The Adventures of Captain Torrezno, vol. 4by Santiago Valenzuela (Astiberri). Don’t think about it. No matter how much I proselytize for Ciudad Real in this column, there are also times when I get tired of living in a provincial town, always walking the same streets, going to the same bars, to meet the same people on my way. at the city’s university. It is in these moments of civic boredom that I most appreciate the publication of a new volume of the series featuring Captain Torrezno, since his cartoons – now recovered but already worthy of the National Comic Award in 2011 – transport me into imaginary microworlds where nothing happens. It is what it seems and where all manner of fantastical creatures and circumstances come to meet its drunken protagonist. Then I pick it up and read it in one sitting, I hallucinate in color (well, in this case black and white) and I can once again walk with renewed enthusiasm through the unchanging streets of my well-known city. loved.
Cartesian Sonata and other storiesby William H. Gass (trans. This Santiago; The Swiss Army Knife). I already feel it, but that’s what excites me: the post-mo and funny literature – these adjectives rarely go well together – that American fabulists wrote at the end of the 20th century: Robert Coover (who left us this week), Donald Barthelme, William H. Gass… All so intelligent, so academic, and with this look of farmers from deep America which inspired me so much in the way I look and dress. In any case, here is a new opportunity to immerse yourself in the author’s musical and playful prose with this volume which brings together four novel…four novel…, four short original novels: in one of them, God disguises himself as a demon; In another, a young woman immerses herself in the work of her favorite, hard-to-beat poet.
public libraryby Ali Smith (translation Magdalena Palmer; Nordic). Good author, good book, good title: I like it when publishers make my job easier! And anyone, like me, who owes his passion for literature to public libraries will not fail to be moved by this collection of stories by the Scottish writer: there are twelve independent stories about the importance of books in our scattered lives reflections on the importance of books in our lives. the history of libraries and the importance they have for the formation of intelligent citizens in our society. Do you know? I would recommend it to all the politicians who have closed public libraries throughout our country – like Manuel Alvar in Madrid or those of Arona in Tenerife – but I fear that most of them don’t even know what to do with it. a book which is not one of those they handle in their accounting work in B.
Truman Capoteby George Plimpton, ed. (trans. by José C. Vales; Kultrum Books). September 30 marked the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Truman Capote, that exquisite and mannered genius bequeathed to us by the frightening true crime of In cold blood— and many publishers saw in this anniversary a logical opportunity to publish news about his figure (Anagrama commissioned Leila Guerriero to write an essay on the North American’s stay on the Costa Brava; Astiberri published a graphic novel about Capote visiting the set of the film film by Richard Brooks), new releases among which I choose that of George Plimpton for three reasons: because it is a choral biography (perhaps the only biographies in which I really believe, because they bring more points of view than usual), because it contains valuable testimonies from personalities as illustrious as Joan Didion, Lauren Bacall, Frank Sinatra or Norman Mailer and, more importantly, because with the subtitle piece that his publishers gave him (Memories and Confidences of Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances, and Detractors — Truman Capote Centennial — Complete, uncensored edition of the choral biography with a complete transcription of all conversations) saves me from writing at least a third of this review.
Glory. The poet of forbidden lovesby Lola Lapaz, ed. (Two mustaches). And a literary star American for a Spaniard who could well be the opposite of Capote: she dressed as she pleased, she smoked and drank whiskey as much or more than many men and, instead of a book about two conscienceless murderers, she left us the best children’s literature ever written in this country. Of course, I’m talking about Gloria Fuertes, whose wonderful collective essay (Gloria Fortún, Manuela Carmena and Luna Miguel, among others, parade there) reminds us that not everything in the life of the author of Lavapiés has been televised. television shows during children’s hours, but there was also a flesh-and-blood person behind the much-loved public facade, a person who lived outside the conventions of his time and who suffered silently from the problems expected of being a woman, a lesbian and a woman. poor in Spain at the time. Regardless, another good reminder to take Fuertes’ work seriously, even if the one who did the most for this cause – of course, unintentionally – was Javier Marías when in 2017 he judged good to publish an article that no one had asked him in which attacked very Sirspirit to this fundamental author.
Kokotxas, vol. Yoby Bruno Galindo, ed. (Liburuak). And we end with another novelty that looks back on our cultural past, this time nothing more and nothing less than the first anthology of legendary articles on music journalism in Spanish (it’s about time, baby, that the English and North Americans published books like that for a thousand years). Chosen by journalist, producer and music critic Bruno Galindo, the selection covers the last sixty years of the best national music journalism with signatures from legends such as Diego A. Manrique, José María Íñigo, Joaquín Luqui, Tina Blanco, Rafa Cervera, Elena Cabrera. … Oysters, Elena Cabrera: my dear editor-in-chief of elDiario.es… That would mean that I, horrorafter decades as a renowned literary critic, I came to recommend a colleague’s book! That I have fallen into the clutches of the cultural nepotism that I hate so much and that happens so much in this country! Nothing, nothing: I’m going to be cheesy but also professional: because of this wonderful book I really screwed up, and now I really have an excuse to finally —Ciudad Real, here I am!– to be able to retire.
