MB - Agencia Literaria

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MB
Frankfurt Book Fair 2013
MB AGENCIA LITERARIA
Mònica Martín Berdagué
Ronda Sant Pere 62, 1º 2ª
08010 Barcelona (Spain)
Phone: (+34) 93 265 9064
Fax: (+34) 93 232 7221
www.mbagencialiteraria.es
MB Foreign rights enquiries:
[email protected]
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SPANISH & CATALAN LANGUAGE AUTHORS
Pablo ARANDA
Juan Luis ARSUAGA
Joan BARRIL
Nuria BARRIOS
Felipe BENÍTEZ REYES
Joan-Daniel BEZSONOFF
BLACKIE BOOKS
Joana BONET
Juan BONILLA
Dolors BORAU
Javier CALVO
Martín CASARIEGO
Nicolás CASARIEGO
Paula CIFUENTES
Juan A. CUADRA
Mario CUENCA SANDOVAL
Jordi ESTEVA
Cristina FALLARÁS
Pedro FEIJOO
Josep Mª FONALLERAS
Mireia FONT
Miguel GALLARDO
Antonio GARCÍA ÁNGEL
Ignacio GARCÍA-VALIÑO
José Antonio GARRIGA VELA
Albert GASSULL
Marcos GIRALT TORRENTE
Ismael GRASA
Javier GUTIÉRREZ
Luci GUTIÉRREZ
Menchu GUTIÉRREZ
Najat EL-HACHMI
Lourdes IGLESIAS
Sebastià JOVANI
Javier JUÁREZ
Use LAHOZ
Sonia LAREDO
José Carlos LLOP
LYONA
Pedro MAIRAL
Ignacio MARTÍNEZ DE PISÓN
Miguel MENA
Ana MERINO
Cristina MORALES
Miquel OBIOLS
Miqui OTERO
Vicenç PAGÈS JORDÀ
Enric PARDO
Isma PRADOS
Jordi PUNTÍ
Llucia RAMIS
Félix ROMEO
Fernando ROYUELA
Xavier RUBERT DE VENTÓS
Juanjo SAEZ
Màrius SERRA
Jordi SOLER
Ramon SOLSONA
Mario TORRECILLAS
Andrés TRAPIELLO
David TRUEBA
Fernando TRUEBA
Ángela VALLVEY
Ignacio VIDAL-FOLCH
Enrique VILA-MATAS
Rolando VILLAZÓN
Pedro ZARRALUKI
Sub-agenting for World Spanish (S ), Brazilian (B) & Portuguese (P):
THE AGENCY GROUP (SP) - ANDERSON LITERARY MANAGEMENT (SBP) - LUIGI BERNABÒ
ASSOCIATES (SBP) – DONADIO & OLSON (SP) – EINSTEIN, THOMPSON AGENCY (SBP) FARRAR, STRAUS & GIROUX (SP) - FOUNDRY LITERARY & MEDIA (SP) -THE SUSAN GOLOMB
LITERARY AGENCY (SBP) – HANNIGAN SALKY GETZLER AGENCY (SP) – ANTONY HARWOOD
Ltd. (SBP) – HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY (SP) - INKWELL MANAGEMENT, INC. (SP) - ISBN
EDIZIONI (SBP) – THE JUD LAGHI AGENCY, LLC (SBP) – THE LESHNE AGENCY (SBP) LIPPINCOTT, MASSIE & McQUILKIN (SP) – MAGVETO PUBLISHING HOUSE (SP) - MARKSON
THOMA LITERARY AGENCY (SP) - MINIMUM FAX (SBP) – THE NAHER AGENCY (SBP) - THE NEW
PRESS (S) - LA NOUVELLE AGENCE (SP) – OTHER PRESS (SBP) - AYESHA PANDE LITERARY
(SBP) – PICADOR (SP) - REGAL LITERARY (SP) - THE ROSS YOON AGENCY (SP) - RUSSELL &
VOLKENING (SP) – SANFORD J. GREENBURGER ASSOCIATES (SBP) – SEVEN STORIES (S) DENISE SHANNON LITERARY AGENCY (SP) – ROSALIE SIEGEL INTERNATIONAL LITERARY
AGENT, INC. (SBP) - IRENE SKOLNICK LITERARY AGENCY (SBP) - STERLING LORD LITERISTIC
(SP) – UNION LITERARY (SP) - THE BETH VESEL LITERARY AGENCY (SBP) – LARRY WEISSMAN
LITERARY AGENCY (SP) – ZEITGEIST LITERARY AGENCY (SPB
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PABLO ARANDA
JUAN LUIS ARSUAGA
Pablo Aranda (Málaga, 1968) is a novelist and a tireless traveler. Among other things, he
has taught at a juvenile correctional institute and been a Spanish professor at the
University of Oran in Algeria. Following the publication of La otra ciudad (Espasa Calpe,
2003, Primavera Prize 2003) he now devotes his time exclusively to writing, both books
and articles for several publications. He has also published Desprendimiento de rutina
(Arguval, 2003; 1st Diario Sur Prize for Short Novels), El orden improbable (Espasa Calpe,
2004) and Ucrania (Destino, 2006), winner of the 2nd Málaga Award. His first work of
children’s fiction, Fede quiere ser pirata (Anaya, 2012), has been awarded the City of
Málaga Children’s Literature Prize. His latest published work is the novel Los soldados (El
Aleph, 2013).
Dr. Arsuaga (Madrid, 1954) is a Professor of Paleontology at the Universidad Complutense
of Madrid and Director of the Human Evolution and Behavior Institute (UCM-ISCIII). He is
a member of the American National Academy of Sciences and vice-president of the
commission for Human Palaeontology and Palaeoecology at the International Union for
Quaternary Research. He was awarded the 1997 Prince of Asturias Scientific and
Technological Prize. He is a member of the American National Academy of Sciences and
vice-president of the commission for Human Palaeontology and Palaeo-ecology at the
International Union for Quaternary Research. As an author: La especie elegida (Temas de
Hoy, 1997) –a longseller, El collar del neandertal (Temas de Hoy, 1999), El enigma de la
esfinge (Plaza & Janés, 2001), Amalur: del átomo a la mente (Temas de Hoy, 2002), Los
aborígenes (RBA, 2002, Sent Soví Award 2002), El mundo de Atapuerca (Plaza&Janés,
2004), Al otro lado de la niebla (Suma, 2005), his first novel, La saga humana (Edaf,
2007), Mi primer libro de la Prehistoria. Cuando el mundo era niño(Espasa. 2008), a book
for the young readers, El reloj de Mr. Darwin (Temas de hoy, 2009) and Elemental,
queridos humanos (Temas de hoy, 2010), a graphic novel with illustrations by Forges. His
most recent books are El primer viaje de nuestra vida (Temas de Hoy, 2012), and El sello
indeleble (Debate, 2013), co-written with Manuel Martín-Loeches.
«Arsuaga’s viewpoint comes as a refreshing and instructive contrast to much of the
English-language literature (…) [his works] should be read by anyone interested in their
own origins and our extinct relatives.»
Dr. Ian Tattersall, Curator in the Dpt. of Anthropology,
American Museum of Natural History, NY
Los soldados (The soldiers)
«A story of love and intrigue that goes through the existence
of people seeking their place in the world.» C. G. Montilla, El Mundo
«An intense and powerful story.» Antón Castro, Mercurio
A story of intrigue and passion by one of the most promising writers of his generation. Fran
lives in Malaga and is thinking about moving in with Monica, his girlfriend from Bilbao. Fran
is unaware that a murder in Bilbao is somehow connected to him and his plans to move in
with his girlfriend. Yet his brother’s disappearance, a call from an ex and the weight of the
past are all set to complicate things for Fran.
Pablo Aranda shows us the blurred edges of our personal homelands, the senselessness
of many a belief and how love may just be the only thing we can hold on to in a world of
shady relationships, little lies and betrayals.
Sold to: (Spain, El Aleph – April 2013- pdf available)
Ucrania (Ukraine)
** II Málaga Novel Award **
«A voice that stands out from the crowd.» A. Fontana, ABC
«Sensitivity and tenderness, skilfully sprinkled with irony and humor.»
Á. Basanta, El Cultural
A woman who comes from the Ukraine in search of a better life and a group of three
friends whose friendship was forged during their teens are the main characters in this
novel. Aranda offers us morsels of harsh reality, told with sensitivity, irony and skill, as he
guides us through a story that is appealing, familiar and insightful to a surprise ending. A
moving and powerful story on the pursuit of love, friendship and dreams which are not
always fulfilled.
Sold to: (Spain, Destino)
El sello indeleble. Pasado, presente y futuro del ser humano (The Human Signature.
Past, Present, and Future of the Human Being)
«A gentle stroll in the company of two authors – a paleontologist
and a psychobiologist – through the compelling world of
the mind and the brain, sex, beauty and society.»
Antonio Calvo Roy, El País
Why are humans on Earth and what has made us different from chimpanzees and every
other species on the planet? Are human races very old? Does evolution follow a plan and
does it move towards progress?Compiling a list of all human hallmarks and pinpointing
their origin in time is an arduous task, and one that is far from being completed. Juan Luis
Arsuaga and Manuel Martín-Loeches brilliantly argue that our distinguishing characteristics
were not only determined by natural selection, but also by the “hostile nature” of human
society. We had to fight society in order to survive and have children. This relevant fact,
ignored by science, allows us to better understand our history and helps us speculate
about “the man of the future”. An innovative and daring view of our past, present, and
future.
The book’s co-author, Manuel Martín-Loeches, is a Professor in Psychobiology at the
Complutense University of Madrid and Director of the Cognitive Neuroscience Section of
the Human Evolution and Behaviour Center (UCM-ISCIII).
Sold to: (Spain, Debate)
El primer viaje de nuestra vida (The First Journey of Our Life)
‘Nothing is more common than being born, and nothing more extraordinary: Juan Luis
Arsuaga has narrated this incredible first journey of human life with all the power of the
great tales of travel and discovery, with his dual talent as storyteller and scientist.’
Antonio Muñoz Molina
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When English-speaking writers refer to the passage of the foetus down the birth canal,
they use the word ‘travel’, and this is what the title of this book refers to: an especially
difficult journey in our species, which culminates with the arrival of a new person in the
world. This astonishing journey allows us to surmount many of the difficulties of the human
species because the strange way in which we are born is not an anecdote but rather is
intimately linked to our nature.
Why is birth painful? How did our ancestors give birth? Why are new-born babies so
defenceless?
Like a guide to a great exhibition, Juan Luis Arsuaga accompanies us in El primer viaje de
nuestra vida through the fascinating human evolution adventure by way of a history of
birth, and gives us a brilliant anatomy lesson along the way. And while he provides
answers to these and other questions, he also asks others that are still unknown. There is
still much to learn about the most important journey of our lives.
Sold to: (Spain, Temas de Hoy)
El collar del neandertal (The Neanderthal’s Necklace)
Why did the Neanderthals suddenly disappear? Members of a parallel human race that
evolved in Europe over hundreds of thousands of years, they provide a surprising mirror of
humanity. The struggle between Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons, our ancestors, lasted
thousands of years. In this tale of life and death and the awakening of human awareness,
Juan Luis Arsuaga depicts the struggle for survival of two clashing species. Only one is to
survive.
Sold to: (Spain, Temas de Hoy / Club: Bertelsmann / Pocket: Temas de Hoy /
Catalan: Columna); (Brazil, Editora Globo); (Croatia, Izvori); (France, Odile Jacob);
(Germany, Europa Verlag); (Holland, Wereldbibliotheek); (Italy, Feltrinelli); (Japan,
Shinhyoron); (Portugal, Gradiva); (UK, John Wiley & Sons); (US, Four Walls Eight
Windows)
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NURIA BARRIOS
Nuria Barrios (Madrid, 1962) is an author and PhD in Philosophy. She has published the
book of poems El hilo de agua (Algaida, 2004), which won the Premio Ateneo de Sevilla;
the books of short stories Amores patológicos (Ediciones B, 1998) and El zoo sentimental
(Alfaguara, 2000), and a travel book, Balearia (Plaza y Janés, 2000). She has also
participated in several anthologies of short stories. Her works have been translated to
Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Croatian and Esperanto. She contributes to the literary
supplement of El País. As a columnist, she has been awarded by the Fundación Mastia.
Her latest work is the long-awaited novel El alfabeto de los pájaros (Seix Barral, 2011) and
has been short-listed for the Troa Award to the Best Fiction Book with Values 2012.
El alfabeto de los pájaros (The Alphabet of the Birds)
«An amazing multicultural fable.» Margarita Rivière, El País
«For the first time, a novel that deals with adoption. A beautiful mixture of poetry, stories
and a novel, written with exquisite sensitivity. The best kind of fiction.» Ricard Ruiz
Garzón, Qué Leer
«A good novel that needs no other adjective.»
J.M. Pozuelo Yvancos, ABC
«Rarely is the power and generosity of love told with such tenderness, as it is in this
soothing novel about the power of words and the imagination.» Guillermo Busutil,
Mercurio
Nix is six years old,she was born in China and she’s adopted. She loves her family very
much, but the pain of being abandoned torments her. Only the stories her mother invents
makes her feel better. But the pain always returns. The little girl believes that the secret of
happiness lies in the belly in which we live before we’re born and that, in order to be
happy, she must return to the womb of her Chinese mother, the place where it all began.
Only by going back to the beginning will she be able to learn who she is, to make sense of
her new life and finally be able to eliminate the angst of so many unanswered questions.
But the journey isn’t possible. Or is it?
A novel about what it means to be an adopted child, about forgetting and remembering,
about the ferocious wounds provoked by abandonment and about the moving strength of
love. But above all, it’s a novel about the power of the imagination.
Sold to: (Spain, Seix Barral / Pocket, Booket); (Brazil, Cosac Naify)
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FELIPE BENÍTEZ REYES
BLACKIE BOOKS
Felipe Benítez Reyes (Rota, 1960) is a poet, novelist, essayist and columnist. . As a poet,
he is the winner, among other awards, of the Critics’ Prize and the National Literature Prize
for the anthology of poems Vidas improbables (Visor, 1995). His latest book of poems, Las
identidades (Visor, 2012), has been received with great acclaim and has spent numerous
weeks at the top of the best-sellers list for poetry anthologies. His novels, translated into
several languages, include Humo (Planeta, 1995, Ateneo de Sevilla 1995 Prize), La
propiedad del paraíso (Planeta, 1995 / Tusquets, 2001), El novio del mundo (Tusquets,
1998), El pensamiento de los monstruos (Tusquets, 2002) and Mercado de espejismos
(Destino, 2007), for which he was awarded the Nadal Prize in 2007. In 2009 he published
Oficios estelares (Destino, 2009), a volume that brought together all of his short stories.
His latest published book is a new collection of short stories, Cada cual y lo extraño
(Destino 2013).
Blackie Books is an independent publishing house based in Barcelona. Soon after it was
born in 2009, it became very popular among the industry and the audience for its
catalogue selection —featuring memoir, politically committed essay and bold literature—,
innovative marketing strategies and alternative ways of book promotion and advertising.
Throughout the years, Blackie Books has already published 50 titles and achieved also a
strong presence in the Latin American market. Keeping independence and audacity as the
basis of its identity, Blackie Books aims at experiencing a sustainable and smart growth
during the next year.
Named after a beloved but deceased pet, Blackie Books is a surprisingly successful
independent publisher of cult fiction, essay, memoir, and illustration. Blackie Books is so
focused on making beautiful books, the firm won the 2011 Gràffica Prize, awarded by the
eponymous Valencia-based design magazine.
Cada cual y lo extraño (The Self and the Other)
«Now is also the time to hail the return to fiction of an outstanding writer, Felipe Benítez
Reyes, who has just released an excellent short story collection, Cada cual y lo extraño.”
Almudena Grandes, El País
«The tone hovers somewhere between down-to-earth and biting humour, when the reader
turns the page and is pulled up short mid-paragraph.” Pepe Lugo, La Razón
«A book packed to the rafters with memorable characters, written with the deftness of a
master of the literary craft.»
Juan Bonilla, Mercurio
A collection of twelve short pieces arranged in the form of an “almanac of stories”. Benítez
Reyes offers up one story for each month of the year, set against the backdrop of events
specific to the date in question: January and the Three Wise Men; February and the
second batch of sales; March and a belated carnival; April and an unexpected turn of
events; May and exams have rolled around; June and Midsummers Night; July and a
holiday aboard a cruise liner; August and teenage love in the movie theater; September
and military exploits in an intellectual guise; October and the harbingers of doom;
November and a performance of Don Juan Tenorio, and, last but not least, December and
an ill-timed company dinner.
Each story is tinged with humor and, at the same time, carries a sting in the tail, with the
sense of the absurd and of wonder that are the hallmarks of this author’s unique take on
the world.
Sold to: (Spain, Destino)
Cuaderno Blackie (Blackie Workbook) by Comité Blackie
Learning through play isn’t just for kids. The Blackie Workbook is the best way to detox
your mind and the definitive cure for cultural desertification. With hundreds of pages of
illustrated exercises you’ll be able to test your knowledge about TV, series, art, history and
film, as well as many other subjects. Alone or with others, on holiday or on the way to
work, it’s perfect for both inquiring and lazy minds. Addictive, surprising, the Blackie
Workbook is a never-ending source of entertainment and knowledge which has already
sold more than 30,000 copies and captivated thousands of readers since its first edition
Sold to: (Spain, Blackie Books)
Mercado de espejismos (The Market of Mirages)
**Nadal Award 2007**
Sold to: (Spain, Destino / Club: Bertelsmann / Pocket: Booket); (Italy, Fazi);
(Portugal, Sextante Editora); (Romania, RAO)
Ultraviolencia (Ultraviolence) by Daniel Noguera
Miguel Noguera (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 1979) is a fine art graduate from Barcelona
University. He is a graphic artist, a performer and a writer: his endless doses of satire and
irony go beyond the limits of the comedy genre, and have made him into a pioneer and the
epitome of what critics have dubbed Spanish “post humour”.
For ten years now, he has been touring theatres and art centres in Spain with his
Ultrashow: an unpredictable piece of stand up comedy that has gained legions of fans and
which never fails to provoke a reaction. In fact, Noguera is the first comedian to be
welcomed into Spanish contemporary art circles. Phaidon has classified in its Creamier
book as one of the 100 most relevant emerging artists of our time.
His first published work Hervir un Oso (Belleza infinita, 2011) was followed by
Utraviolencia (Blackie Books, 2011) and Ser Madre Hoy (Blackie Books, 2012). In 2014
the third collection of ideas from this incredibly original creator will become available.
Representation without reproduction is the most concise way to describe Miguel Noguera's
work. His performances, which he calls 'Ultrashows', are based on the way in which mental
images are created through language and speech. Each Ultrashow is nourished by ideas,
notions, expressions and sentences from everyday life that he previously collects in an
archive of notebooks. From these, he selects and constructs the outline for each Ultrashow
normally a page containing ten to fifteen ideas.
The Ultrashows are very simple productions in which the artist presents a monologue to a
small audience with the help of illustrative diagrams. With a sophisticated economy of
words, he describes uncomplicated events with great precision. In one performance, for
example, he asks the audience to imaging receiving a surprise Christmas gift box of
Kiehls, an American brand of natural cosmetics that until recently were not available in
Spain. They arrive, you open up one of the charming glossy boxes, where the products are
immersed in a beautiful potpourri of dried leaves and winter flowers, and there, in the
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middle of the box you discover a tiny man. The perfect human rendered on a incredibly
small scale, is death. What do you do? Should you call the police? He is a man after all, no
matter how small, and he is dead, possibly murdered. But would it be too absurd to make
the call?
Memory and scale play an important role in Noguera's method of articulating paradoxical
situations. The limited number of people in the audience at a specific time and space form
a microcosm of the much larger community that has anonymously shaped the language he
employs. Through his rational-irrational games, Noguera helps us to understand the place
we occupy in the world and how we live. We may laugh, but his performances are not only
funny: they also inspire our curiosity and provoke in us the desire for a further reading of
the real.
Thanks to this angle, you can see the sky for the next 180 degrees.
You can lie back and enjoy it for a while. What’s more, you have
to look down to see the sky, and that is a very relaxing thing to be
able to do. It’s like having the sky at your feet.
An example:
The magical angle of suicide
When someone commits suicide by jumping off a building, the body takes
on several angles from the floor as it falls. One particular angle is more
pleasant, more mystical, and more liberating than all others. The most
peaceful angle is exactly this one:
The reason I say this is because this is exactly the angle at which the sky comes
intoview; until now,all youcouldsee was thefloor.
Sold to: (Spain, Blackie Books)
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JOANA BONET
JUAN BONILLA
Joana Bonet (Lleida, 1966) became a journalist in 1984 and soon
became head of the fashion section of several publications. Founder and
editor-in-chief of Spanish fashion and lifestyle magazine Woman, she has
been editor-in-chief of Marie Claire between 1996 and 2012. She is
currently the managing director of PRISA Magazines. She has directed
the book collection Women Voices for Plaza & Janés and she was the
creator and director of the Children’s TV series Fadapaca – the tie-in
album was published with the illustrations of renowned artist Jordi
Labanda (Estrella Polar, 2009).
As an author, she has published Mi vida es mía together with Anna
Caballé (Plaza & Janés, 2000), Hombres, material sensible (Plaza &
Janés, 2003) and Las metrosesenta (La Esfera de los Libros, 2007). Her
latest work is the non-fiction essay Generación paréntesis (Planeta,
2013).
Juan Bonilla (Jerez de la Frontera, 1966) is the author of the following
short story collections: El que apaga la luz (Pre-Textos, 1994), La
compañía de los solitarios (Pre-Textos, 2000), La noche del Skylab
(Espasa Calpe, 2000), Je me souviens (Algaida, 2005), a special
homage to G. Perec, El estadio de mármol (Seix Barral, 2005) and the
compilation Basado en hechos reales (Berenice, 2006). As a novelist, he
has published Nadie conoce a nadie (Ediciones B, 1996), which was
made into a very successful film, and Cansados de estar muertos
(Espasa, 1998). His novel Los príncipes nubios (Seix Barral, 2003) was
awarded the Premio Biblioteca Breve 2003 and the Prix littéraire des
Jeunes européens 2009, and has been widely translated. After the
publication the selection of stories Tanta gente sola (Seix Barral, 2009),
he published El tiempo es un sueño pop (RBA, 2012, Gaziel Biographies
and Memoirs Award 2012), a biography of the Spanish writer Terenci
Moix. His latest published work is the novel Prohibido entrar sin
pantalones (Seix Barral, 2013).
Generación paréntesis (The Downshift Generation)
«With her vibrant prose, Bonet draws a portrait of what she has called
“downshift generation”. A generation whose members have had it better
than their parents but will also have the misfortune of living better lives
than their children. A poignant description of a disturbing present we
were not ready for.» Elvira Lindo
«Bonet considers the times we live in with a keen sense of perception
and a great eye for capturing budding social movements when they are
still unnoticeable to the masses. In his book, Bonet defends the “poetry of
the everyday” using anecdotes to reflect on the present and lyrical
language that radiates with personality. Bonet lends us her eyes when
ours cannot see.» Carina Farreras, La Vanguardia
This book is an x-ray of the 21st Century first years. It questions how the
current times we are living in have affected our thoughts and actions,
which vital engines are worth fighting for, and what social trends will end
up prevailing.
Our generation grew up in prosperous times, attending foreign language
academies, eating light products and using laptops for the first time.
Everything seemed possible until the great crisis brought uncertainty
back and we began to lower our own expectations. Today we consider
ourselves a Downshift Generation: we know we have lived better than
our parents, but also that our children won’t probably get to know about
that exhuberant prosperity.
A low cost humanity is announced while we suffer from «economitis»,
and struggle to believe that neither love nor happiness are in crisis.
On the other hand, the family concept is reinforced, friends turn into the
big net that breaks the fall, we activate our solidarity gene, and a new
sensuality that glorifies the senses gives us shelter.
Sold to: (Spain, Planeta –April 2013- pdf available)
Prohibido entrar sin pantalones (Dresscode: Pants A Must)
«The excellence and deft composition of the novel lie not only in the fresh
look at the figure of Vladimir Mayakovski and the ideological backdrop to
his life, but also in the formal, stylistic approach to the subject matter.»
J.Ernesto Ayala-Dip, El País
«This new and exciting novel is an argument in defense of extreme
creativity, free artistic interpretation and wondrous poetic
madness.» Jesús Ferrer, La Razón
«A magnificent book. The words of a poet from a century ago are woven
seamlessly into the text, making it impossible to tell them apart from
those of the present day writer.» Luis Matías López, Público
Juan Bonilla follows the steps of Vladimir Mayakovsky, the most
energetic member of the Russian avant-garde.
A charismatic, innovative and combative futurist poet, Mayakovsky
declared war on the bourgeoisie and the Establishment. He became a
National poet during the Russian Revolution was a powerful man for a
number of years. New York, Berlin, Paris, Moscow, Saint Petersburg and
Mexico are some of the backdrops to this thrilling novel that explores the
life of an extreme and arrogant man. A narcissist that loathed not being
adored, a dreamer who believed in the future. Mayakovsky’s torrid affair
with Lilya Brik was tolerated and encouraged by her husband Osip ant
they would become one of the most famous literary love triangles.
Juan Bonilla does away with the traditional playbook. With his vivid and
dynamic prose, Bonilla throws inflammatory metaphors, goes partying
and looking for trouble in a novel that is driven by inventiveness and
freedom. The Russian avant-garde genius emerges with enormous
charisma from an overwhelming strong narration.
Sold to: (Spain, Seix Barral –April 2013)
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Tanta gente sola (All The Lonely People)
** Mario Vargas Llosa NH Short Fiction Award 2010 **
A short story collection in which ludicrous tragic characters cohabitate
with those capable of transforming, for example, their illness into an
advantage or failure into success. In Bonilla’s stories there are always
surprises, words that open doors to new readings, ingenuity, and above
all, a meticulous care for language.
«An excellent book.» Ángel Basanta, El Cultural
«A master of short distances.»
C. Tomás, Cuadernos Hispano-americanos
Sold to: (Spain, Seix Barral); (France, Galaade)
Los príncipes nubios (The Nubian Icons)
** Biblioteca Breve Award 2003 **
** Prix Littéraire des Jeunes Européens 2009 **
Is it possible to save someone from certain death? Moisés Froissard
thinks so. At least this is what he has in mind when he starts working for
an NGO in Latin America until he becomes one of the best
«headhunters» for the exclusive Club Olympus and travels around the
world looking for the most beautiful specimens to cater to the sexual
appetites of its membership.
This is the story of the quest for the Nubian Prince but also the story of a
moral journey, told in thrilling prose and with a bitingly sarcastic sense of
humor.
«Intelligent, witty, graceful and original.» J.A. Masoliver, La Vanguardia
Sold to: (Spain, Seix Barral / Club: Bertelsmann / Pocket: Booket);
(France, Galaade Éditions); (Germany, Rogner & Bernhard);
(Holland, Bruna / Signature); (Italy, Frassinelli); (Portugal, Temas e
Debates); (Russia, Inostranka); (World English, Metropolitan /
Pocket: Picador).
14
JAVIER CALVO
Javier Calvo (Barcelona, 1973) is a novelist, screenwriter, translator, and
literary critic. Risas Enlatadas (Mondadori, 2001), his literary debut, was
followed by his first novel, El Dios Reflectante (Mondadori, 2003), which
cemented his reputation as one of the most original and provocative
voices of contemporary Spanish literature. His next work was the shortstory collection Los ríos perdidos de Londres (Mondadori, 2005). Mundo
Maravilloso (Mondadori, 2007) was short-listed for the Fundación José
Manuel Lara Novel Award to the Best Book of the Year 2008 according to
Spanish publishers. After Corona de flores (Mondadori, 2010) and the
novella Suomenlinna (Alpha Decay, 2010), his latest published title is the
novel El jardín colgante (Seix Barral, 2012), winner of the Biblioteca
Breve Award.
El jardín colgante (The Hanging Garden)
** Biblioteca Breve Award 2012 **
«A combination of intrigue, history, parody and purpose that hooks the
reader.» Jordi Gracia, El País
«A novel that should finally propel Calvo’s work beyond the constellation
of cult authors. » Milo J. Krmpotic, Qué leer
In the midst of the rainy autumn of 1977, the Spanish Transition is in full
force but all the attention of the newscasts is focused on the recent fall of
a meteorite. Meanwhile, Lao Aristides, a socially awkward agent with a
prodigious mathematical mind, along with his assistant, Meliton Muria,
are appointed to combat the TOD, a left-wing terrorist organization. Their
mission is to locate and contact with Teo Barbosa, an undercover agent
who’s quite close to gain the trust of the guerrilla armed leaders. But
plans drastically change when Lao has a great and crazy idea that will
bring along unimaginable consequences. Transgressive and provocative,
El Jardín Colgante proves how Javier Calvo is becoming one of the
strongest Spanish narrators. With this novel the author adds a completely
new dimension to the Contemporary Spanish narrative while maintaining
his distinct style and the powerful singularity of great writers.
Sold to: (Spain, Seix Barral / Club, Círculo / Pocket, Booket);
(France, Galaade)
Corona de flores (The Wreath of Flowers)
«Protean and virtuoso.» C. Brendlé, Le Matricule des Anges
«A beautiful walk.» I. Fontaine, Courrier de l’Ouest
Sold to: (Spain, Mondadori); (France, Galaade / Pocket, Livre de
Poche); (Italy, Baldini Castoldi)
Mundo maravilloso (Wonderful World)
«Surreal, sexy, wildly funny and wretchedly excessive (…) has all the
earmarks of a cult favorite in the making.» Booklist – Starred Review
Sold to: (Spain, Mondadori / Pocket: DeBolsillo); (France, Galaade);
(Italy, Fanucci); (World English, HarperCollins)
15
16
MARTÍN CASARIEGO
NICOLÁS CASARIEGO
Martín Casariego (Madrid, 1962) has written articles, short stories and
screenplays. He is the author of the novels Qué te voy a contar
(Anagrama, 1989, Tigre Juan Prize), Algunas chicas son como todas
(Plot, 1992 / Espasa Calpe, 2000 ), La hija del coronel (Algaida Editores,
1997, Ateneo de Sevilla Prize), Mi precio es ninguno (Espasa Calpe,
1999), La primavera corta, el largo invierno (Espasa Calpe, 1999),
Campos enteros llenos de flores (El Aleph, 2001) and Nieve al sol
(Espasa Calpe, 2004). After winning the IV Anaya Award with his novel
for Young Readers Por el camino de Ulectra (Anaya, 2007), he published
La jauría y la niebla (Algaida, 2009, II Logroño Prize for Fiction). His
latest published work is the novel Un amigo así (Planeta, 2013).
Nicolás Casariego (Madrid, 1970) is author of the novel Dime cinco
cosas que quieres que te haga (Espasa Calpe, 1998), the books of
stories La noche de las doscientas estrellas (Lengua de Trapo, 1999)
and Lo siento, la suma de los colores da negro (Destino, 2007) and the
essay Héroes y antihéroes en la literatura (Anaya, 2000). In addition, he
has published stories in various anthologies and newspapers, travel
articles for El País and El Mundo, and is co-scriptwriter of several feature
films. Cazadores de luz (Destino, 2005), his second novel, was finalist for
the Nadal Award 2005. He is also author of the children’s books
Marquitos detective (SM, 2007) and Marquitos caballero (SM, 2009).
After the novel Anton Mallick quiere ser feliz (Destino, 2010), his latest
title is Carahueca (Temas de hoy, 2011), a movie tie-in book of the
screenplay he co-wrote for Clive Owen’s project, Intruders. The film, that
has been directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and produced by Universal
Pictures, was released worldwide in Fall 2011.
Un amigo así (A Friend Like This)
«The novel is faithful to the history of the sport a well as the settings and
actual events during the ascent of Mont Blanc. The whole plot is
developed with intense restraint and emotion.»
J. M. Pozuelo Yvancos, ABC
«An extraordinarily well devised novel, crafted to keep the reader in
suspense. His best book to date.» Fernando Castanedo, El País
«The author raises the grandeur of nature and human grandeur to the
same level in this story of an unshakable friendship threatened by
unmentionable secrets.» J. A. Masoliver Ródenas, La Vanguardia
Friends José and Lucas have climbed mountains around the world for
almost three decades. While their friendship seems rock solid, one of
them knows that a thin crack has been splitting them apart for years.
During an epic ascent of Mont Blanc, the two friends’ limits will be tested
by the cold, the snow, the wind and nature in its purest form. They will
learn that everyone harbours unspeakable secrets, and will have to face
their past and present fears. Thrilling. Martín Casariego has written a
marvelous novel.
Sold to: (Spain, Planeta –May 2013- pdf available)
La jauría y la niebla (The Hounds and the Fog)
** II Logroño Prize for Fiction**
«The novel’s greatest strength lies in its direct and brutal depiction of
bullying. It tells harsh and bleak stories. Children mirroring adult sociopolitical rivalries and reckless attitudes that perpetuate a particular
criminal language.» F. Scarcella, Mangialibre
«The reader will discover an extraordinary mechanism of narration. A
very intense read written with bravery and sincerity.» A. Muñoz Molina
Sold to: (Spain, Anaya-Algaida); (Italy, H2O)
Mi precio es ninguno (I’m Not for Sale) – A noir.
Sold to: (Spain, Plaza & Janés / Pocket: Espasa Calpe); (Denmark,
Husets); (Germany, Ullstein); (Poland, Muchaniesiada); (Russia,
Machaon)
Carahueca (Hollowface)
«A powerful novel, which moved me despite knowing the denouement.
The humanity of its characters transcends their fears and our own.»
Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, director of Intruders
«A cleverly constructed chiller that succeeds in creating a polished
psychological drama that should sustain the appeal of Spanish scary
movies in the global market.» Allan Hunter, Screendaily
Seven-year-old Juan lives in Madrid. In his nightmares he is attacked by
a faceless intruder, and his mother Luisa can do nothing to stop it.
Meanwhile Mia, a twelve-year-old girl from London, reads to her
classmates the mysterious story of a monster named Hollowface.
Separated by thousands of miles but closely linked through fear, both
families will have to face that the intruders are already inside their homes
and won’t leave till they get what they want from their children. A horror
fast-paced, dark, claustrophobic plot that reflects on the destructive
power of guilt and fear.
Sold to: (Spain, Temas de Hoy)
Anton Mallick quiere ser feliz (Anton Mallick Wants to Be Happy)
«A tragicomic mixture, incredibly modern in its narrative structure,
that effectively parodies the triviality of our world today.»
J. M. Pozuelo, ABC
An action-packed book, with a refreshing tone, a sharp outlook and,
above all, plenty of humor, Casariego offers us an extremely comical
novel about the hilarious search for happiness following the usual
recipes. A delicious story about love, relationships and family secrets.
Sold to: (Spain, Destino), (World English, Hispabooks)
** ENGLISH TRANSLATION AVAILABLE**
17
CRISTINA FALLARÁS
Cristina Fallarás (Zaragoza, 1968) is a journalist and a writer. She has
worked as a journalist for several newspapers, radio and TV channels.
She currently manages Sigue Leyendo, a website of books, readers and
authors. Her published books to-date include: La otra Enciclopedia
Catalana (Belacqva, 2002); Rupturas (Urano, 2003); No acaba la noche
(Planeta, 2006); and Así murió el poeta Guadalupe (Alianza, 2009).
Her story The Severed Hand was published in the US anthology
Barcelona Noir (Akashik Books, 2011).
After the thriller Las niñas perdidas (Roca, 2011), she published Últimos
días en el puesto del Este (DVD, 2011 – reissued by Salto de Página,
2013), awarded with the LXII City of Barbastro International Short Novel
Prize. Her latest work is the non-fiction book A la puta calle. Crónica de
un desahucio (Planeta, 2013).
A la puta calle. Crónica de un desahucio (Get the Fuck Out.
Chronicle of an Eviction)
> 2nd reprint!
«Loneliness, rage, shame, change, adaptation
are the backdrop to this rugged and genuine book.» El Periódico
«A daunting firsthand account of a tragedy. Told with a serene rage that
raises questions about the moral legitimacy of our world.”
Susana Martínez, Qué Leer
«The author takes a moral stand against the immorality of the banks
rescued by the state that will not do the same for their customers.»
Álvaro Colomer, La Vanguardia
Fallarás paints a bitter and tender, lucid and brave portrait of Spain’s
current situation. A la puta calle is a first-person account of an eviction by
the writer and journalist Cristina Fallarás. Hers is the face of the new
Spanish poor: professionals with families and long careers who suddenly
find themselves out of a job and struggling to make ends meet. Some
cannot even find a way to keep a roof over their head. Fallarás talks
about the process that saw her, like hundreds of thousands of other
impoverished Spaniards, being laid-off due to the deep economic crisis
and eventually served an eviction notice.
Sold to: (Spain, Planeta-Bronce)
Las niñas perdidas (The Lost Girls)
** L’H Confidencial International Noir Novel Prize 2011**
**International Dashiell Hammett Prize for Detective Fiction 2012**
«A bold, talented writer, Fallarás roams the city as if in darkness and
casts her spell with prose of overpowering realism and indignation that
sweeps the reader along.” Christine Ferniot, Télerama
«Dark humor and provocation. The characters, situations and narrative
structure keep the reader breathless to the end.» M.-JS, L'Humanité
«Surprising and original, built on a complex, fascinating structure that
offers different timeframes and shifting perspectives that intertwine,
18
Written in true cinematic style, Fallarás makes excellent use of imagery,
with fast-paced, dynamic prose and rapid-fire, startling sentences,
pumped up on adrenaline. (…) creating a great sense of expectation and
fascination in the reader.” Thriller Magazine Italia
«An intense and merciless novel.» Lilian Neuman, La Vanguardia
«A dark, very dark and bitter novel that almost sweats blood through its
pages.» Milo J. Krmpotic, Qué Leer
There is another Barcelona: the one far removed from tourism and
fashion. It is in this other, villainous city that detective and ex-journalist
Victoria González moves confidently. And being heavily pregnant doesn’t
make it any easier. Victoria or Vicky was born in the suburbs and has her
office in the neighbourhood of El Chino, is five months gone and has a
case of two dead little girls on her hands. Dead and tortured. Her faithful
friend Jesús warns her it’s not the case for her, not in her condition. The
commissioner says the same, as does her instinct. But this is enough for
her not to give up.
Sold to: (Spain, Roca); (France, Métailié); (Italy, Feltrinelli)
Últimos días en el puesto del Este (Last Days at the Eastern Post)
** City of Barbastro LXII International Short Novel Prize 2011 **
«Indisputable quality.» Álvaro Colomer, La Vanguardia
‘I’ve been asked to write a blurb for the jacket of this devastating novel.
What can I say? That it’s a post-apocalyptic novel whose brave author
has imagined that, rather than some vague nuclear catastrophe, the
cause of the disaster is instead the violent global victory of Catholic
fundamentalism? Should I say that those who love definitions will not be
able, try as they might, to classify this apocalyptic–engagé–emotional–
politically-radical–tender–anticlerical–melancholic-beautiful novel? No. All
I can say to you is that if you consider yourselves 21st-century readers
and you believe in the literature of ideological resistance, and are
interested in novels that ask profound questions it’s frightening to answer,
then this is the novel for you.’ Fernando Marías
Sold to: (Spain, Salto de Página)
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20
PEDRO FEIJOO
JOSEP Mª FONALLERAS
Pedro Feijoo (Vigo, 1975) graduated with a Galician philology degree
from the University of Santiago de Compostela.
In recent years he has worked feverishly as a producer and composer.
His first novel, Os fillos do mar (Xerais, 2011) has become a literary
phenomenon in Galicia, where it has been widely acclaimed by readers
and critics alike. The novel was shortlisted for the prestigious Xerais
Prize for Fiction 2011 and The Arcebispo Juan San Clemente Prize 2013.
Josep Mª Fonalleras (Barcelona, 1959) studied Catalan Philology at the
Universitat de Girona. He’s a highly recognized author who has been
awarded numerous prizes and currently writes a daily opinion column in
El Periódico newspaper.
Among his long list of works, one should not fail to mention: El rei del
mambo (Edicions del Pel, 1985), Botxenski i companyia (Empúries,
1988), Avaria (Empúries, 1990), Sis homes (Empúries, 2005), Un any de
divorciat (Ara Llibres, 2007) and the novels La millor guerra del món
(Edicions 62, 1998) and August & Gustav (Empúries, 2001). He has also
published several works for a younger audience. The most recent, Les
galetes del Saló de Tè Continental (Cruïlla, 2007) won him the Vaixell de
Vapor Prize. His latest published book is the novel Climent (Amsterdam,
2013).
Los hijos del mar (The Sons of the Sea)
**Xerais Fiction Award 2011**
**The Arcebispo Juan San Clemente Prize 2013**
> 4 reprints in Galician
«Feijoo's first novel is a very promising debut in the Galician literary
scene. Mystery and intrigue. The novel captures the reader with a well
rounded plot that shines for fluent narrative and literary quality.»
R. Nicolás, La voz de Galicia
«A best-seller with a tremendous literary quality.» D. Vilavedra, El País
«A novel that combines literary quality with elements from other genres
such as thriller, historical novel and noir. The reaction of readers and
critics has been so incredible that in a few short months the novel is in its
fourth reissue. » Ramón Nicolás, Qué Leer
«One of the best Galician novels I've read this year. Written with subtle
humor and intelligent irony. A treasure.»
X. C. Caneiro, La voz de Galicia
Simon Varela is an architect, known for building henhouses, beach huts
and rickety shanties. His sharp irony and his survival instinct are his two
main strengths. Which is why he is as surprised as he is worried when he
receives a restoration commission for one of the most powerful and
shady families in Vigo.
Moved to stay by an unexpected family secret and the addictive beauty of
a woman he is not willing to give up, Simon faces the situation like an
unglamorous Galician Raymond Chandler character.
Pedro Feijoo’s narrative debut could not be better, as his roaring success
in Galicia shows. This new and exciting literary voice will not go
unnoticed. Feijoo will attract a horde of enthusiastic readers.
Sold to: (Spain, Xerais – Galician – March 2012 / Espasa – Spanish –
May 2013)
Climent (Climent)
«A self-reflective, many-layered novel. Fonalleras questions what it
means to write a novel about love, death and writer’s block.»
J. Guillamón, La Vanguardia
«Fonalleras’ crowning achievement and, at the same time, more
readable than ever.» El Periódico
«There is nothing on the canvas. Just papers inside a trolley that my
friends brought here to humour their crazy friend and his madness.»
«A gorgeous and thrilling book (...) a risky and charmed narrative
adventure.» Esteve Miralles, Núvol
«Climent sculpts the shape of our loss. A memorable book about
absences and persistences.» Lluís Muntada, L'Avenç
A tale about search, loss, writers, disappearance and paintings.
Climent spent the last years of his life pushing around a trolley packed
with folders and papers, all parts of a novel that he never got to write.
When Climent goes missing, friends of the author hire a professional
writer to compile the materials of his unfinished novel. What ensues is a
game of smoke and mirrors as the writer comes face to face with life and
death, loss, love and friendship.
Sold to: (Spain, Amsterdam – Catalan – March 2013- pdf available)
21
22
MIGUEL GALLARDO
ALBERT GASSULL
Miguel Gallardo (Lleida, 1955) lives and works in Barcelona. As a press
illustrator, he is a regular contributor to La Vanguardia and various other
magazines and publications both in Spain and abroad, including The
Herald Tribune, The NYT and The New Yorker. Among other titles, he
has published Tres viajes (Edicions de Ponent, 2006) and Un largo
silencio, a graphic novel about the Spanish Civil War (Edicions del
Ponent, 1997 –Astiberri, 2012). María y yo (Astiberri, 2007) won the
National Book Award granted by the Catalan government and was
shortlisted for the Goya Award to the Best Documentary. His latest works
are Emotional World Tour (Astiberri, 2009), with co-author Paco Roca, La
fuga de la Modelo (La Cúpula, 2009), and Todo Makoki (DeBolsillo,
2012), a complete collection of the strips published between 1977 and
1984 about Makoki, a beloved character of the underground Spanish
culture.
Albert Gassull (Barcelona, 1962) is an architect, a musician by hobby and
passionate reader. He has worked as an independent professional, in
Public Administration and plays the sax at the Black Locomotive. Males
Arts (Empúries, 2013) is his first novel.
María y yo (Maria and I)
** Catalan National Book Award** Best Work and Best Script at the
Barcelona International Comic Book Fair **
«A moving and candid work, but also an amusing and ironic one.»
E. González, El País
In this tender and amusing memoir of a summer vacation with his autistic
daughter, the author uses his expertise as an artist to communicate with
her through his drawings and tell us a beautiful story, thus shattering
most of the clichés about children with autism. A revealing and cathartic
read.
Sold to: (Spain, Astiberri- Spanish / La Galera – Catalan / El Patito Galician); (France, Rackham); (Germany, Reprodukt); (Italy, Comma
22); (Poland, Egmont); (Portugal, Asa BD); (Russia, Guprus).
Film rights: Bausan Films / Director: F. Fernández de Castro
** ENGLISH SAMPLE TRANSLATION AVAILABLE**
Emotional World Tour
A couple of years ago, Miguel Gallardo and Paco Roca each published a
graphic novel (Arrugas and María y yo), both of which reached a huge
readership. This book, which started as a simple journal of a joint book
tour, ended up as a very meticulous album with high doses of healthy
rivalry. An unexpected graphic novel with the makings of a blockbuster.
Co-author: Paco Roca
Sold to: (Spain, Astiberri); (Italy, Tunué)
Males arts (Dark Arts)
«A writer’s sharp debut about the destruction left by a time of
irresponsibility. » J. Lambies, Time Out
December 2004. Several years ago the property market was flooded with
upstarts from all corners hoping to get rich from the situation. Investors,
vendors and brokers at all levels appeared, along with a new emerging
“species”: those who have started to build wealth and need to prove it.
Surrounded by this fauna, a young couple, Miquel and Raquel, move into
the house they have built in a village in Alt Empordà. Miquel is the
architect who designed the house, and for Raquel the house is a dream
come true. His work has gone very well in recent years and Raquel has
become accustomed to expensive cars, luxury holidays, the best hotels
and designer clothes. But she doesn’t know that everything is about to go
horribly wrong: Miquel is ruined and they are in danger of losing their
home.
With a dynamic plot and fresh language, Males arts gives an accurate
account of a society eager for and dazzled by success, allowing itself to
fall into the trap set by the illusions of a freak period. A recent past that
has very quickly been left behind.
Sold to: (Spain, Empúries –Catalan)
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24
MARCOS GIRALT TORRENTE
LUCI GUTIÉRREZ
Marcos Giralt Torrente (Madrid, 1968) graduated in Philosophy. His
celebrated literary debut was the volume of short stories Entiéndame
(Anagrama, 1995). His first novel París (Anagrama, 1999) was awarded
the Herralde Novel Prize and was followed by the novella Nada sucede
solo (Ediciones del Bronce, 1999) and the novel Los seres felices
(Anagrama, 2005). Tiempo de vida (Anagrama, 2010), his third novel,
has been acclaimed both by critics and readers and was awarded the
Spanish National Book Award in 2011. His latest book is the collection of
stories, El final del amor (Páginas de espuma, 2011), winner of the
International Short Fiction Award Ribera del Duero 2011, the highest
Luci Gutierrez (Barcelona, 1977) is a freelance illustrator. Since she
completed her studies in illustration at the Massana School in Barcelona
(2001), she has worked in advertising and media. In recent years her
work has moved into book illustration. Her work has been awarded the
Junceda Press Prize 2010 and was shortlisted for the CJ Picture Book
Awards, the White Ravens Awards and got a commendation in the
Bologna Ragazzi Awards.
In 2007 she spent a period in New York and, since then, she has been
working regularly for the US press in publications such as The New
Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street
Journal, Newsweek or Forbes. In her leap over to digital media, her work
has included icons, vignettes and headers for the digital edition of several
publications. Her first book, English Is Not Easy (Blackie Books, 2013)
has just been published
endowed award for story collections in Spain.
Tiempo de vida (Life Time)
** Spanish National Book Award 2011 ** shortlisted for the National
Critics Prize 2011 and Las Américas Award 2011 **
> 5 reprints
«A superb book.» Javier Cercas, El País
«Perfect and essential.» Rodrigo Fresán
«An excellent book, a great life lesson.» A. Caballé, ABC
«Very sophisticated, very literary, and with unusual sincerity. A text, to
some extent, curative.» Rosa Montero, El País
«Beautiful, elegant, brave and damn well written, with heart and soul in
each grammatical sentence.» A. López, Qué Leer
Narrative, even when trying to imitate life, is fictional. An artifice. With this
premise in mind, Marcos Giralt Torrente confronts a universal subject in
this true story: the death of his father. Using his concise prose, the author
manages to turn his own experience into everybody’s experience. The
result is a truly moving book that will comfort and knock you down at the
same time. A life inventory in which nearly nothing is left unsaid and –due
to this honesty- showing life like it is: with its sadness and crossroads but
also with its joyous discoveries. A brave and beautiful confession that will
not go unnoticed.
Sold to: (Spain, Anagrama); (France, Galaade); (Italy, Elliot);
(Portugal, Teodolito); (South Korea, Viche); (World English, Farrar
Straus & Giroux)
El final del amor (The End of Love)
«Stories of love at its least sentimental and most richly, maddeningly
inscrutable. A stellar collection of stories about the mysteries of love as it
ebbs and flows.» Kirkus, Starred Review
«Captivating, subtle, unsettling prose (...) building tension with Bolañolike accumulation of plot (...) This is Giralt Torrente's first book to appear
in English. With luck, the first of many.» Booklist
** International Short Fiction Award Ribera del Duero 2011 **
Sold to: (Spain, Páginas de Espuma); (US, McSweeney’s)
English Is Not Easy (English Is Not Easy)
There are two types of people in this world: those who learn languages
easily and those who struggle with them. I (and probably you) fall into the
second group. I don’t even want to think about the hours (and money!) I
spent trying to learn English when, really, I hated pretty much every
minute of it. But people seem so smart when they can speak English, so I
kept at it. That meant doing online courses, intensive summer classes,
and even going to New York and getting up early on freezing winter
mornings to head out to a Russian part of Brooklyn that to me was like
the Far West. I barely managed to stay awake during classes in Times
Square taught by teachers with dubious accents, while they received
massages from devoted Japanese students. Each of these experiences
came with the corresponding textbook, which addressed such thrilling
topics as extreme sports and atmospheric conditions. You know,
everyday vocabulary for when you leave the house and see a paraglider
get carried off by a hurricane. But having done all that and finding myself
on the other side of the Atlantic, I had to discover a way—even with my
terrible memory—to retain what I had learned. That’s how I decided to
use my drawing skills to help me memorize words and grammatical
concepts. And those drawings turned into this book and learning English
turned into something fun. Maybe it won’t work for you, but drawing these
pages helped me string a few words together in English. Don’t I look
smart now?”
Sold to: (Spain, Blackie Books – September 2013); (Italy, Rizzoli)
25
26
JAVIER GUTIÉRREZ
NAJAT EL HACHMI
Javier Gutiérrez (Madrid, 1974) has a degree in Economics from the
Complutense University in Madrid. He has worked as an economist and
publisher. He currently spends most of his time writing. He is the author
of the novels Lección de vuelo (Ópera Prima, 2004. New Narrators Prize)
and Esto no es una pipa (Salvador García Aguilar Prize, 2009). He is
also the winner of the 2008 José Saramago Short Fiction Award and
finalist of the 2010 Tiflos Short Story Collection Prize, which he entered
under the pen name Rubik, in reference to the creator of the famous
Rubik’s Cube. His latest work is the novel Un buen chico (Mondadori,
2012).
Najat El Hachmi Buhhu was born in Morocco in 1979 and from the age of
eight she has lived in Spain. She has a degree in Arab Studies from the
University of Barcelona. After publishing a non-fiction book entitled Jo
també sóc catalana (Columna, 2004), she published her first novel
L’últim patriarca (Planeta, 2008), that won the Ramon Llull Prize 2008
and the Prix Ulysse, was a big bestseller and has been translated into 11
languages up to now. After the novel La caçadora de cossos, published
by Columna and Planeta in Catalan and Spanish simoultaneously (2011),
her latest book is the anthology Cuentos libertinos del Magreb (Planeta,
2012), that she has edited and translated.
Un buen chico (A Nice Guy)
«A novel in which the nostalgia for the lost paradise of youth exudes dark
feelings..» Rolling Stone Italy
«A fierce novel by a young award-winning Spanish writer.» L´Europeo
«An emotionally intense novel with a relentless pace.» Affari Italiani
«Violent and lyrical at the same time, a hypnotic and deeply disturbing
novel.» Benito Garrido, Culturamas
«Much darker than it seems at first (…) a hypnotic, disquieting descent
into the depths of guilt and desire.» Andrea G. Bermejo, El País
«A hundred-and-forty-page cliffhanger with an interesting story about the
need to free oneself from the past.» E. Rodríguez Luque, NEO2
«A novel that approaches horror through triviality, and which is more
striking for what it does not say than for what it does; a living painting
made up of almost overwhelmingly subtle brushstrokes. In Gutiérrez we
have a great writer who is trying to reach an audience who traditionally
have been aesthetically disregarded: those born in the 1970s.»
Guillermo Ortiz, Sigueleyendo.com
"It´s ok," - Polo tells himself-, "everybody has a past”.
And it´s true, everybody has a past. But seriously, Polo, no one keeps in
their past what you keep.
Polo runs into Blanca, an old friend, on a street in Madrid. What begins
as a casual conversation soon results into an extremely painful trip into
the past and a horrifying revelation of devastating consequences.
A raw, intense and fascinating story that reveals itself through multiple
conversations and recollections, in a perfect clockwork mechanism that
engages the reader from the very first page. Violent and lyrical at once,
Un buen chico is a rare display of literary ambition and a deeply
disturbing read.
Sold to: (Spain, Mondadori); (Brazil, Verus); (France, Autrement);
(Italy, Neri Pozza)
La caçadora de cossos (The Body Hunter)
«… a more truthful and challenging read than, say,
Fifty Shades of Grey.» The Herald
«A freeing exploration of a socially turbid sexuality, incredibly valiant; its
style shines for its powerful adroitness. A greatbook.» J. Gracia, El País
«Attractive, original, contemporary and strong.» Sam Abrams, El Mundo
A woman hunts for bodies. She collects all different kinds from many
different sources, because she believes this is what fulfils her and makes
her free. However, something is wrong; she’s not happy. Gradually she
sheds these hunted bodies and comes to discover her own - desired and
desiring, loved and loving. And it is then that she will be ready to learn
that hers is a story of infinite love.
With the strength, sensuality and freshness she demonstrated in her first
novel L’últim patriarca, Najat El Hachmi presents us with a magnificent
feast for the senses and confirms herself as the most interesting and
original voice of her generation.
Sold to: (Spain: Columna-Catalan - Planeta-Spanish / Club, Círculo);
(Italy, Newton & Compton); (UK, Serpent’s Tail)
** ENGLISH SAMPLE TRANSLATION AVAILABLE**
L’últim patriarca (The Last Patriarch)
** Ramon Llull Award 2008 ** Prix Ulysse 2009 **
** Shortlisted for the Prix Méditerranée étranger 2009 **
«A story that skillfully blends drama and comedy, seriousness and
humour.» Pierre-Robert Leclercq, Le Monde
«Her narrative poise, humour and fresh, unrepressed language turn the
painful subject matter into a pleasure to read.»
M. Eaude, The Independent
«A wonderful and necessary book which comes at the right time.»
E. von Osterkamp, Frankfurter Allgemeine
Sold to: (Spain: Planeta – Catalan and Spanish / Pocket, LaButxaca);
(Arabic World Rights: Tatany); (France, Actes Sud / Club, Le Grand
Livre du Mois); (Germany, Wagenbach); (Holland, Orlando); (Italy,
Newton & Compton); (Portugal, Planeta Manuscrito); (Romania,
Curtea Veche); (Turkey, Sel Yayinlari); (World English, Serpent’s
Tail).
27
USE LAHOZ
Use Lahoz (Barcelona, 1976) is a novelist. His career began with Leer
del revés (El Cobre, 2005), honoured at the Festival du Premier Roman
de Chambèry (France). In 2009 he published Los Baldrich (Alfaguara,
2009) to both critical and popular acclaim, followed by his third novel, La
estación perdida (Alfaguara, 2011) that was awarded the Ojo Crítico
Award 2012. His first work for young readers Volverán a por mí (La
Galera, 2012), co-authored with Josan Hatero, won the 2011 La Galera
Young Readers Prize. His latest work, the novel El año en que me
enamoré de todas (Espasa, 2013), has just won the prestigious
Primavera Novel Award.
El año en que me enamoré de todas (The Year I Fell for Them All)
** Primavera Novel Award 2013 **
«Another display of Lahoz’s talent for portraying family sagas.
A splendid book.» Ernesto Agudo, ABC
«A tribute to life, love, friendship and literature.» La Razón
«A celebration of the intensity of life, friendship and love with a glittering
cast of characters.” El Mundo
«The best of Lahoz’s writing: his unmistakable prose in the Fournier
family saga and the originality of Sylvain’s Madrid story. Two voices and
two plots seamlessly woven together.» Culturamas
«One of the most daring novels, in terms of its modern approach and
techniques, to come out of Spain’s current literary scene.»
Delia Rodríguez, The Huffington Post Spain
A wonderful romantic comedy filled with delightful characters that will
help us reconcile with life and will make us believe that anything is
possible.
Sylvain Saury, a young Parisian is hitting thirties and, suffering from what
we can call a severe case of Peter Pan syndrome, refuses to step into
adulthood. Although he has many virtues—he is insightful, friendly and
well versed in many languages—he is also terribly flawed: he’s unable to
move on when it comes to love, he’s always getting into other people’s
business and the idea of growing up scares him to death. This last
shortcoming leads him to accept a low-paying job in Madrid: he’d rather
live from day to day away from home than face the inevitable. The fact
that Heike Kruger, the German ex-girlfriend that he has not managed to
forget, lives in Madrid has also contributed to his move. As he settles in
to his new home, Sylvain draws up a plan to win back Heike’s love. The
unexpected discovery of a manuscript opens a window into the past, and
a delightful and exciting story, full of strange coincidences, unfolds before
his eyes. This story will completely change his view of the world and will
help him realize that his dear friend Michel Tatin was right all along: "One
has to use one’s heart”
Sold to: (Spain, Espasa - April 2013); (Holland, Karakter); (Italy,
Sperling)
28
La estación perdida (The Lost Station)
«An uncommon ability to write powerful fiction.»
S. Sanz Villanueva. El Cultural
«Tender, profound and beautifully articulated.» B. Gutiérrez, Qué leer
«A novel about innocence and forgiveness.» Gustavo Martín Garzo
This is a story of the love between a go-getter and a one-man woman. An
unexpected piece of news disrupts Santiago Lansac’s life. He is forced to
leave his small village and make his way first in Madrid, later in
Barcelona, and then wherever fate takes him, in a long journey full of
adventures that sees him cross paths with people whose intentions he
fails to figure out in time. In the face of so much misfortune, only love can
save him. La estación perdida is a story of losers, but above all a human
drama with unforgettable characters: Santiago, a likeable madman,
tormented by fear and his own scatterbrained personality, and Candela,
the personification of naivety, strength and unconditional love in a time
when women were taught to serve. In supple, precise prose with no
shortage of humour, Use Lahoz describes the changes Spain suffered in
the second half of the 20th century through his antiheroes who are forced
to emigrate to be launched into the unknown in a novel full of feeling.
Sold to: (Spain, Alfaguara / Pocket, Punto de Lectura); (Holland,
Karakter)
Los Baldrich (The Baldrichs)
«An elegy to a generation.» E. Aayala Dip, El País
«An entertaining, exciting read.» J.A. Masoliver Ródenas, La
Vanguardia
«His prose fluctuates between the two nineteenth-century poles of Balzac
and Galdós, but filtered through the prism of the Young British
Novelists.» J. Alonso Prieto, Quimera
Sold to: (Spain, Alfaguara / Pocket, Punto de Lectura)
29
30
SONIA LAREDO
JOSÉ CARLOS LLOP
Sonia Laredo is the pseudonym of a woman related to the literary world,
who prefers to keep her identity hidden.
Y entonces sucedió algo maravilloso (Destino, 2013), a story about the
magic of books and second chances, is her first novel and the first book
in The Nuba Trilogy.
José Carlos Llop (Palma de Mallorca, 1956) is the author of two books of
short stories: Pasaporte diplomático (El Aleph, 1991) and La novela del
siglo (Premio NH for the Best Book of short stories 1999, El Aleph, 1999).
He has published six books of poetry and is the author of five volumes of
diaries. As a novelist, he has published: La cámara de ámbar (Muchnick,
1996), El informe Stein (Muchnik, 1995 – RBA, 2008; Prix Écureuil de
littérature étrangère 2008), Háblame del tercer hombre (El Aleph, 2001)
and El mensajero de Argel (Destino, 2005). París: suite 1940 (RBA,
2007. His latest publised works are En la ciudad sumergida (RBA, 2010),
an essay on Mallorca with 9 reprints to date, and Solsticio (RBA, 2013).
Y entonces sucedió algo maravilloso (And then Something
Wonderful Happened)
«A beautiful story contemporary.» Carina Farreras, La Vanguardia
«A novel steeped in magic, dreamlike landscapes and
excitement in abundance.» Culturamas
«If you are on the lookout for a beautiful, readable and well-written story,
brimming with friendship, love, happiness and wisdom, where any dream
can come true, this is the book for you.» Paperblog
«A delightful novel that straddles genres and hangs its story on the
premise that books make life that much more bearable.» Última hora
«A novel that oozes wisdom and optimism and that points the way with
the force of a well told tale that will linger long in the reader’s memory,
which is what truly matters in the end.» Todo Literatura
«And then, as I sat home feeling lonely, unsuccessful and desperate, I
got ready to play my private book game, looking for comfort. I was ready
to follow whatever path the books showed me, unaware that they would
lead me to a magic kingdom, a mysterious man, an old secret and a
priceless treasure. But back then, I knew nothing about all this. I could
only try not to cry.»
Brianda Gonzaga, a succesful publisher about to turn forty, gets a rude
awakenig when she is unceremoniously fired. Distressed, Brianda turns
to books -the one thing that has never failed her- for comfort. Following a
lucky hunch, she sets out on a journey that will take her to a lost place in
the mountains: the Council of Nuba. There, she will change forever.
Carried away by a “for sale” sign in an old bookshop, a hidden treasure, a
storm, the arms of a mysterious lover and the ghost of a boy who
disappeared years ago, Brianda will regain center stage in her own story.
A thrilling story where what matters most in life - friendship, love, joy,
knowledge, and why not, a little sex is not compromised.
Sold to: (Spain, Destino - May 2013); (Germany, DVA); (Italy,
Mondadori)
«The Spanish Modiano.» Bruno Corti, Le Figaro
En la ciudad sumergida (In the Submerged City)
> 9 reprints
«The most beautiful book about Palma de Mallorca by José Carlos Llop,
the most elegant man writing in literature today.» Arturo Pérez-Reverte
«A beautiful elegy of a city.» Javier Goñi, El País
«A mesmerizing book.» Anna Caballé, ABC
José Carlos Llop rescues a city that no longer exists – Palma de Mallorca
in the 60s and 70s- confronting it with its 21st Century counterpart,
where the climate is becoming tropical and Miquel Barceló’s sea
creatures invade the cathedral. Llop, in this pages, traces the sentimental
memory of Palma de Mallorca back to when Jean Seberg and Robert
Graves were strolling round its streets; when Llorenç Villalonga would
spend his days in the Café Riskal; the American marines were on patrol
and Lou Reed’s music could be heard –in certain bars- in the small hours
of the morning. A city of Palma that was also the scenario of the slow
death of the local nobility; with tourism altering the «natural» order of
things. A subtle, complex and cultivated panoramic of the city that was;
now buried beneath the city that succeeded it.
Sold to: (Spain, RBA); (France, Jacqueline Chambon/Actes Sud)
El informe Stein (The Stein Report)
** Prix Écureuil de littérature étrangère 2008 **
«A masterpiece.» Bruno Corti, Le Figaro
«A little book by a great talent.» L’Express
Sold to: (Spain, RBA Editores); (Arabic rights, Naufal -Hachette
Antoine); (France, Jacqueline Chambon / Actes Sud); (World
English, Hispabooks)
París: suite 1940 (Paris: suite 1940)
«Only the greats can achieve such a feat, and Llop is definitely in that
category (…) a masterpiece.» Olivier Mony, Sud Ouest
Sold to: (Spain, RBA); (France, Jacqueline Chambon / Actes Sud)
31
32
PEDRO MAIRAL
IGNACIO MARTÍNEZ DE PISÓN
Pedro Mairal (Buenos Aires, 1970) is a professor of English Literature.
His first novel, Una noche con Sabrina Love (Clarín-Aguilar, 1999,
Anagrama 2001), was made into a film by Alejandro Agresti and was
widely translated. Adolfo Bioy Casares, Augusto Roa Bastos and
Guillermo Cabrera Infante recognized Mairal’s writing as one of the most
original voices of Latin American literature and awarded him the Premio
Clarín. He is also the author of the book of short stories Hoy temprano
(Clarín-Aguilar, 2001) and the novel El año del desierto (Salto de página,
2010). In 2007 he was included by the jury of Bogotá39, among the best
Latin American authors. After the publication of the novel Salvatierra
(Emecé, 2008 / El Aleph, 2010), his latest works are El equilibrio
(Garrincha Club, 2013), his first work of non-fiction, and El gran surubí, a
graphic novel in sonnet form, published in digital installments by
editorialorsai.com in 2012, and released in paperback in 2013.
Ignacio Martínez de Pisón (Zaragoza, 1960) is the author of several
novellas (La ternura del dragón, 1984; Antofagasta, 1987; El fin de los
buenos tiempos, 1994 and María bonita, 2000); short story collections
(Alguien te observa en secreto, 1985; Foto de familia, 1998) and novels
(Nuevo plano de la ciudad secreta, 1992; Carreteras secundarias, 1996
and El tiempo de las mujeres, 2003) all of them originally published by
Anagrama. Enterrar a los muertos (Seix Barral, 2005) won the Rodolfo
Walsh and Dulce Chacón Prizes. Next he published the novel Dientes de
leche (Seix Barral, 2008) and two volumes of stories: as a writer,
Aeropuerto de Funchal (Seix Barral, 2009) and as an editor, Partes de
guerra (RBA, 2009), a compilation of Spanish Civil War stories by
different authors. His latest work, the novel El día de mañana (Seix
Barral, 2011), acclaimed both by readers and critics, is recipient to
several awards.
Salvatierra (Salvatierra)
«This enigmatic novel delights.» Publisher’s Weekly
«A well-told, poignant story with a fair bit of suspense to go with the
interesting (but never too forcefully imposed) meditations on life and art –
a surprising lot packed into such a short space. A fine piece of work.»
M. A. Orthofer, The Complete Review
«A master craftsman comparable to compatriot Jorge Luis Borges.»
Jennifer Croft, The Critical Flame
«Mairal vibrates the innermost fibers with unexpected resonance.»
Bruno Arpaia, Liaisons letteraire
«Surprising symbiosis between matter and form. Mairal is my personal
discovery of this publishing year.» J. Ernesto Ayala-Dip, El País
«One of the most interesting writers of contemporary Hispanic-American
literature (…) an extraordinary writer.» Marco Kunz,Quimera
At the age of nine, Juan Salvatierra became mute following a horse-riding
accident. At twenty, he began to secretly paint a series of long rolls of
canvas in which he minutely detailed life in his coastal village. After the
death of Salvatierra, his children travel to Buenos Aires to deal with their
inheritance: an enormous apartment packed with painted rolls…one of
which is apparently missing… An intrigue of family secrets that are buried
in the past and cast their shadows on the present.
Sold to: (Spain, El Aleph / Latin America, Emecé); (France, Payot
Rivages); (Germany, Hanser); (Holland, Athenaeum); (Italy, Bollati
Boringhieri); (Turkey, Sel); (World English, The New Vessel Press)
El día de mañana (The Day After Tomorrow)
** National Critics Award 2011 ** Shorlisted for the European Book
of the Year 2011 ** Ciutat de Barcelona Spanish Fiction Award 2012
** Letras Aragonesas 2011 Prize ** Espartaco Award 2012**
> 3 reprints
Justo Gil is a recent immigrant who has settled in Barcelona, a bright,
ambitious young man who, swept along by the swings of fortune, ends up
becoming an informer for the Brigada Social, the regime’s secret police.
A dozen memorable characters narrate how they met Justo at some point
in their lives and what their relationship with him was like. Their
testimonies make up a kaleidoscopic vision of the changing reality of the
1960s and 1970s, while telling the story of the breakdown of an individual
whose behaviour and progression help us understand this fundamental
chapter of Spain’s recent history - the Transition to Democracy.
«A masterful writer and journalist, Martínez de Pisón immerses himself in
the recent history of Spain in a bid to lift the lid on events before and after
the Spanish Civil War.His narrative gifts make him the ideal chronicler of
Spain’s recent history.» Ger Groot, NRC
«Perhaps the finest novel he has written, if not the most indispensable.»
Javier Cercas, El País
«His best novel yet.» J.M. Pozuelo Yvancos, ABC
«Reaches both a psychological subtleness and profoundness that are
clearly indicative of true creative maturity.» Ricardo Senabre, El Mundo
«Between Marsé and Mario Vargas Llosa.» Esquire
Sold to: (Spain, Seix Barral); (France, Galaade); (France, Galaade);
(Holland, Signature); (Italy, Guanda); (Poland, Bona); (Portugal,
Teodolito); (Turkey, Kalkedon)
El año del desierto (The Year of the Desert)
«An excellent—truly excellent—novel.» J. Ernesto Ayala-Dip, El País
Sold to: (Spain, Salto de Página); (France, Payot & Rivages);
(Greece, Polis)
** ENGLISH SAMPLE TRANSLATION AVAILABLE **
33
Dientes de leche (Milk Teeth)
«An honest chronicler and narrator. A realist interested in truth and in
reality.» Katharina Döbler, Book Reporter
«What’s interesting about his stories is how war and dictatorship affected
the private sphere of Spanish society at that time.»
Frankfürter Allgemeine
Sold to: (Spain, Seix Barral / Club, Bertelsmann / Pocket, Booket);
(Brazil, Record); (France, Rocher); (Germany, Hoffmann und
Campe); (Holland, Signature); (Italy, Guanda); (Portugal, Teorema)
Enterrar a los muertos (To Bury The Dead)
«A wonderful book.» Paul Preston, BBC radio 3
Sold to: (Spain, Seix Barral / Club, Bertelsmann / Pocket: Booket);
(Brazil, Record); (Germany, Hoffmann&Campe); (Italy, Guanda);
(Portugal, Teorema); (Switzerland –French rights: Markus Haller
Éditions); (UK, Parthian)
El tiempo de las mujeres (Three Sisters)
Sold to: (Spain: Anagrama / Club: Bertelsmann / Pocket: Booket);
(France, Éditions du Rocher); (Germany, Hoffmann & Campe /
Pocket, DTV); (Holland, Signature); (Israel, Yanshuf Publishing);
(Italy, Marcos y Marcos); (Poland, Bona); (Portugal, Teorema);
(Romania, RAO)
Film Rights: Pedro Costa - Producciones Cinematográficas
34
MIGUEL MENA
Miguel Mena (Madrid, 1959) lives in Zaragoza, where he works as a
journalist and leads a daily radio program. He has published scripts,
articles, reports and several novels for young readers, such as Bendita
calamidad (Alba, 1996), El escondite inglés (Alba, 1997), Cambio de
marcha (Alba, 2002) and Alerta Bécquer (Alba, 2011).
With the novel, Días sin tregua (Destino, 2006), awarded the Málaga
Novel Award, he introduces inspector Luis Mainar to the readers.
After publishing Piedad (Xordica, 2008) a personal tribute to his son
Daniel, here we have Mainar’s new adventures: Todas las miradas del
mundo (Suma de Letras, 2013).
The author is already writing the third installment in the series.
Todas las miradas del mundo (All The Looks in the World)
An Inspector Mainer Novel
«Written with rage and compassion.» David Trueba
«A great detective story about the Spain of Naranjito.»
I. Martínez de Pisón
«A precise chronicle about the Spain of the 80’s, an emotional tale with
the rhythm of a thriller.» Diario de Teruel
«A magnificent slice of detective fiction.»
Cristina Grande, El Heraldo de Aragón
«A nimble, highly readable novel that ratchets up the tension
with every page.» Fernando Baudet, La Opinión de Málaga
Málaga, 1982. Football World Cup. A member of the New Zealand
delegation goes missing the very day the team reaches the Costa del
Sol. Inspector Luis Mainar, a solitary and sensitive policeman who is
often tormented by his divorce and his daughter’s disease, will travel to
southern Spain to lead the efforts to locate the missing man. Little does
he know that an ETA commando is also headed for Málaga to carry out a
major terrorist attack.
Todas las miradas del mundo has the workings of a crime novel but it is
also a chronicle of the Spanish Transition and a touching story. It is a
vibrant and moving novel where soccer and international politics meet
radical terrorists, enthusiastic soccer fans, small-time crooks, young
fascists and Toxic Oil Syndrome patients.
Sold to: (Spain, Suma de Letras – January 2013)
Días sin tregua (Relentless Days)
** Malaga Novel Award**
The 1st Inspector Mainer Novel
«Powerful, deeply introspective fiction.» A. Sánchez Magro, La Razón
«Fiction that moves you.» Roberto Miranda, El Periódico
Sold to: (Spain, Destino)
35
36
MIQUI OTERO
JORDI PUNTÍ
Miqui Otero (Barcelona, 1980) is a novelist, a journalist and a key figure
in Barcelona’s underground scene. For years he ran chaotic DIY record
companies, film and music clubs and literary fanzines. Nowadays he
contributes to newspapers such as El País and teaches Literature and
Creative Journalism at Barcelona’s Universitat Autònoma. His acclaimed
first novel, Hilo musical (Alpha Decay, 2010) was awarded Fnac’s New
Talents prize. His next novel, La cápsula del tiempo (Blackie Books,
2012) is a unique story-telling venture, a novel made out of 37 stories,
inspired by the Choose Your Own Adventure books and it became an
indie best-seller. He is currently working on his next novel.
Jordi Puntí (Manlleu, 1967) is a writer, translator and a regular contributor
to the Spanish & Catalan press. In 1998 he published his first book of
short stories, Pell d’armadillo (Proa, 1998) which won the Critics’ Prize
Serra d’Or. Puntí confirmed his literary standing with Animals tristos
(Empúries, 2002), published in 8 languages and turned into a film twice.
After publishing his first novel Maletes perdudes (Empúries, 2010), that
has won several awards and is a huge bestseller, his latest title is a
collection of articles, Els castellans (L’Avenç, 2011).
La cápsula del tiempo (The Time Capsule)
«One of the most imaginative, surprising and entertaining novels I have
had the pleasure to read in recent times.» Marcos Ordóñez, El País
«A long, staggeringly ambitious Marty McFly-style voyage through time.
We are dealing with 37 different endings and a million different ways to
get there. A real treat.» Laura Fernández, Qué leer
«Its originality, as borne out by the variety of registers, creativity and
strikingly unexpected twists and turns, will startle readers of all ages.»
R. Ruiz Garzón, El Periódico (Book of the Week)
One night. 37 possible endings. A map to find your way around. A
mysterious black reference book. A great storm and dozens of tormented
characters. You are here. Now what? You decide.
Where were YOU when the great storm struck? Christmas Eve 2013. An
area of low pressure that the weatherman decided not to issue warnings
for has caught everyone out. YOU’ve run away from a house in which
you left behind your wallet and your shame, and now you’re in an
underground station, faced with a dilemma. Today, you should fulfil a
promise you made twenty years ago: to dig up, together with your two
childhood friends, a time capsule you hid in a now abandoned water
park. The first decision, whether or not to get off the tracks after a lucky
break, will be the first flash of lightning in this nocturnal odyssey in which
you will have to fight against fate and your own personality to reach the
best of the 37 possible destinies in store for you.
Sold to: (Spain, Blackie Books)
MB working in conjunction with Blackie Books.
Maletes perdudes (Lost Luggage)
** National Critics Award 2011 for Catalan Fiction ** Bookseller
Award 2010 awarded by the Catalan Booksellers Guild ** Lletra d´Or
Award 2011 ** Joaquin Amat-Piniella Award 2010 **
> 7 reprints to date
«A funny, moving and poignant exploration of identity, home, family and
freedom (…) An outstanding read. » Daily Express
«Inventive, absorbing and beautifully written.» Daily Mail
«A marvellous platform for digressive riffs, often witty and insightful, on
language and European-ness.» The Independent
«Puntí is a sprightly writer, delighting in taking us down byways and
through backwaters as the novel circles Gabriel’s disappearance.»
Adrian Turpin, Financial Times
«This novel will tell you more about the cosmopolitan nature of the
Catalan mind than any guide book.» Colm Tolbin, The Telegraph
«An extraordinary talent for storytelling.» Bruno Corty, Le Figaro
«The novel is a road movie through the Europe of the 68 student
uprisings. A small masterpiece and one that works on several levels. It is
about much more than proximity and distance, fidelity and parenthood.»
Jörg Hunke, Berliner Zeitung
«Puntí has written an outstanding work, a gripping and colourful pageturner that will not easily be forgotten.» WDR 5 Bücher
«Puntí introduces us to a family in an action-packed story in a historical
setting and at the same time a road movie, but most of all he regales us
in most entertaining style. » Literaturkurier
«European literature in the truest sense of the word.»
Cultur Mag Deutschland
«The best contemporary prose available.» V. Pagès Jordà, El Periódico
«Thrilling. Don’t miss it.» M. Obiols, El País
«Marvellous.» J. Llavina, El Mundo
«Uncommon excellency, confirms Puntí’s talent.»
R. Senabre, El Cultural
The novel tells of the crossed destinies of an impossible family. Christof,
Christophe, Christopher and Cristòfol are brothers, sons of the same
father and four very different mothers and none of them know about the
existence of the others. They live in Frankfurt, Paris, London and
Barcelona. Their father, Gabriel, abandoned them when they were little
37
and they never heard from him again. One fine day, the secret comes out
and the brothers get together for the first time. The brothers reconstruct
their father’s life step by step, above all his job as a lorry driver between
Spain and the rest of Europe. These trips enabled him to support his
gloomy existence under Francoism and the same voyages enabled
Gabriel to have several sons – the «Cristóbales» - all divided by
European geography.
Sold to: (Spain, Empúries - Catalan, / Salamandra - Spanish);
(Albania, Botime Dudaj); (Brazil, Rai Editora); (Bulgaria, Ciela);
(Croatia, Mladinska (China, Shanghai 99 Culture Consulting Co.
Ltd); (France, JC Lattès); (Germany, Kiepenheuer & Witsch);
(Holland, Mouria); (Israel, Kinneret); (Italy, Mondadori); (South
Korea, Sapiens 21); (Portugal, Teorema); (Romania, Curtea Veche);
(Slovenia, Mladinska Knjiga Zalozba); (UK, Short Books); (US, Atria)
Animals tristos (Sad Animals)
Sold to: (Spain: Catalan, Empúries / Spanish, Salamandra);
(Bulgaria, Ciela Soft); (Croatia, Naklada Mlinarec & Plavic); (France,
Le Serpent à Plumes); (Germany, Kiepenheuer & Witsch); (Italy,
ISBN Edizioni); (Portugal, Teorema).
Film rights: (Spain, Films de la Rambla / Director: Ventura Pons)
** SAMPLE ENGLISH TRANSLATION AVAILABLE FOR BOTH
TITLES**
38
LLUCIA RAMIS
Llucia Ramis (Palma, 1977) graduated in Media Studies from
Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona and works as a journalist for various
media outlets. She was editor-in-chief of the magazine Quimera and
directed and presented the arts programme Això no és Islàndia on
Balearic television. She is a regular contributor to the broadsheets Ara
Balears, El Periódico and El Mundo. She has published short stories in
such acclaimed anthologies as Odio Barcelona (Melusina, 2008), Matar
en Barcelona (Alpha Decay, 2009) and Veus (Empúries, 2010 /
Anagrama, 2010). She has written the novels Coses que et passen a
Barcelona quan tens 30 anys (Columna, 2008) and Egosurfing (Destino,
2010, Josep Pla Prize). Her most recent novel is Tot allò que una tarda
morí amb les bicicletes (Columna, 2012 / Libros del Asteroide, 2012).
Tot allò que una tarda morí amb les bicicletes (All that Died One
Afternoon with the Bicycles)
«Family comes under the narrative microscope. Each stage
along life’s path is handled with the fervor of an archeologist,
the precision of the restorer and is held up in a new light, where
love takes center stage.» José Carlos LLop
«Ramis writes with passion and integrity on sensitive issues, drawing on
feeling but also on the lucidity that comes with age to offer a great
exercise in memoir literature.» Lluís Satorras, El País
«With a harpoon between her teeth. she pulls out hair, reopens wounds,
guts dolls, discovers treasures (and other shipwreck remains) and duels
with the most Peter-Pan-esque shadows of a unique but shared
memory.» Sergi Pàmies La Vanguardia
«Transforms a domestic scenario that could be part of anyone’s life into a
wonderful novel.» Care Santos, El Mundo
The thirty something female lead returns to her parent’s home all at sea:
single and childless, all of a sudden, despite having led a brilliant
professional career, she finds herself joining the ranks of the
unemployed. A hard-working, quick-witted university graduate, never in
her wildest dreams did she think it would come to this.
The main character wonders what it was she hoped life held in store for
her and how it is that she has fallen so low. Digging deep into her
memories in a bid to reconstruct her own family history will shed light on
many other questions aside. Looking back on her memories, the most
fiercely guarded secrets emerge into the light of day, the gestures of
affection she did not notice, or the minor wounds of a family that,
although anything but conventional, is in the end much like any other.
Todo lo que una tarde murió con las bicicletas is an enthralling novel
about the burden of family ties and the first steps towards adulthood.
Sold to: (Spain, Columna – Catalan / Libros del Asteroide – Spanish)
MB working in conjunction with Columna.
39
40
FÉLIX ROMEO
FERNANDO ROYUELA
Félix Romeo (Zaragoza, 1968 / Madrid, 2011) started his literary career
in 1995 with the celebrated novella Dibujos animados (Plaza & Janés,
1996; Anagrama, 2001) which was awarded the Ícaro Award.
Discothèque (Anagrama, 2001) was his second book and was followed
by Amarillo (Plot, 2008). Félix Romeo was a regular contributor to the
Spanish cultural media. He died prematurely at the age 43, leaving an
unpublished manuscript about a friend he met in Torrero’s prison, where
he was arrested for be a draft-dodge, on 1994 and 1995. The manuscript
has just been published as a posthomous novel entitled Noche de los
enamorados (Mondadori, 2012). Also in 2012, Xordica published Todos
los besos del mundo, a selection of his finest short stories. His
intellectual legacy, as befits a lover of the written word, is Las cuatro
novelas (DeBolsillo, 2013), bringing together in one volume the novels
Dibujos animados, Discothèque, Amarillo and Noche de los enamorados.
«One of those larger-than-life intellectuals who, much like Humboldt or
Ravelstein, seem to embody humanity in all its
magnificent contrariness.» Javier Cercas
Fernando Royuela (Madrid, 1963) is a lawyer and hi works in Madrid.
Has published the novels El prado de los monstruos (Lengua de Trapo,
1996) and Callejero de Judas (Lengua de Trapo, 1997) as well as
several short stories and books of poetry. The success of his novel La
mala muerte (Alfaguara, 2000) confirmed his place among the most
talented writers of his generation and earned him the prestigious Ojo
Crítico Award for the best novel of the year. He then published La pasión
según las fieras (Alfaguara, 2003) and Violeta en el cielo con diamantes
(Alfaguara, 2005). After publishing the collection of short-stories El rombo
de Michaelis (Alfaguara, 2007), and the children’s book Lo que comen
los ratones (Alfaguara, 2008), his latest book is his long awaited new
novel Cuando Lázaro anduvo (Alfaguara, 2012).
Noche de los enamorados (Night of the Lovers)
«A powerful blend of forensic science and stark urban poetry. Romeo
read, collected and listened to what was written and what was left out,
and it is all enveloped in the surgical precision of his writing style, the
only light in the story.» J. Ernesto Ayala-Dip, El País
«Confirms once again the originality and strong literary pulse of an
author who was prematurely taken from us.» R. Senabre, El Cultural
«A kaleidoscope that teaches the reader that only literature can truly
nurture the truth.» J.M. Pozuelo Yvancos, ABC
Condemned for disobedience, Romeo served his sentence in Torrero jail
where he shared a cell with Santiago Dulong, who told him of how his
wife died during a fight. Noche de los enamorados is a reconstruction of
those events. ‘This is not a judgement because the dead cannot be
judged, and Santiago Dulong died ten years ago. Nor is it the impossible
defence of a victim, because offences against the dead cannot be atoned
for. And nor is it an essay on justice.All I can do is to write these words:
on what appeared in the newspapers, on what the sentence reflected, on
freely available legal documents, and on the memories I have of the
words spoken by Santiago Dulong, clouded by time and by a bad smell.’
Félix Romeo
Sold to: (Spain, Mondadori)
Discothèque (Discothèque)
«A fantastic teller of fables» Germán Gullón, El Mundo
Sold to: (Spain, Anagrama); Brazil (Edições 70); (Portugal, Edições
70)
Cuando Lázaro anduvo (When Lazarus Walked)
**Estado Crítico Award to the Best Novel of 2012**
«The author uses his prodigious narrative and story-telling skills to build a
large and lively portrait of our society.» A. Rodríguez Fischer, El País
«In his assuredly baroque style, Royuela proves he possesses an
extremely wide vocabulary. He is a master of metaphor and rhetoric.»
Miguel García-Posada, Blanco y Negro Cultural
«A wry, sharp and magnificent novel about our current times, about the
moral horror of the Western World.» Iñaki Ezkerra, El correo español
Lazarus, a dull bank employee and family man, dies in the emergency
room of a hospital. A few hours later he comes back to life. His sisters,
Marta and María, are at his side. With the 21st century in full swing, no
one can quite take in this genuine resurrection, which has unimaginable
consequences for everyone in the man’s life. They all become
inextricably involved in a bewildering situation, and can do nothing but
confront it. Each person does so in their own way, through denial, lies, or
using what has happened to their own advantage.
In this novel, using the framework of the biblical figure of Lazarus and
employing in his customary humour, Fernando Royuela orchestrates a
biting social satire. The portrait of a society overwhelmed by apathy,
stupidity and the perversion of evidence.
Sold to: (Spain, Alfaguara)
La mala muerte (Never Wished You No Harm)
** Ojo Crítico Award 2000 **
Sold to: (Spain, Alfaguara / Club: Bertelsmann); (Brazil, Bertrand);
(France, Seuil); (Germany, Europa Verlag); (Italy, Voland Edizioni);
(Russia, Machaon); (World English, Hispabooks)
** ENGLISH TRANSLATION AVAILABLE**
41
42
JUANJO SÁEZ
MÀRIUS SERRA
Juanjo Sáez (Barcelona, 1972) is a professional cartoonist and a star of
the new scene in Barcelona. After studying art and design, he wrote and
illustrated several advertising campaigns for various international brands,
such as Nike. He is also a regular contributor to various newspapers and
magazines. After Buenos tiempos para la muerte (Morsa, 2000), he
published Dentro del sombrero (Kókinos, 2001), followed by Viviendo del
cuento (Mondadori, 2004 - Junceda Illustration Award) and El Arte.
Conversaciones imaginarias con mi madre (Mondadori, 2006), that
reached the best-seller list and continues to enjoy tremendous success.
He has created the animated TV series Arròs covat, winner of an Ondas
Prize 2010. After the publication of Yo (Mondadori, 2010) and the first
volume of Arròs covat (Mondadori, 2010), the graphic novel based on his
TV series, his latest book is Crisis de ansiedad (Mondadori, Fall 2013).
Màrius Serra (Barcelona, 1963) has published thousands of crossword
puzzles and articles, numerous books of narrative and several works of
wordplay, among them Verbàlia (Empùries, 2000), the winner of the
Octavi Pellissa Prize, the Serra d’Or Prize and the Lletra d’Or Prize. He
holds a trilingual website dedicated to puns and wordplay
(www.verbalia.com) and is a regular contributor to the media. Serra has
won the City of Barcelona Prize for the book of stories La vida normal
(Proa, 1998). He is also the author of the novels L’home del sac
(Columna, 1990 – Bromera, 2011), Mon Oncle (Proa, 1995, FEC Prize),
AblanatanalbA (Edicions 62, 1999), Monocle (Empúries, 2008) and has
written a non-fiction novel De com s’escriu una novel·la (Empúries,
2004). The novel Farsa (Columna, 2006), winner of the Ramon Llull
Prize, was followed by the collection of articles Enviar i rebre (Columna,
2007). After the extremely positive reception of Quiet (Empúries, 2008),
he published Dicciomàrius (LaButxaca, 2010), Verbàlia 2.0 (Empúries,
2010) and a book for middle-grade readers, L´arca de Babel (Estrella
Polar, 2012). His latest work is the novel Plans de futur (Proa, 2013),
awarded the prestigious Sant Jordi Novel Prize 2012.
Crisis de ansiedad (Anxiety Attack)
Over the course of two and a half years, Juanjo Sáez’s daily strip
appeared in the newspaper ARA. During this time, it seemed that the
whole world (and Spain in particular) had been brought to its knees.
Much the same can be said of the author, transformed into a character
lost in the void of his own drawings. This collection brings together those
strips, alongside a handful of long-form pieces, all appearing for the first
time in print and taking on the same issues.
As well as an autobiographical account sketched in deceptively simple
lines and with a tragicomic bent, this book is, above all, a sharp-eyed
analysis of the world we live in. Sáez is a keen observer, who, appealing
to our funny bone, urges us to keep our hopes up and to build a better,
brighter world.
Sold to: (Spain, Mondadori - November 2013)
El Arte. Conversaciones imaginarias con mi madre (Art. Imaginary
Conversations With My Mother)
> 8 reprints
«Passionate and stimulating (…) A book for reading and inmediately
rereading. » N. Ancion, Le Nouvel Observateur
«Success!» C. Dupont-Monod, Marianne
Straddling the line between essay, autobiography and novel, Juanjo Sáez
reconstructs some of the most interesting chapters in the History of Art.
However this is no pompous, dogmatic academic text, but rather the
complete opposite. Through an imagined conversation with his mother,
Juanjo Sáez invites the reader to reflect on art’s purpose and on the
figure of the artist.
Sold to: (Spain, Mondadori); (Brazil, Martins Fontes); (France,
Rackham); (Italy, Salani)
Plans de futur (Plans for the Future)
** Sant Jordi Novel Award 2012**
«A work about rising above adversity and vanquishing cowardice. A
heartfelt, ironic tale that can also be read as a metaphor for the current
state of play in Catalunya. » Ricard Ruiz Garzón, El País
«The novel brings together literature and humanity with a control
that proves the author’s mastery.»
V. Pagès Jordà, El Periódico
«With no excess of sentimentality, different voices build this novel about
resistance in difficult situations, opening a road of hope.»
J. Massot, La Vanguardia
Plans de futur is a novel about hope, a fictionalised account of the
remarkable life of Ferran Sunyer. A tetraplegic self-taught mathematician,
Sunyer achieved notorious international success in the 50s and 60s
despite his disability and being ostracised by the Franco regime.
Sunyer’s cousins, María and Ángeles Carbona, play a big part in the
story of this family. So does Sunyer’s absent father, that inexplicably left
home. The girls devoted their lives to tace care of their cousin. The family
was hit by its share of misfortune and adversity but their lively and
positive disposition was never soured.Set between the family home in
Barcelona and the summer house in the northern Empordà region
between 1912 and 1967, we also travel to Nice, Figueres and Cadaqués.
It is here that Salvador Dalí will paint a portrait of María Carbona that will
prove crucial for the family.
Sold to: (Spain, Proa – Catalan - March 2013)
** ENGLISH SAMPLE TRANSLATION AVAILABLE**
**ENGLISH SAMPLE TRANSLATION AVAILABLE**
43
44
JORDI SOLER
Quiet (Still)
«A book that has impressed Spain.» M. Speich, Grazia
«Every page in this book is full of enthusiasm, affection, rage and
intelligence. There is also space for critique and sarcasm. A book full of
emotion, overwhelming and moving to the very last page.»
Gabriella Bona, Risveglio Popolare
«There are not too many books that may change your way of seeing the
world. I had that unique feeling with Quiet.» E. Folch, El Periódico
«Mixing anger and rage, but also empathy and tenderness, the naked
style and the absence of sentimentality work very well.»
Jordi Gracia, El País Quiet covers seven years in the life of the author’s
son Lluís, Llullu, who was born with serious brain disease which
neurological science as been unable to define. Seven years after his
birth, medical terminology has not got beyond ‘brain disease of unknown
origin’. Popular language manages with the fairly clear ‘cerebral palsy’
and administrative language sums him up as 85% disabled. At home
these labels count for little. Lluís has his own particular needs, but this
just means being more aware of his fragility and learning to do things
differently, so that the family can do anything they would have done if he
had not come into the world with 15% ability. In Quiet the author has
searched for a narrative way of explaining the ambivalent emotional state
that is caused by having a son who is not progressing adequately.
Sold to: (Spain, Empúries - Catalan / Spanish, Anagrama / Club,
Bertelsmann); (Italy, Mondadori); (South Korea, Prunsoop
Publishing)
** SAMPLE ENGLISH TRANSLATION AVAILABLE**
Farsa (Farce)
** Ramon Llull Novel 2006 **
Sold to: (Spain, Planeta – Catalan & Spanish); (Italy, Neri Pozza);
(Romania, RAO)
Jordi Soler was born in 1963 in La Portuguesa, a community of Catalan
Leftists located in the jungle of Veracruz, Mexico. He currently lives in
Barcelona and is a regular contributor to several newspapers.
Soler has published books of poems, story collections, and the following
novels: Bocafloja (Grijalbo-México, 1988), La Corsaria (Grijalbo-México,
1996), Nueve Aquitania (Alfaguara, 1999) and La mujer que tenía los
pies feos (Alfaguara, 2001).
Los rojos de ultramar (Alfaguara, 2004), La última hora del último día
(RBA, 2007) and La fiesta del oso (Mondadori, 2009) are a trilogy of
novels that the author devoted to his family, forced to emigrate to Mexico
during the Spanish Civil War. The trilogy has just been published in a
single volume entitled La guerra perdida (Mondadori, 2012).
After the publication of the novel Diles que son cadáveres (Mondadori,
2011) and the collection of non-fiction pieces Salvador Dalí y la más
inquietante de las chicas yeyé (Mondadori, 2011), his latest published
work is the novel Restos humanos (Mondadori, 2013).
Restos humanos (Human Remains)
«Unfolds at a gentle pace, with plenty of room for humour tinged with
darkness concerning issues that may raise hackles in certain
quarters: religion, faith, and trust in public institutions. An intelligent, witty
approach to its subject matter.» Rodrigo Pinto, El País
«The novel faithfully depicts a reality that Soler can only tackle with
humour and parody, with a most ironic, inventive and
grotesque voice.» Benito Garrido, Culturamas
«A symbolic story written with humour and thoughtfulness.» Grazia
A journalist who specializes in covering unusual stories is commissioned
to write a profile on "the Saint". A sort of Jesus Christ Superstar of the
Google age, the Saint preaches in markets, the butcher’s, even in
brothels. Intrigued by the simplicity of his assignment, the journalist starts
shadowing the Saint on his spiritual rounds around the neighborhood and
soon realizes that the Saint’s is a great story waiting to written. But even
a journalist’s highly-attuned nose for news will fail to imagine just how
complicated the Saint’s life is about to become.
A misunderstood Saint, a sinister character with a wandering eye, a
shameless woman called Madame Erotikón, the Russian mafia and
Mexican hitmen are all part of the disturbing parade of human remains
that makes up the grotesque universe of Jordi Soler’s new novel.
Sold to: (Spain, Mondadori – April 2013); (France, Belfond)
Diles que son cadáveres (Tell Them They’re Corpses)
«A fascinating literary exercise.» Enrique Vila-Matas, El País
«A humorous and symbolic story that becomes a parodic and playful
artifact, extraordinarily effective (...) Simply hilarious.»
J. Ferrer, La Razón
45
After wandering for months in the cafes of Paris, having already
experimented with peyote in Mexico, the French poet Antonin Artaud
traveled to Ireland in 1937. It was his foolish idea the genuine walking
stick of Saint Patrick needed be restored to the Irish people. More than
half a century later in Dublin, a diplomat and lover of Artaud’s poetry,
together with a debauched Irish poet and an old millionaire embark on a
crazy journey to Northern Ireland in the embassy’s official minibus, with a
most unexpected outcome. Jordi Soler’s most enjoyable, hilarious novel
yet shows off his talent a and boundless sense of humour.
Sold to: (Spain, Mondadori); (France, Belfond / Pocket, 10/18)
La fiesta del oso (The Bear’s Party)
** Prix Littéraire des Jeunes Européens 2011 **
«There is not one superfluous line. The evocative power of the text is
amazing. Jordi Soler is, first and foremost, a poet.»
X. Houssin, Le Monde
«Skilfully blending fiction and reality, memory and imagination with a
magnificent style, the novel fascinates and moves us at once.»
Delphine Peras, Lire
«A marvellous novel.» Javier Cercas, El País
Sold to: (Spain, Mondadori); (France, Belfond / Pocket, 10/18);
(Germany, Knaus)
La última hora del último día (The Last Hour of the Last Day)
«A dizzying tale.» Frédéric Vitoux, Le Nouvel Observateur
«Jordi Soler reveals himself once more as an unrivalled storyteller.»
Delphine Peras, Lire
«Soler possesses a Balzacian talent in the description of his characters.»
V. Gatti, L´Humanité
«Excellent novel.» Javier Cercas, El País
Sold to: (Spain, RBA / Catalan, La Magrana); (Brazil, Record);
(France, Belfond / Pocket, 10/18)
46
RAMÓN SOLSONA
Ramon Solsona (Barcelona, 1950) was a high school literature teacher
until 1992. Since then, he has devoted himself to writing novels, short
stories, scripts, and drama. He is a regular contributor to the press, radio
and TV. Among his most acclaimed novels are Les hores detingudes
(1993; La Butxaca, 2011; Serra d’Or Award, Lletra d’Or Award, Prudenci
Bertrana Award), DG (Quaderns Crema, 1998), No tornarem mai més
(Quaderns Crema, 1999) and Línia blava (Columna, 2004).
After the successful novel L’home de la maleta (Proa, 2010, Sant Jordi
Award), his latest book is Botifarra de pagès! (Pòrtic, 2013), a collection
of satirical poems.
L’home de la maleta (The Man With The Suitcase)
** Sant Jordi Novel Award 2010 **
> 8 reprints
«A biting allegory of the modern-day artist in a post-modern world. A
story that slips along nimbly, gracefully and mischievously, without once
becoming dull or tired.» Sam Abrams, El Mundo
«A funny satire of our modern habits.» J. Guillamon, La Vanguardia
«One of the best books of this literary season.» P. A. Pons,Time Out
One fine day, a retired old musician decides to pack his suitcase and live
for a month in each of his three daughters’ houses. The man is a
survivor, an individualist who has always looked out for number one, but
who needs the affection of his family. He is disconcerted by the life his
daughters lead and the new family models they adhere to. The world is
an ever changing place and the man with the suitcase can scarcely take
in the changes. An old dog who has seen it all, he now looks scornfully
and dispassionately at everything around him, and gives an enjoyable
and honest account of his milieu. But the man with the suitcase is still
hurting from a childhood wound. When he attempts to heal it by
examining his past, an unforeseen situation will change his life forever.
Sold to: (Spain, Proa - Catalan)
47
ANDRÉS TRAPIELLO
Andrés Trapiello (Manzaneda de Torío, 1953) is a prolific and highly
prestigious author as a poet, essayist, memorialist, literary historian and
novelist.
He has published the novels La tinta simpática (Seix Barral, 1988), El
buque fantasma (Plaza & Janés, 1992), La malandanza (Plaza & Janés,
1996), Días y noches (Espasa Calpe, 2000), La noche de los Cuatro
Caminos (Aguilar, 2002), Los amigos del crimen perfecto (Destino, 2003,
Nadal Award 2003), translated into several languages, Al morir don
Quijote (Destino, 2005 - Fundación José Manuel Lara Prize to the Best
Book of the Year according to Spanish publishers - Prix Européen
Madeleine Zepter) and Los confines (Destino, 2009).
His latest work is the novel Ayer no más (Destino, 2012).
Ayer no más (Yesterday No More)
**Chosen as the Best novel of 2012 by El País’ readers**
> 4 reprints, more than 20.000 copies sold
«A novel with splendid moments, alive and believable in each one of its
characters. The first requirement to write it was courage, but the second
is the author’s literary talent.» Jordi Gracia, El País
«This excellent novel is the proof that there is nothing like the art of fiction
to reflect die Lebenwelt.» C. Barba, La Vanguardia
«Honest and objective, a real argument in favour of social harmony and
against all kinds of Cain-like tendencies.» Jesús Ferrer, La Razón
«Excellent writing and a highly effective quasi-detective plot - Who’s the
murderer? Where’s the body?» Manuel Hidalgo, El Cultural
Are we to be held accountable for the crimes committed by previous
generations? Should we face up to those who attempt to erase the past?
or else are we allowed to forget and start from scratch?
A child witnesses the cold-blooded murder of his father upon the outburst
of the Spanish Civil War. More than half a century later, that same child,
now a grown man, incidentally stumbles upon a respected businessman.
To his horror, he immediately realizes that this elderly man took part in
his father’s murder. This time it is the son of that businessman, José
Pestaña, who witnesses this embarrassing encounter, which uncovers
his own father’s despicable secret. José Pestaña faces up to this incident
both as a historian and as a son— rigorously investigating the facts to
reveal the truth; but also questioning the mixed feelings he now habors
towards his father.
Wars have an impact on every one of us: on winners and losers who
experience them first-hand, but also on their children and the generations
that follow. Countries surviving a war rebuild themselves upon fear,
silence, and lies. In short— by erasing the past and starting anew.
Sold to: (Spain, Destino / Club, Círculo); (France, La Table Ronde)
48
Los confines (The Confines)
«His realistic, lively and colourful prose offers a precise portrait of the
exotic magic experienced by the two heroes. The intimate bond between
a brother and a sister is handled without the desire to provoke
or vulgarity.» Notes Bibliographiques
«A revelation marks the high point of this novel of high stakes. It runs the
gamut of emotions, while plumbing the depths of guilt.»
P. Maury, Le Soir.
«An extraordinary novel.» Lluís Satorras, El País
«A captivating love story in a delicate network of references and
metaliterary resorts that echoes Galdós and Unamuno.»
Carles Barba, La Vanguardia
In this novel a man and a woman attempt to move forward with an
absolute love, for which they must face everything and everyone. Both
rebel against set destinies, including, for the woman her role as mother,
wife and daughter. But Fate has already traced an ending for them. The
main character of Los confines satirizes the roles of heroines of other
novels, Karenina, Bovary or Fortunata: how their creators end up making
them pay for their infidelity with a violent death, or for having flaunted a
right that was until then only enjoyed by men: to be free to decide not
only about their own lives and something as intimate as their own bodies,
but also something as public as moving in egalitarian conditions in public
spaces. Tolstoy, Galdós and Flaubert would not have known what to do
with them alive.
Sold to: (Spain, Destino / Pocket, Booket); (France, La Table Ronde);
(Italy, Neri Pozza)
Al morir Don Quijote (When Don Quixote Died)
** Prix Européen Madeleine Zepter **
** Fundación José Manuel Lara Award **
Sold to: (Spain, Destino / Club, Bertelsmann); (France, Buchet
Chastel); (Greece, Metaixmio); (Italy, Neri Pozza); (Poland, Noir sur
Blanc); (Portugal, Saída da Emergência); (Romania, Humanitas)
Los amigos del crimen perfecto (Friends of the Perfect Crime)
** Nadal Novel Award **
Sold to: (Spain, Destino / Pocket, Booket / Club: Bertelsmann /
Newsstand: Planeta de Agostini / Pocket: Booket); (Brazil, José
Olympo); (China, People’s Literatura Publ. House); (France, Buchet
Chastel); (Holland; Signature); (Italy, Neri Pozza); (Romania,
Humanitas); (Russia, AST). Film rights sold to: Plural Entertainment
49
DAVID TRUEBA
David Trueba (Madrid, 1969) has been successful both as a novelist and
as a scriptwriter. La buena vida was his widely acclaimed debut as a film
director and was followed by Obra Maestra (2001), Soldados de
Salamina (2003), Bienvenido a casa (2006), the documentary La silla de
Fernando (2007), together with Luis Alegre, the documentary La silla de
Fernando (2007), directed with Luis Alegre, the TV series ¿Qué fue de
Jorge
Sanz?(2010), Madrid,
1987 (2011),
the
documentary El
cuadro (2012), and Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados His first novel
Abierto toda la noche (Anagrama, 1995) was widely translated and was
followed by Cuatro amigos (Anagrama, 1999) a best (and long) seller
with more than 20 reprints.
After the publication of the successful novel Saber Perder (Anagrama,
2008; National Critics Prize 2008, shortlisted for the Dulce Chacón Award
2009 and the Prix Médicis Étranger 2010), his latest book is a collection
of articles Érase una vez (Debate, 2012), in which he shows his talent as
journalist. The author’s latest feature film, Vivir es fácil con los ojos
cerrados, will compete for the Concha de Oro at the 2013 San Sebastián
Film Festival and is set to hit the big screen on October 31.
Saber perder (Learning to Lose)
** National Critics Prize 2008 for Fiction ** Dulce Chacón Award 2009
** Shortlisted for the Prix Médicis étranger 2010 **
«A masterly polyphony.» A. Trapenard, Le Magazine Littéraire
«An admirably woven story not to be missed.» R. Solé, Le Monde
«An impressive polyphonic novel, masterfully guided.» B. Corty, Le
Figaro
«One part Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia, one part Paul Haggis’
Crash, the rest is all David Trueba, modern day Madrid, and a narrative
that pulsates with longing, lust and simmering rage. Simply masterful.»
Joe McGinniss, Jr., author of The Delivery Man
«Complex, powerful, surprising and most of all smart. David Trueba is the
real thing.» Percival Everett, author of I Am Not Sidney Poitier
«An excellent novel.» J.E. Ayala-Dip, El País
It is the day of Sylvia’s 16th birthday and her life as an adult is about to
begin –not with the party she had been planning, but with a car crash. At
the wheel is a talented young footballer, just arrived from Buenos Aires,
and set for stardom on and off the pitch. As their destinies collide,
elsewhere in the city Sylvie’s father and grandfather are finding their own
lives suddenly derailed by a violent murder and a secret affair. Set
against the maze of contemporary Madrid, Saber perder follows four
individuals as they swerve off course in unexpected directions. Each of
them is dodging guilt and the fear of failure, but their shared search of
happiness, love, purity, and –above all- a way to survive, forms a taut
narrative web that binds the characters together, and holds the reader
fast.
50
Sold to: (Spain, Anagrama / Club: Bertelsmann / Pocket:
Compactos); (Brazil, Rocco); (France, Flammarion / Pocket, J´ai lu);
(Germany, Kiepenheuer & Witsch / Pocket: Rowohlt); (Italy,
Feltrinelli); (The Netherlands, Ambo / Anthos); (Portugal, Santillana
Constância); (UK, Portobello); (US, Other Press)
Cuatro amigos (Four Friends)
«An orgy of belly laughs» Der Spiegel
Cuatro amigos is a coming-of-age comedy about the summer adventures
of four friends. A bittersweet story full of eventful incidents, surprises,
love, reflection, deception and loutish behaviour. An homage to friendship
and a farewell to adolescence.
Sold to: (Spain, Anagrama / Club: Bertelsmann / Pocket:
Compactos); (Brazil, Francis); (Croatia, Meandar); (Czech Republic,
Paseka); (Germany, FVA / Pocket: Heyne); (Greece, Patakis); (Italy,
Feltrinelli); (The Netherlands, Wereldbibliotheek); (Portugal,
Santillana Constância)
51
52
ÁNGELA VALLVEY
IGNACIO VIDAL-FOLCH
Ángela Vallvey (Ciudad Real, 1964) is a pretigious author of poetry,
awarded with the Premio Ateneo de Sevilla for her book Nacida en
cautividad (Algaida, 2006). She is also author of several awarded and
successful novels. A la caza del último hombre salvaje (Salamandra,
1999) has been widely translated. After Vías de extinción (Salamandra,
2000), her novel Los estados carenciales (Destino, 2002) was awarded
the Premio Nadal 2002 and was a bestseller. It was followed by the short
story collection No lo llames amor (Destino, 2003), La ciudad del diablo
(Destino, 2005) and Todas las muñecas son carnívoras (Destino, 2006).
Muerte entre poetas (Planeta, 2008) was 2nd place winner of the Planeta
Novel Award 2008. Her latest book is the novel El hombre del corazón
negro (Destino, 2011).
Ignacio Vidal-Folch (Barcelona, 1956) is a writer and a journalist. He is
the author of the novels No se lo digas a nadie (Anagrama, 1987), La
libertad (Anagrama, 1996), the novella La cabeza de plástico (Anagrama,
1999), Turistas del Ideal (Destino, 2005) and Contramundo (Destino,
2006). He has also published books of short stories: Amigos que no he
vuelto a ver (Anagrama, 1997), Más lejos y más abajo (1999, NH Award
to the Best Book of Short Stories) and Noche sobre noche (Destino,
2009). His talent as a chronicler of sharp observational skills and refined
intellectual rigour is harnessed in the volume Barcelona: Secret Museum
(Actar, 2009) a peculiar literary guide to the city.
His latest published work is Lo que cuenta es la ilusión (Destino, 2012), a
thousand commentaries, selected from the author’s personal diary, that
explain what is going on and suggest we take a humorous and
melancholic look at it.
El hombre del corazón negro (The Black-Hearted Man)
«Similar to Larsson in its high addictiveness and malevolence, provided
with such efficiency that drags the reader and forces him to surrender.»
J. Vilá, El País
«A captivating novel that dares to deal with a topic barely touched on in
Spanish fiction: the mafias of Eastern Europe and their advance into
many areas of our society. A brave, ambitious work that will shock and
move readers.» Vicenç Pagès Jordà, El Periódico
«A fascinating work about what happens to the Alices who pass through
certain looking glasses.» J. Arnáiz, La Razón
Over 70,000 women a year are tricked into sexual slavery in Europe
alone. This is a chilling statistic from any newspaper, but in this novel all
of these women are condensed in Polina, a teenager from Moldavia
whose illusions start to crumble in a sordid basement in Istanbul. Moving
from the outskirts of Madrid to the emirate of Dubai, from the catastrophe
of Chernobyl to eastern Spain, and all across a turbulent, secret Europe,
El hombre del corazón negro is a noir novel with character, and at the
same time a disturbing, heartrending account of the present, and a brave
critique of a dark situation unfolding before our very eyes.
Sold to: (Spain, Destino / Club, Círculo / Pocket, Booket); (Italy,
Guanda)
Muerte entre poetas (Death among Poets)
** Second winner of the Planeta Award 2008 **
«High literary entertainment masked as genre.» Sergi Doria, ABC
«A well-rounded fast-paced mystery.» J. Ernesto Ayala-Dip, El País
Sold to: (Spain, Planeta / Club, Bertelsmann); (Brazil, Primavera);
(Italy, Guanda); (Portugal, Teorema); (South Korea, Sallim
Publishing)
Lo que cuenta es la ilusión (Illusion Is What Matters)
«His best book.» Javier Cercas, El País
«Cosmopolitan, strange, ironic, sarcastic and unreserved. A life’s tale
that brings together fact and fiction.» J. A. Masoliver Ródenas, La
Vanguardia
«A hilariously caustic book, perhaps the best he has ever written.
Among the best Spanish-language autobiographical fiction.»
T. Cuesta, ABC
A walk through life guided by one of the most lucid and irreverent thinkers
of Spain’s literary landscape.
The pages of Ignacio Vidal-Folch’s journal (2007-2010) brim with
beautiful discoveries, intimate confessions and brilliant reflections on art,
literature, people and life. Pages from a diary that manages to escape the
tyranny of wit and does not overindulge in the ‘me’. A fascinating journey
of beautiful reflective intensity, free of triviality and bursting with truth.
Lo que cuenta es la ilusión is an ironic book full of contradictions. An
unusual journal, part confession, part accusation, part short story. One
hundred percent enjoyable.
Sold to: (Spain, Destino)
53
ENRIQUE VILA-MATAS
Enrique Vila-Matas (Barcelona, 1948) has had a very long and
outstanding literary career and is one of the most prestigious and original
writers in contemporary Spanish literature. Among his works one should
not fail to mention: La asesina ilustrada (Tusquets, 1977), Desde la
ciudad nerviosa (Alfaguara, 2000), El viento ligero en Parma (Sexto Piso,
2004), and the books published by Anagrama: Impostura (1984), Historia
abreviada de la literatura portátil (1985), Una casa para siempre (1988),
Suicidios ejemplares (1991), El viajero más lento ( 1992 – Seix Barral,
2011), Hijos sin hijos (1993), Lejos de Veracruz (1995 – DeBolsillo,
2011), Extraña forma de vida (1997), El viaje vertical (1999), Bartleby y
compañía (2000), El mal de Montano (2002), París no se acaba nunca
(2004), Doctor Pasavento (2005), Recuerdos inventados (2007),
Exploradores del abismo (2007) and Dietario Voluble (2008).
He is the recipient of many prestigious awards among which: Premio
Rómulo Gallegos 2001, Ciudad de Barcelona Award 2001, Fernando
Aguirre-Libralire Ward 2002, Premio Herralde 2003, Critics Award both in
Spain and Chile in 2003, as well as Prix Médicis 2003, Ennio Flaiano
International Award 2006, Fundación Lara Award 2006, Real Academia
Española Award 2006, Elsa Morante Literary Prize 2007 and the
Mondello International Award 2009.
His novel Dublinesca (Seix Barral, 2010) was awarded the Prix Carrière
2010 and the Bottari Lattès Grinzane International Award 2011.
DeBolsillo launched the Vila-Matas Library –that will reissue all his works
in pocket edition- with the publication of three titles: Chet Baker piensa en
su arte (an anthology of short stories), En un lugar solitario (containing
early works of fiction), Una vida absolutamente maravillosa (selected
essays).
After the novel, Aire de Dylan (Seix Barral, 2012) and a tale for children,
Niña (Alfaguara, 2013), his next published work will be Fuera de aquí
(Galaxia Gutenberg, 2013), a look back over the origins of his works in
the shape of a conversation with his French translator and friend André
Gabastou. His next novel is entitled Kassel no entiende de lógica (Seix
Barral, 2014) and will be published next Spring.
His works have been translated into more than 30 languages.
«A Catalan writer who is arguably Spain´s most significant contemporary
literary figure.» Joanna Skavenna, The New Yorker
Kassel no entiende de lógica (Kassel Doesn´t Understand About
Logic)
Sold to: (Spain, Seix Barral – Spring 2014); (Brazil, Cosac Naify);
(France, Bourgois); (Italy, Feltrinelli); (Portugal, Teodolito); (US, New
Directions)
54
Fuera de aquí (Away From Here)
Enrique Vila-Matas looks back over the origins of his works and the
myriad anecdotes that lie beneath each of his books, charting the
genesis of his unique poetic sensibility in a conversation with his French
translator and friend, André Gabastou.
An exchange marked by a fresh perspective that lifts the lid on his
extensive oeuvre, Vila-Matas emerges as the creator of the shandys and
the bartlebys, the man behind new coinages, such as the Montano’s
malady, the inventor of unforgettable characters such as Doctor
Pasavento, while revisiting cities such as Paris, Veracruz, Lisbon and
Dublin, in the wake of his break into the English language.
Shot through with the irony that characterizes his trademark style, he
reveals the authors who have most influenced his own writing, from
Kafka to Walser, a large cast of characters that help pinpoint his own
personal literary tastes. It also sheds light on the places, books and
images that have made Vila-Matas one of the most unique voices of our
time and an inexhaustible wellspring of literary ideas.
Akin to an autobiography in the guise of a conversation, a not-to-bemissed title in the bibliography of one of the foremost names in
contemporary literary fiction. Fuera de aquí is rounded off with snapshots
from the author’s personal album, a generous selection of extracts
handpicked from Vila-Matas’ body of work and a sampling of texts never
before published in book form.
Sold to: (Spain, Galaxia Gutenberg – October 2013)
Aire de Dylan (Dylan’s Air)
>4th reprint
«One of Vila Matas’ greatest achievements. In this novel his obsessions,
his gaze and his intelligence are all magnified. He has an inimitable way
of celebrating literature whilst creating it.» A. Fillow, Livres Hebdo
«Funny, wise, sarcastic, sophisticated and melancholic. It has a
freedom of tone and style and shows supreme intelligence in
terms of the aesthetic, formal codes of the novel»
B. Fauconnier, Le Magazine Littéraire
«An ironic and parodic literary labyrinth made with truth and lies. VilaMatas succesfully chases after failure in his new experimental novel.»
Florence Noiville, Le Monde
«One of the most personal and evocative voices of Spanish narrative in
the past decades.» Matías Néspolo, Página 12
«Vila-Matas’ latest novel explores new routes and marks a turning
point for his writing.» Jordi Gracia, El País
«An intelligent critique, at once sharp and endearing, of our snobby
modern times. Lively dialogue, comic situations, symbolic scenes and
writing of the highest quality complete this notable and significant novel.»
Jesús Ferrer, La Razón
Sold to: (Spain, Seix Barral); (Brazil, Cosac Naify);
(France,
Bourgois); (Croatia, Elitech-Edicije Bozicevic); (Italy, Feltrinelli);
(Portugal, Teodolito); (Romania, Allfa); (Sweden, Tranan)
55
Dublinesca (Dublinesque)
** Prix Jean Carrrière 2010 **
** International Bottari Lattès Grinzane Award 2011**
«Enrique Vila-Matas has pioneered one of contemporary literature’s most
interesting responses to the great Modernist writers.»
Scott Esposito, The Paris Review
«This is a brilliant, funny novel; an expertly woven tapestry of literary
allusions (…) a wondrously keleidoscopic novel (…) Vila-matas has
created a masterpiece.» Jacqueline McCarrick, The Times Literary
Supplement
«Enrique Vila-Matas, one of Spain’s most distinguished novelists, turns
this slight tale into a touching account of facing down mortality with a
passion and an obsession for literature.» R. Nolan, The New YorkTimes
«In Dublinesque Vila-Matas has concluded the groundwork for a great,
mature literature, the way-out-through-negation that began in his Bartleby
& Co.» Ryan Healey, Los Angeles Times
«Extremely funny (…) One of Vila-Matas’ great talents is to make his
digressions and inventions entirely absorbing.»
Nick Caistor, The Times Literary Supplement
«An exquisite and original book in which literature does not make us think
about life: it is life.» Minh Tran Huy, Le Magazine Littéraire
«One of the most important writers in the world.»
Andrea Bajani, La Repubblica
«A great novel. A sort of comedic and ghostly Under the Volcano.»
Ricardo Piglia
«The art of using words, of improving them, so that they are like
lighthouses in the infinite darkness of nothingness to the readers.»
Frances Noiville, Le Monde
«Vila-Matas is a conjurer in Nabokov’s footsteps, a brilliant impostor, like
all the great artists.» Nelly Kaprièlian, Les Inrockuptibles
«A visionary novel by one of Spain’s most highly acclaimed writers.»
R. Carn, L’Unità
«The essence of everything Vila-Matas’ been building along his career,
among the most original in nowadays Spanish literature.»
Manuel Rodríguez Rivero, El País
«A true literary treat.» S. Sanz Villanueva, El Mundo
Sold to: (Spain, Seix Barral / Pocket, DeBolsillo); (Brazil, Cosac
Naify); (Canada, Penguin); (China, Shangai 99); (Croatia, Bozicevic);
(France, Bourgois); (Germany, Die Andere Bibliothek); (Greece,
Kastaniotis); (Hungary, Magveto); (Israel, Rimonim); (Italy,
Feltrinelli); (Portugal, Teorema); (Romania, Allfa); (Serbia,
Arhipelag); (Sweden, Tranan); (Turkey, Ithaki Yayinlari); (UK,
Harvill); (US, New Directions)
56
ROLANDO VILLAZÓN
Rolando Villazón (México, 1972) studied at Mexico’s National
Conservatory of Music, before entering the young artists programme in
Pittsburgh, and at the San Francisco Opera. Awarded the Chevalier des
Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France, Rolando Villazón is an
internationally renowned tenors. This is his first novel.
Malabares (Juggling Games)
«If the circus is a mirror of the world, clowns are our most trustworthy
reflection. In Malabares, Rolando Villazón has known how to give voice
—no pun intended— to these fragile creatures, discovering their abysses
and hopes with great subtlety and intelligence. The fascinating first novel
of a great artist.» Jorge Volpi
«A tenor and a novelist? Yes, you heard right. Rolando Villazón,
outstanding performer of the leading roles in the operatic repertoire, now
takes to the literary stage as you’ve never seen him before. For
musicians who have written works on their craft or penned their memoirs
are ten a penny, but tackling the fictional genre is a whole other ball
game . (…) and Villazón shows himself to have a handle on what makes
literature tick.» César Coca, El Correo
Macolieta earns his living by dressing up as a clown and performing at
children’s parties and third-rate circuses with his two friends, Claudio the
philosopher and the sardonic Max. After suffering a back injury and
receiving a letter from Sandrine, the woman who introduced him to the
world of the circus and whom he can’t forget, Macolieta rediscovers an
old blue notebook in which, over the years, he’s been developing the
story of his alter-ego, the famous circus artiste Balancín [See-saw],
acclaimed the world over by an adoring public and devoted to his art.
In the pages of the notebook, Balancín is also going through a difficult
period that forces him to retire from the stage but, unlike Macolieta,
Balancín can always count on the support of his beloved wife Verlaine
and their two children.
But is Balancín’s life really so perfect? Can Macolieta persuade Sandrine
to take him back?
With a style that mixes both realistic and lyrical elements with touches of
humour, the author entwines these two stories that, as a kaleidoscope,
throw light upon each other.
Sold to: (Spain, Espasa – May 2013); (France, Actes Sud-Jacqueline
Chambon); (Germany, Rowohlt)
57
PEDRO ZARRALUKI
Pedro Zarraluki (Barcelona, 1954) published his first book when he was
just twenty years old, La décima sinfonía (Argos Vergara, 1974), and has
devoted himself to writing ever since. He is the author of two books of
short stories, Galería de enormidades and Retrato de familia con
catástrofe (both with Anagrama). As a novelist, he has published: El
responsable de las ranas (Anagrama, 1990. Premio Ciudad de Barcelona
and Premio Ojo Crítico de RNE), La historia del silencio (Anagrama,
1994 – RBA. 2010, Premio Herralde de Novela 1994), Hotel Astoria
(Anagrama, 1997) and Para amantes y ladrones (Anagrama, 2000). Un
encargo difícil (Destino, 2005), was granted the Nadal Award and was a
finalist in the José Manuel Lara Foundation Award for the best book of
the year. Following the compilation of stories Humor pródigo (Destino,
2007) came the novel Todo eso que tanto nos gusta (Destino, 2008). His
latest book to date is also his first novel for Young Readers: El hijo del
virrey (Siruela, 2012).
El hijo del virrey (The Viceroy’s Son)
** A White Raven Award 2013**
«Reflections upon the nonsense that is war, on the power of friendship
and the discovery of love… this highly recommended story combines
entertainment with the joy of a well-written book.»
Cecilia Frías, El Mundo
An adventure novel that recalls the exciting tales of Twain, Stevenson
and Salgari, and combines comedy and action in an unforgettable
denunciation of war.
The story of Antón and Darío, two fifteen-year-old boys caught up in the
frantic commercial activity of the port of Cartagena de Indias, one of the
most important of the colonial era. Antón is the son of the Viceroy and a
reflective, peaceful, timid child, afraid of his distant father, while his friend
Darío, a mixed-race jeweller’s apprentice from Cartagena who believes
he can predict the future, is restless and hungry for adventure. Together
they get lost in the city on endless excursions: horse-riding through the
forest, fishing and looking at girls, and wondering what they have to do to
get to kiss a woman. But in the spring of 1741, their carefree lives change
forever when the British siege begins and ultimately leads to the bloody
battle of Cartagena de Indias. The boys come to understand the horrors
of war and test the strength of their friendship, despite their
circumstances and destinies being as different as the shores of the Old
and the New World.
Sold to: (Spain, Siruela)
Todo eso que tanto nos gusta (Everything We Like So Much)
«Marvellously written.» Maruja Torres
«He is now writing with splendid maturity.» Enrique Vila-Matas, El País
58
«Zarraluki composes an intense and entertaining tale about people who
try to escape from tedium.» J. A. Masoliver Ródenas, La Vanguardia
«You’ll be able to feel the power of literature.» Félix J. Palma, Mercurio
It’s not always easy to be a father. Neither is it easy to be a son. In fact,
nothing is easy in this life…and therein lies the key to this matter.
Difficulties always end up becoming the heart of the joy of living. An old
man escapes in search of an unreachable place, and his son follows him.
In their flight they meet a girl who is sure about love, but she is not sure
about committing herself to love forever; a disturbing woman who lives
alone with her Neapolitan butler and cook; a blind woman who never
wanted to work and ends up growing the most beautiful roses…
Todo eso que tanto nos gusta is a radiant novel, written with a certain
innocence. It is a novel that tackles the big subjects of existence with
wisdom and elegant simplicity, and which suggests that maybe the only
secret of life is managing to be who we are… and dancing until dawn.
Sold to: (Spain, Destino / Club, Bertelsmann / Pocket, Booket); (Italy,
Neri Pozza)
Un encargo difícil (A Difficult Assignment)
** Nadal Novel Award **
«One can either read it as a detective novel, or as a magnificent narration
about living in exile.» Ramón Chao, Le Monde Diplomatique
«This great book of sober narrative, is ultimately a book of hope, and of
faith in humanity.» Christophe Mercier, Le Figaro
Sold to: (Spain, Destino / Club: Bertelsmann / Pocket: Booket);
(France, Plon); (Greece, Metaixmio); (Holland, Signature); (Italy, Neri
Pozza); (Macedonia, Terra Magica); (Portugal, Texto Editora)