrators can converge in a single sentence, with the intention of emphasizing the central role of the city-society.

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