>is an immersive epic novel, written in the 1950s, as Manuel Tiago, (Álvaro Cunhal), languished in a fascist high-security prison. He escaped on January 3, 1960, with this precious manuscript. The story closely mirrors actual events and movements that the Portuguese Communist Party promulgated in the early 1940s. Regional and general strikes with thousands of workers in fields and factories paralyzed the economy, protesting hunger and unlivable wages. This bold strategy inevitably exposed numerous comrades, who suffered imprisonment, poor health and death, a risk their leaders naturally assumed. How else could the Portuguese people assert their demands and be heard?

These movements firmly established the PCP in the popular mind as the most dedicated force opposing the regime. Though not strictly autobiographical, the novel reflects Cunhal's lived experience as a party leader. Critics consider it his masterpiece, comparable to Émile Zola's Germinal. This seminal work firmly establishes the entire cultural understanding of the fascist period. It has gone through at least 12 printings and was made into a six-episode miniseries in 2013. It is available now in English for the first time.

Enter the pages of this novel and meet the dedicated activists for Portuguese democracy, with all their challenges and sacrifices, but also their quirks, failings and mistakes. It offers the reader a granular course on how to fight fascism whose lessons transcend Portugal and its time, serving not as a blueprint but as a beacon to those who struggle everywhere.