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BookFair
London
2020
asterisc
agents
*
Index
Fiction Titles 03
Non Fiction Titles 28
Backlist Titles 42
Authors & Publishers List 43
On Translation Grants 44
Asterisc Agents & Awards 45
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com 2
Fiction Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com 3
Novel
(Novel·la)
Quaderns Crema, 2018 | 168p
Booksellers Award 2019 (Premi Llibreter)
2 ed Comparisons and echoes:
Paul Auster, Pirandello,
#RealUnreal David Lynch, Borges,
#MetaLiterature Kafka, Saramago, Onetti, Debut
Shortlisted for the German Pere Calders, Quim Author
#BreakThroughAuthor panel New Spanish Books Monzó, Sergi Pàmies,
“
translation program Màrius Serra.
he perfect subversion of the
T Pol Beckmann
A sophisticated and intelli-
idea of the love triangle.
gent story where reality and (Barcelona, 1991). Writer.
”
fiction form a labyrinth that After few awards for short
will catch the reader from stories he decided to write
the first page. his first novel. At the age of
27 years, Beckmann pub-
lishes Novel (Novel·la) a text
Pol Beckmann tells in
that will be a breakthrough
Novel·la the story of Bekman,
for many.
a writer deeply in love with
Booksellers Award 2019
Sofia, the perfect woman (Complete profile of the author
with whom he maintains a here)
perfect relationship. Bekman
“The jury awarded the prize works on the novel that has
ish unanimously for its quality
Span to make of him a lead name,
on
slati and literary daring, for its although his new perfect
Tran e “A first-class
ila l
b
mastery of language” and
Ava relationship is a time-stealer.
ability to synthesize argu- One day he meets Laura, literary debut”
ments, and for the originality who is not as perfect as Melcior Comes
in the approach of the limits Sofia... but it is more real.
between fiction and reality, And the complex love trian-
which allows it to play with gle is served. Novel·la ends
up being, in the words of its
the readers and surprise
publisher, “a sick game be-
them until the end.”
tween fiction and reality”, if
we agree to call reality what
is written in a work of fiction.
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com 4
On Novel·la,
Pol Beckmann Praises
EL PAÍS - «There will be, no doubt, who gets carried confusion. A combination between solid and elegant
away by the force of fiction that is reinvented sophisti- experimentation. It contains high doses of maturity
catedly in this novel.» and well-oiled machinery.»
8c Llom: 00 mm. calculat per a 000 pàgines, en paper de 00 gm/m2, mà 1,22 EL MUNDO - «Novel·la is a short and perfect piece of LA REPÚBLICA - «Pol Beckmann has a much appreci-
narrative watchmaking that will disturb more than one ated stylistic power.»
Pol Beckmann Text
A U TO R
Novel·la
reader.»
T Í TO L
quaderns crema
LA VANGUARDIA - «Novel·la is a story of doors that
open and close, which lead from reality in the novel succeeds with making the
that the protagonist is writing, from the novel to the From the reading re-
reader believe in the cred-
Fotografia de l’autor
dream, and from the dream to reality». port (Kirsten Brandt), ibility of what is told, to un-
SERRA D’OR - «Beckmann’s undeniable talent and the German pannel: dermine it only gradually.
elegant intelligence of his debut are encuriosidors and From then on, of course, one
“
000
exciting.» In a sophisticated, very constantly asks if this now
DIARI DE MALLORCA - «A work in which all the ele-
23/7/18 11:44
entertaining yet always is “real” (and part of which
Quaderns Crema, 2018 ments fit perfectly. Hilarious!» disturbing way, Novel·la reality?) or just a product of
168p toys with reality and fic- the protagonist´s imagina-
EL NACIONAL - «Novel·la escapes the parameters of
-2 ed tion, and in a newspaper tion.
today’s literature. It is a work that surprises the reader
-Booksellers Award 2019 article it has been com-
and forces him to ask himself continuous questions,
(Premi Llibreter 2019) pared Pirandello’s. It is Thus, Novel·la is an at least
and that does not bore him even in a single moment.»
astonishing how long the ambiguous game which is
LA VANGUARDIA – «Highly recommended read to reader allows him/herself somewhat nightmarish, due
fight the obscure literalness. An effective game, not at to be fooled, because the to the growing darkness
all pretentious, that allows us to question our point of moment one starts reading surrounding the relation
view.» a novel one is ready to at between Bekman and Sofia.
EL PUNT AVUI - «Beckmann narrates in a careful and first believe every word an An extremely recommend-
personal way, providing a system of images and descrip- author writes. The author able literary debut.
tions that are appreciated in a literary market sometimes
too flat, predictable, repetitive.» ”
EL NÚVOL - «Novel·la is pure mischief. Game and
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com 5
Secondary “The novel’s style is
sharp as a knife, the
(Secundaris)
Comanegra, 2018 | 152p point of view jumps from
one character to another
#DirtyRealism according to the moment
#ANotSoCoolBarcelona and the need, and some-
#MarginalNeighbourhood times the narrative voice
rebukes the reader.”
Ara Llegim
A novel of the marginal »
Non fiction
Barcelona ‘92 “A great portrait of sim- titles on p 34
The Author
ple people.”
#5 in 2018 Must Read List,
La Vanguardia Vilaweb
Núria Cadenes Sergi has killed an old man the clichés of a bad movie.
and wanders strangely qui-
(Barcelona, 1970) is one
etly with a suitcase full of The portrait of a hid-
of the most special story-
bills. Conxi has done noth- den Barcelona: nothing
tellers in the country and
with a more unmistakable ing and is in prison trying to about gold medals, lau-
voice. Her previous novel, learn a new language so as rel wreaths or glory, in
Tota la veritat, won the not to collapse. Barcelona Secundaris there are sy-
Crims de Tinta Award to has just celebrated the ringes, fight and hunger.
noir novel in 2016. She glorious Olympics. The re- In 92 the world looked at
had already won many verse of the beatiful city us but only saw what the
readers with works such and the medals is Turó de elites of our country left
as AZ and El banquer. la Peira neighbourhood, a in the foreground.
nest of secondary inhabit- A blow of reality that
ants that do what they can brings us down to the hell
so as to not be reduced to of those who had no voice.
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com | Rights managed on behalf of Comanegra 6
Out of Your Wits
(Fóra de si)
Xerais, 2018 | 232p
Rights sold:
Spanish: Alianza
#FamilyIdentity
#Loss
#Guilt
#Upmarket
Suso de Toro “ A memorable and unconcessional
narration about family identity
and feelings of loss and guilt.
After visiting his father at
the nursing home, the neu-
rosurgeon Ricardo Marzoa
Premio Nacional
de Narrativa de las
Letras Españolas
”
(Santiago de Compostela,
feels overgrown, out of his
wits. He is dragging his life Award author
in 1956). Writer. PhD in
Geography and History at as it was a heavy weight: too
the University of Santiago many years on his shoulders, Suso de Toro is a re-
de Compostela and in too many lives that have nowned Galician au-
Modern and Contemporary gone away in his own hands thor with more than
Art. He has published a and, also, a recent death. 20 novels written,
long list of narrative, theat- He is going through a humil-
er and essay books. He many of them trans-
iating professional moment
soon received the recogni- lated into Catalan,
and his personal situation is
tion of the readers and the Spanish and other lan-
critics receiving in 1986
confusing. The situation is
so critic that he has come to guages.
the Premio de la Crítica
de narrativa gallega Award the conclusion that he needs
for Polaroid. A prize that urgently a psychotherapist.
will be revalidated in 1994 The time has come to break
for Tic-tac and in 2000 for all his ties that unite him with
Non volvas. His full recog- family and work.
nition as a writer will arrive
in 2003 with the Premio Questions about person-
Nacional de narrativa de las
al identity and the feelings
Letras Españolas Award for
Trece badaladas.
of guilt and loss hover on
the novel, which the author
(Complete profile of the author writes in a lucid and precise
here) way.
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com 7
Emotions Series
(Colección Emociones, Comanegra) A Hidden Treasure Cherry Tress in December The Key of Emotions
(Un tesoro escondido) #Self_Esteem (Los cerezos en diciembre) (La llave de las emociones) #Toxic_Relationship
A best seller Gemma Lienas #Inner_Look Ariel Andrés Almada #Perseverance Silvia Congost #Freedom_To_Love
Ten steps to dis- Only if we recog- Free yourself
cover our hidden nize ourselves as from emotional
treasure. part of the prob- dependence and
lem can we be part enjoy a healthy
of the solution. relationship.
3.000 cps. 16.500 cps | 3 ed 4.000 cps
The Lion and the Full Moon The Path of Love The Principle of the Circle
(El león y la Luna llena) #Fears_&_Complexes (El camino del amor) #Broken_Hearts (El principio del círculo) #Communication
WHY THESE BOOKS ARE Nora Shen & Mireia Darder #Vitality_Manifesto Eva Mengual #Loss_&_Love Michi Kobayashi #Practical_Tips
SUCH A SUCCESS? A map to conquer Discover how to An emotional
the labyrinth of grow thanks to story full of
life, this is the sto- the love we carry tenderness to
✓Teachings transmit ry of a wonderful move on the path
inside.
emotion to both young cycle. to happiness on a
day to day basis.
people and adults.
✓Small: 18x13 cm. 3.000 cps. 4.000 cps 8.000 cps
✓Short: 100-130 pgs
The Time of the Lotus The Wings of the Butterfly
✓Lovely, Elegant, (El tiempo del loto) #Magical_Energy (Las alas de la mariposa)
#Fear_&_Anxiety
Tew Bunnag Ariel Andrés Almada #Hidden_Opportunities
Meaningful covers #Loss
A moving sto- A cry for us to
ry about the wake up in time
#FeelGood magical energy and start living
#Fables that allows us to the life not lived,
overcome any when the darkest
#OnEmotions loss in life. moment is just
before dawn.
7.500 cps | 2 ed 4.000 cps
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com | Rights managed on behalf of Comanegra 8
Emotions Series (Colección Emociones, Comanegra)
A best seller
Rights sold:
Spanish: Comanegra
Open Water Swimmer #InspirationalFable Linea Nigra #InspirationalFable
(El nedador d’aigües obertes) #ComfortZone (La línia alba) #Kintsugi
Adam Martín Skilton #Challenge Mudit Grau #OvercomingObstacles #SelfImprovement
A modern fable where the sea
and open water swimming is
the metaphor for a challenge:
Nil is a mediocre actor who no longer gets
“ To leave a life behind, to build a
new one, to know how to make
peace with oneself, removing Cala has a seemingly perfect family life, until
the day her beloved husband Max dies in a car
jobs. His wife has left him and he enters a ghosts with a calm mind. This is the
to leave the comfort zone. accident and she discovers he hid too many
”
spiral of self-destructive thoughts. Next only way to reach happiness.
The secret of happiness is in this to Walrus, an expert swimmer who hides a things.
stroke. family trauma, Nil will learn to swim at for- Judit Mascó, top model Cala must face the unpleasant secrets of the
ty-eight, and along the way he will also re- and business woman. man she has just tragically lost. But follow-
ceive the most important lesson of his life: ing the art of Kintsugi she repairs her life as
sometimes it is necessary to simply focus, she respored a broken vase. She will learn new
float and let one flow. shapes of love that had been denied to her: a
new way of living.
“
Kintsugi.
An inspiring song of The secret to grow
self-improvement. after every obstacle
Adam Martín Skilton is a journalist.
” Mudit Grau is a dancer and writ-
er. Antonio Gades dancer and mul-
ti-award-winning choreographer,
He has worked as a presenter, editor professor at the Theater Institute in
and scriptwriter in many television Barcelona and director of her own
and radio programs. He has special- dance school. In writing, she has found
ized in healthy eating and habits and a new way to develop an overflowing
so he has published a good number creativity based in delicacy and ele-
of books on nutrition. gance.
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com | Rights managed on behalf of Comanegra 9
Sara and the Silences
(Sara i els silencis)
Ara Llibres, 2018 | 288p
#ContemporaryUpmarketFiction
#MusicAllOver
“ Maria Escalas has written a novel
of an incredible enduring emotion.
An ode to those who, after so much
#BeatingCancer
silence, get up to take the floor.
#StrongTiesFriendship
« [...] The author of cancer, fem-
”
builds a second ininity, self-es-
Sara seeks to meet again person singular, teem, infidelity
The Author who she was: a young wom- a conscience and macho
an with talent to compose that will address abuse, asym-
who gave up her promising to the protago- metric human
career to make way for her
nist throughout condition, in-
Maria Escalas husband’s. She takes again
the entire book. finite doubts, the
the unfinished work that she
(Mallorca, 1969) is a wanted to dedicate to her inevitable recre-
professional musician father and to fight the ab- [...] A fluent ation in suffer-
and teacher of this sence of self-inspiration she reading with an ing, the need to
subject at a secondary asks for the help of her old oral language affection, death
school. With Abans que teacher, the demanding and without impos- by fascicles and
el teu record torni cendra grumpy Josep. He agrees, tures. The au- fear of fear.»
she successfully started but with one condition: that thor says things
her literary career. Sara i Sara would welcome Cristina, as they are, and Anna Carreras,
els silencis is her second a twenty years younger gir, El Núvol
reality moves.
novel and it’s called to as generously as he did when
be a new bestseller. Sara was young and eager to
[...] Escalas
learn. ish &
Engl
shares a hard ish
This friendship will overcome Span
and detailed p les
all barriers and Sara will find Sam
ila ble
the right notes to color her account of the Ava
new life. before and after
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com | Rights managed on behalf of Ara Llibres 10Into the Blood When the Going Gets Tough
(En la sangre) (Vienen mal dadas)
Roca Editorial (2019) | 336p Roca Editorial (2019) | 304p
#DarkBarcelona
#Post-crisisPrecariousness
#Tourism&Mafias
“ A crossroads of murky and exciting
stories set in the darkest Barcelon, a
city where tourists, thieves and peo-
- 3 ed
- L’HConfidential Award finalist
#DarkBarcelona
#Post-crisisPrecariousness
#Page-turner
- Nominated and shortlisted to a #SocialCriticism
#FemmeFatalePerspective ple of various social classes share handful of noir/thriller awards.
#FastPacedThriller #PowerfulFemaleCharacter
”
much more than it seems.
“A plot so naked, real and in-
“
tense that, before you realize,
» After Vienen mal dadas (10.000 What was going to be a champagne and you’ve devoured the book.” An excellent first novel - pow-
copies, 3 editions), a huge step of rose path becomes blackmail, violence Susana Rodríguez Lezaun, erful, hard, original- from an
the author towards consolidation. and death. bestselling author author who will cause a stir.
”
A thrilling noir novel told from the The crime novel is in luck.
cynical point of view of one who knows Elia Barceló , bestselling author
is going to die soon. Dark
10.000
Barcelona copies!
An action-packed noir novel that
Two portrays the darkest Barcelona in
thrillers
Eva Valverde is a pickpocket, has two times of crisis. Ruth Santana is an
degrees and wears Prada. Further to Two evicted and multi-employed young
stealing wallets in the subway and intense woman who lives on the poverty
on the streets of Barcelona, she as- urban line to pay off what she considers
saults tourist flats in an increasingly plots her debt to the banks.
overcrowded Barcelona. None of One night, a stranger makes her
this is done by necessity, but to keep an offer. He wants her to help him
an a standard of living she would not be blow up ATMs. The man offers
Itali le
m p able to carry otherwise. quick money to pay her debt to the
Sa
aila ble But the pickpocket race is not easy, bank and get back to a normal life.
Av
and after years of building a perfect He offers freedom. In return, Ruth
world, she loses everything in a sin- will have to give up her scruples.
gle day. And, perhaps, something else.
Laura Gomara | holds a degree in Classical Philology and works in the publishing industry and as a creative writing teacher. As a novelist, with her first book Vienen mal dadas
(Roca Editorial) she was a finalist for the 2016 L’H Confidential Award and was nominated to multiple awards. Her second novel, En la sangre (Roca Editorial), is one of the hot
crime new titles that literary Autumn will offer soon. One of the narrative voices with more projection of the national noir novel.
(Complete profile of the author here)
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com 11We Will Ride the Whole Night Through
(Cavalcarem tota la nit)
Proa, 2020 | 192 p
Mercè Rodoreda 2019 Award
#BreakthroughAuthor “Gurt knows how to link the everyday
#ShortFiction with the transcendent. High poetic
#AcidHumor tension.”
CULTURAS, LA VANGUARDIA
Debut
“Nobody would say Gurt is a debut Author
author. Her stories show metaphorical Carlota Gurt
readings related to the obstacles and (Barcelona, 1976). Writer
22nd
fears that we all carry inside.” Mercè
and translator. Degree in
ARA.CAT Translation and Interpreting,
Rodoreda
East Asian Studies,
Award
Riding all night is crossing in the dark to- Humanities, Business and
ward boundaries that seem unattainable Audiovisual Communication.
The jury said: She worked at the theatre
but not always are. Riding all night is not
company La Fura dels Baus
tearing down and chasing the moon, inde- and at the Temporada Alta
fatigable. To ride all night is not to be afraid Human relations are the Festival, mainly as pro-
of fighting the darkness that is inside us or thematic nexus of the duction manager. Like the
that which comes from outside. storybook, a work that characters in her first book,
stands out for its psy- she rides a life without
Characters that could be your neighbor, saddle and also juggles with
chological depth. The her three kids, translation,
your daughter, your greengrocer or your-
literary strengh of the writing and reading, as well
self, are the protagonists of these short
stories juggling the love that dries up in texts, the unfolding of the as dreaming whenever she
human relationships, and can afford it, while living
their fingers, the life they carry on and the
the visual references are between Barcelona and La
duty that hangs on them. These short sto- Pera (Girona).
ries have been written with invigorating an invitation to enjoy She has made her debut as
doses of humor and tetchiness, that arouse the reading, not only for literary writer by winning
smiles, but also restlessness. the stories told as for the the 2019 Mercè Rodoreda
With this very first book Carlota Gurt shows way they are written. Prize with storytelling
an impetuous and talent literary debut. Cavalcarem tota la nit.
(Complete profile of the author
here)
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com 12Passage To A New World
(Passatge al nou món)
Columna, 2018 | 368p
Rights sold:
Spanish: Maeva
Culturas, LV :
“
“A picture of the yesterday’s
With a love of the past that returns #Historical world described by Stefan Zweig
and a welcoming country that waits #Women_Fiction Spanish
and Federico Fellini. […] Well
for the wrong person, the futures of #Love&Friendship documented and written. [...] A
a French-Catalan woman and her
Tània Juste novel written with joy, Passatge
Russian friend change in a surprising Port of Barcelona, 1918. Berta
way. Set at the end of 1918, an amaz- al nou món works! "
(Barcelona, 1972). Casals is a twenty-year-old girl
”
ing story of love and friendship. who embarks on the transatlantic
In 2009 she published Núvol:
her first novel, an hom- Queen Victoria Eugenia on her
way to Argentina, where she goes “[The author’s] stories reach a
age to the hopeful times
of the Second Spanish to marry Julio Mitchell, a wealthy wider public who is not so inter-
Republic, A flor de Patagonian rancher and friend of ested in getting the main facts,
pell, after which came the family to whom she barely but rather learn more about them
Els anys robats. With knows. in a more agile and informal way.
L’hospital dels pobres, During her journey, Berta gets [...] An interesting game between
Juste went a step further
bored with the formalities and narrative stages.”
and gained popularity
and several editions. rigid rules of first class elitist pas-
In 2015 receives the sengers. Her only confidant on the La petita llibreria:
Nèstor Luján Award for ship will be Irina Alexandrovna,
“One of those works that does
the intens story of a with whom she will share conver-
not let you go to sleep, you want
family among vineyards, sations, complicities and an un-
Temps de família. missable secret that seals their to read more and more... Having
destiny forever. a work of this author at home
(Complete profile of the
70 years later, Berta will tell her is synonymous with a pleasant,
author here)
granddaughter about the true emotional, well-written reading,
story behind that unforgettable set with delicate addition, careful
journey. in detail”.
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com 13More on Tània Juste
Family Time The Hospital of the Poor
(Temps de família) (L’hospital dels pobres)
Columna, 2015 | 368p | 3 ed Columna, 2014 | 333p| 7 ed
Nèstor Luján Award of Historical
Fiction Rights sold:
Spanish: Maeva
Rights sold: German: Bastei Lübbe
Spanish: Maeva
“ A novel about the construction
of the Hospital de Sant Pau, the
largest modernist compound of
»The novel that gives life to the Barcelona
of the early XXth century.
all times.
”
» By awarded author for Historical Fiction.
#WomenFiction
#FamilySaga #Historical
#Barcelona&Modernism
Through the lives of three generations #FamilySaga #Historical
of the Giner family, their clandestine Film rights under consideration
loves, fraternal hatred, and unsolved
murder mysteries, Temps de família LA VANGUARDIA :
(Family Time) weaves a plot as attractive “A mythical space that becomes
and magnificent as the vineyards that
literature"
serve as the setting for this lineage.
Barcelona, the beginning of the XXth
“ A novel about a Catalan century. Santa Creu Hospital is heaving
family, the wine industy and inside the old medieval city walls that
the evolution towards an in- have sheltered it for five centuries. This
dustrialized modern world is a portrait of a society divided by so-
that wants to leave old rural cial classes where the lives of a handful
”
traditions behind. of characters cross over indefectibly
and together they make the new hos-
pital for the poor people of the city a
A faithful portrayal of a time and a country, a
reality.
novel that talks about the men and women who
3 ed ish Through the construction of some of
fought to restore their lands, devastated by the Long Engl
in trade synopsis the greatest modernist gems in the
&
phylloxera plague at the end of the 19th century, & sample
pocket! and who began the 20th century in a rural world pages world, men and women seek happiness
available!
undergoing a complete transformation. at the rhythm that marks the new times.
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com 14Magui’s Shadow Still Wanders the Backyard
(L’ombra de la Magui encara és al jardí)
Columna, 2020
Rights sold:
Spanish: Destino
#FamilySecrets
Sylvia
#SilencesThatTalk
#UnexpectedTwist
#MotherDespair
“ SPOILER ALERT: What
would a mother be able to do
to prevent her daughter from
”
being abused?
Lagarda-Mata
has a degree in Destino publishes leading
Communication as well Spanish mistery authors
Magui is a 4-year-old girl who
as a master in Audiovisual like Dolores Redondo,
disappears without leaving a trace
Communication. She is on the magical night of Sant Joan, Federico Axat, Félix J.
currently a scriptwriter for during the fireworks festival that Palma or Care Santos.
documentaries and gives welcome the Summer solstice. We
classes on cinema and tel- are in the bourgeois Barcelona of THIS BOOK HAS...
evision. Her heart is divid- the early XXth century, in the great
ed between the Catalonia mansion of one of the wealthiest ✓High skills of the author
that she loves and the families of the time. Total despair to depict and bring to life
Languedoc of her ances- for the parents, for the mother, the old times, cities, people.
tors, and so her narrations sisters and for everyone who loved
are often set in both re- Magui because the few clues found ✓Round main characters
gions. Among her books, don’t show any hope. and deluxe second coral
special mention should be Today, the family that suffered this secondaries.
made to Mazapanes amar- disappearance a century ago will
gos finalist for the award begin an investigation to solve the ✓Two well plot driven
Sen Soví. mystery surrounding the disappear- lines of time.
ance of Magui, which had remained
(Complete profile of the au- unresolved for decades. Until now.
thor here)
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com 15The Navigator English
(El navegant)
Proa, 2016 | 352p |3 ed & German
sample
Rights sold: Shortlisted in the international
available!
Spanish: Navona programme New Spanish Books,
Crítica Serra d’Or Award UK pannel.
for the best novel in Catalan By Sant Jordi Award author
#Historical #Literary #ModernFable Compared to Patrick Süskind,
“
Zola, Albert Sánchez Piñol,
A personal narrative style that sin- Montaigne, Jules Verne or Calvino.
gles the author out from other writers
La Vanguardia:
”
of his generation.
Joan-Lluís Lluís «With a branch of Italo Calvino,
another Montaigne’s essays and
(Perpignan, 1963) is a
one of Robinson Crusoe. [...]
writer and a journalist.
Compared to Sánchez Piñol.»
He studied Art History
at Montpelier University.
Assiscle Xatot is born in Perpinyà in 1852 with a very spe-
He has written some non
cial ability: a gift that allows him to acquire any language
fiction and mainly fiction. as soon as he hears a single word. Xatot is involved in
In recent years, he has the riots of the Paris Commune and is deported to New
published Aiguafang, Crítica Caledonia, where he will be adopted by an indigenous
Serra d’Or Award in 2009, clan and named his particular storyteller.
Xocolata desfeta (2009),
Following the patterns of picaresque and adventure
an experimental work of
narrative, and the novel novels, Joan-Lluís Lluís brings into question the survival
Cròniques d’un déu coix, win- of languages, what’s evil, ambition, servility, colonialism,
ner of the Lletra d’Or 2014.
ideals betrayed, fate, chance, what is ‘wild’ and what
is ‘civilization’... all through a precise and beautiful lan-
(Complete profile of the guage and an absorbent and fast-paced rythm.
author here) Among the most classic adventure and the literary gen-
re, a particular trip of a young Catalan with a unique
talent.
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com 16On El Navegant
Praises
El Periódico - « As in Perfume by Patrick Süskind,
the superpower of Assiscle is useful to travel From the reading report
through history. [...] Joan-Lluís Lluís uses a beautiful (Peter Bush), UK pannel
and precise language»
«The Navigator is an [...] extremely convinc-
La Vanguardia - « A fast-paced and absorbing original, well written nov- ing.
reading.» el with a style of its own
that hooks the reader. [...] The author introduc-
Diari Ara - « The novel is a tribute to the pica-
Although it is a historical es the theme of linguis-
resque novels. [...] El navegant highlights the vir-
Proa, 2016 | 352p adventure novel, its per- tic diversity and reflects
3 ed tues of the genre: narrative agility, surprises, sense
spective is contemporary on the phenomenon of
Crítica Serra d’Or of humor and the self-learning of the main charac-
and thought-provoking. world languages with-
Award for the best ter.»
novel in Catalan in out becoming pedantic.
2016. Culturas LV - « A meditation on language, culture [...] well-constructed
Rights Sold: and knowledge, [...] El Navegant deals with the and very readable. [...] In terms of style,
Spanish: Navona philosophical narrative adventure with a branch of the novel recalls Zola’s
Italo Calvino, another Montaigne’s essays and one [...] an original adven- (especially in the pag-
of Robinson Crusoe. [...] Compared to Sánchez ture novel that also es relating the agitated
Piñol.» highlights the riches months Assiscle spends
that all languages pos- in Paris), and also Jules
Nosaltresllegim.com - « Chapters describing the sess. Verne. »
living conditions of prisoners are worthy of Zola.
[...] We are in front of a very good adventure story
that is much more than that.»
El Periódico « One of the three or four most valua-
ble books in Catalan fiction this year.»
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com 17Betrayed Friendships
(Les amistats traïdes)
Enciclopèdia, 2020 | 240 p
Sant Jordi Award for Best Novel 2019
AVUI -“Nel·lo’s books are al-
Rights sold ways enjoyable. It’s obvious 60th
Spanish: Catedral […] that he dominates the Sant Jordi
tools and narrative games.” Best Novel
#Faustus Award
#SoulSold
#Friendship_Love_Ambition NÚVOL -“[the novel] main-
tains a demonic narrative The Jury:
“ Would you pay the highest price to
get literary success?
tension throughout the
book.”
ARA.CAT -“Mad and absurd
A plot that not
only manages
the suspense
A new take on the myth of Faustus. masterfully but
”
issues with a great deal of
elegance. This novel is a
that also main-
deluxe prank.” tains the nar-
David Nel·lo rative tension
(Barcelona, 1959) is a writer, INTERNATIONAL SCOUT increasing until
flute player and translator. -“It’s is simply fascinating.” the very end.
A very well-known Catalan
writer especially among
children and YA. He has won Salvador Togores, literary translator, goes to
many different awards for Switzerland to make a stay at a translator’s residence
his adult novels as Marian just a year after his father’s death. There, by sur-
Vayreda Award for El meu
cor cap a tu per sempre, Roc
prise, he finds Bachtel, the famous writer who had
Boronat Award for Setembre disappeared from the public eye for many years and
a Perugia, or the Prudenci author of worship. In the past, Markus Bachtel had
Bertrana Award for Melissa been a close friend of the Togores family, especially
& Nicole. Now, his talent has of the father, but the relationship broke up abruptly
been recognized once more
with the best considered
and painfully. During a series of nights, Bachtel, like
award in Catalan for a literary a modern Sherezade, reveals the incredible story of
novel, the Sant Jordi, given his life and the reason for his escape and disappear-
for Betrayed Friendships. ance.
A novel on friendship, love and the limits of ambition.
(Complete profile of the author
here)
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com 18Dangerous Living
(Viure perillosament)
Comanegra, 2019 | 180 p
2 ed
Rights sold
Spanish: Comanegra
#FreeWomen
#Tribute #SharpPens
“ 14 moments in the life of
14 women who feared
no danger.
This story collection is a great
tribute to the free-spirited and #Feminism #Stories Great sensitivity, deep
gaze-free women, and especia- literary knowledge, rich The Author
”
lly the writers and artists, of all style.
times and conditions.
“There is no gate, no lock, no bolt
that you can set upon the free-
Storying small anecdotes Gemma Pasqual i Escrivà
dom of my mind.” This quote by of great women: Virginia
Virginia Woolf, one of the four- Woolf, Mercè Rodoreda, (Almoines, 1967) is,
for years now, one of
teen great women starring in the- Simone de Beauvoire, Rosa
the most celebrated
se tales, would surely have been Parks, Frida Kahlo, Mary authors thanks, above
shared by all the others. Shelley or Jane Austen, all, to her children and
among others. (*) ypung adult works. This
These stories that recreate di- book could be con-
fferent anecdotes in the his- sidered her baptism in
tory of women: the unforgetta- (*) New local strong femenine adult literature, if these
ble conversation between Rosa charcters’ stories on demand. labels were needed. She
writes regularly in the
Parks and Recy Taylor, Simone
media and is vice-pres-
de Beauvoire’s bicycle accident, ident in the País
Caterina Albert’s most beloved Valencià of the Writers’
collection, Anaïs Nin’s eroticism... Association in Catalan.
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com | Rights managed on behalf of Comanegra 19The Biggest Risk
(El risc més gran)
Ara Llibres, 2018 lish
Eng
ple
354p Sam
ilable
6 editions! Ava
#NewPlaceNewLife Wild, disturbing and stabbing. An
#WomanPower outstanding debut.
#DiverseFamilies «A round story, with an
#ContemporaryFiction A vitalist and moving novel of electrifying style, very per-
#Upmarket powerful women, of very diverse sonal, bright. The debut of
family universes, of explosive an extraordinary talent.»
Debut loves and intense relationships, El Núvol
Author! and of such solid characters that
With the serene and rebel gaze
of Júlia, Laura Pinyol writes cannot but stay with you for long. *
«You are left with a heavy
about what we are capable of
heart and eager to live (in
doing when we lose our fear
equal parts)! What a debut.»
Laura Pinyol and dare to live in freedom.
Roc Casagran, author
Laura Pinyol Puig
(Terrassa, 1979) is a
journalist and this is her
Desire, loss, renunciations and
love walk through the life of Julia,
*
«A novel of second chances
debut novel. Strong in a thirty-four-year-old woman
communication skills,
and a tribute to people who
who moves to live to the distant love with no compromise.»
she also collaborates in
various written media, as Terra Alta with her two children Fe Fernàndez, bookseller
well as she runs a com- after an emotional breakdown.
munication agency. Far from the city, Julia reinvents
herself and is reborn. She learns
*
«It moves from the inside as
to live with the gaps left by the only good books do.»
people she loved -her charismat- @Mferres, reader
ic mother, a missing husband, the
elusive lover, her friend Tona-, to *
puzzle over her memories and
start from scratch.
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com | Rights managed on behalf of Ara Llibres 20Bad Good Father
(Mal bon pare)
Ara Llibres, 2020 | 240p
#Hilarious #ModernFatherhood A cool, sharp and vital novel about
#UnderclassAntihero fatherhood and the crisis of the 40s
“Plot is focused on a misfit
in a man who resists maturing. Because
The Author #21stCenturyMan #Misfit there’s a third way between a good or character who is happy to
#NewMasculinity #SharpPen a bad father: being a bad good one! be, with a magnificent abili-
ty to photograph the street,
At the crossroad of life, an anti-he- neighborhood life. Pons
ro of our time doomed to carry the Codina’s sense of humor is
Sergi Pons Codina
weight of relentless parenting, with not frivolous or gratuitous.”
(Barcelona, 1979). Mars endless patience, is forced to decide
NÚVOL
del Carib was the first what he wants to be when he grows
novel of Pons Codina, a up. Bad dad? Good father? “Pons Codina writes about
real joy for the readers Carles Vila aspired to a calm maturity. lumpen, marginal atmos-
and a big surprise for the He was about to turn forty. The girls pheres and guys a bit out of
critics, not used to read were almost grown. He was becoming their heads with no literary
such a straightforward, more and more convinced that life etiquette. And in all chapters
authentic and sharp was a boomerang who had taken him
prose in Catalan. This there are LOL situations.”
away, but would end up leaving him
was followed by Dies gently at the bar door where he had LA VANGUARDIA
de ratafia where Pons come from, the beloved Mars del
Codina kept exploring the Carib. “Mal bon pare is explosive
triangle formed by friend-
ship, neighborhood, and
He was wrong. An unexpected preg- laughter, but it also has a
alcohol. With Mal bon
nancy blocks the path of freedom and substrate, a thesis beyond
pare he achieves recogni- puts him in front of a large family, a laughter. Humor, father-
tion as a storyteller, and tedious work, his ultra-conservative hood, tenderness, family,
opens his universe to the parents and not less benevolent par- work, illness, love.”
world of couples, par- ents-in-law, and an endless pain in the
stomach unable to control. MIQUEL ADAM, the publisher
ents and children, adding
depth and complexity to A book about new masculinity (or fa-
his work without losing a therhood today) described not from
single bit of his punch. nonsense but from an ironic filter.
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com | Rights managed on behalf of Ara Llibres 21Mr. Folch
(Míster Folch)
Empúries, 2019 | 224p
#HumorousLookAtPostwar
An original, irreverent and
#Antiheroe
witty novel by one of the
#GodAsStoryteller
most brilliant authors of the
#BarcelonaTale
current Catalan narrative.
Adrià Pujol Cruells
“ The first novel about the civil
postwar period in Catalonia that
does not talk about either the A Barcelona tale
”
postwar period or Catalonia. with God as the storyteller.
(Begur, 1974).
Anthropologist and writer.
This is a Barcelona story told by a God in
He has published essay
books, biographies and low hours that seeks the complicity of the
fiction. Difficult to classify reader to present Mr. Folch, a man born in
by genre, among his many 1942 in highly peculiar conditions and who
books published, stands is graceful with superhuman powers.
out the autobiograph-
ical novel Picadura de Bastard son of a despotic and unscrupu-
Barcelona, La carpeta és lous bourgeois, Mr. Folch discovers that he
blava or Guia sentimental has unusual powers. However, he does not
de l'Empordanet. All books
take advantage of them the way his mentor
are always full of irony
and father in the shade, God, would like. Mr.
and humour. Recently, he
has published a challeng- Folch comes into contact with spiritualist
ing and experimental book circles and also with the clandestine strug-
El fill del corrector / Arre, gle against dictator Franco. His life takes a
arre, corrector, considered turn when, as if he was a superhero, he fe-
by critics as a "magnifi- els called to save the city and the country.
cient book”, "translinguis-
tic experiment" or "uto- Military, prostitutes, Wagnerians, gypsies,
pian, written, rewritten, workers and maids, Mr. Folch’s panorama
translated, comented...
seems far from victory, but he will make
book".
this corner of the world a little better.
(Complete profile of the
author here)
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com 22Gluttony
(La gola)
Fragmenta | 80 p #CapitalSinsSeries
#ShortEssay
Rights sold #Fresh&Rigorous
Spanish: Comanegra #GlottonyInArts
“ Between scholarship and
creativeness, good literary
chemistry to the delight of
Amazing Contents:
1. Sin, disease or system?
2. Origin of the sin of gluttony
3. Gluttony and women
Adrià Pujol Cruells
”
readers” – El Núvol 4. Verborrhea and gluttony, to finish
(Begur, 1974).
Anthropologist and writer. The glutton is victim and guilty. Gluttony
He has published essay Capital has gone from being an offense to God to
books, biographies and Sins Series being a social sin.
fiction. Difficult to classify
by genre, among his many
books published, stands
Except on that days when lack of control
out the autobiograph- is allowed, and apart from those who have
ical novel Picadura de a bull thanks to their position, boundless
Barcelona, La carpeta és gluttony is usually considered bad taste.
blava or Guia sentimental Gluttony has mutated in disease: it has
de l'Empordanet. All books
are always full of irony
jumed from voluntary vice to hereditary
and humour. Recently, he misfortune, from the sin of the rich to the
has published a challeng- sin of all, from individual depravity to so-
ing and experimental book cial tendency. We have socialized the vir-
El fill del corrector / Arre, tues, but also the tares.
arre, corrector, considered
by critics as a "magnifi-
cient book”, "translinguis- With highly expressive prose, Adrià
tic experiment" or "uto- Pujol makes a very unique journey
pian, written, rewritten, around gluttony through the West lite-
translated, comented... rary, cinematographic, artistic and ico-
book".
nographic tradition.
(Complete profile of the
author here)
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com 23Beds of Others
(Els llits dels altres)
Ara Llibres, 2018 | 144p
Roc Boronat Award to Best Fiction
3 ed
#LifeAfterSexualAbuse
#NakedProse
#StrongDebut
The most refined text written
with Elizabeth Strout, Agota
“ Anna Punsoda illuminates the
most obscure corners of the soul
of the protagonist with a clear
Kristof and Vivian Gornick as
#ContemporaryFiction and forceful prose, devastating
referents.
and tender at the same time.
”
#Upmarket
The Author
Claustre, main character of Els
· A novel aimed at shaking
llits dels altres, stops the car at
Catalan literature.
a roadside inn. The visit to her
mother has left her with awful · An author called to leave
feelings and she needs to calm her mark.
Anna Punsoda
down. The bartender woman · A true revelation.
(Barcelona, 1985) has a is an old acquaintance with a
degree in journalism and murky past. Outside it is already «I had not read such a strong
philosophy. For ten years dark, and confidences of a life- debut for a long time. As if
she has been devoted to time will ignite the night. we had a Lucia Berlin born in
cultural journalism in a Lleida.»
The author dazzles with her gaze
number of foundations, Albert Forns, author
written and audiovisual
the body and sex of Claustre,
media, a task that has been sculpted by the alcoholism of
combined with teaching on the father, the frustrating apathy «Direct style and delicate nar-
one side, and cultural man- of the mother and a stolen in- rative force»
agement and promotion on nocence that has led her to lose Silvia Muntané, bookseller
lish
the other. Els llits dels altres Eng e herself in the beds of others.
pl
is her first novel, with which Sam le! With no fuss, bitterness nor des-
«A dazzling debut.»
ilab
she deserved the Roc Ava El Núvol, literary magazine.
Boronat Award.
olation, Claustre stares at all the
inheritances she’s carrying, how-
«You have to read holding your
ever sordid, sad and shameful
breath. A powerfully well writ-
they may be. With the good dose
ten book.»
of black humor typical of those
David Guzmán, leadig book reviewer.
who have gone to a bottomless
pit and have survived.
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com | Rights managed on behalf of Ara Llibres 24Flags of Others
(Banderes dels altres)
Proa, 2019 | 272p
The son of a repressed republican
#PowerOfDreams family pursues his dream in the
#LoveWins classist and divided Catalonia of
#WoundedFamilies the 50s and 60s.
J.N. Santaeulàlia
“ A handful of intertwined stories that
tell about defeat, sacrifice and the
power of love, with characters who
Love and hate.
Sacrifice and triumph.
Revenge and reconciliation.
(Banyoles, 1955) is a philol-
”
ogist, writer, poet, essay- struggle to achieve their dreams.
And above everything,
ist, novelist and translator. the power of dreams.
His first publication was a
book of poems, Memòria
de la carn. He worked as Banderes dels altres is a rich portrait of a so-
a Catalan teacher and ciety that fights to leave behind the wounds
also as a tutor at Aula of war. In a temporary arc that goes from
d’Acollida, this is language 1936 to 1975, several family strains braid
lessons and resources for their lives despite the old confrontation
non-Catalan speaking stu- during a war that, in fact, everyone lost.
dents. In 2008-2009 ac-
ademic year was Catalan
The main narrative thread follows Jepi
reader at the University of
Massachusetts (UMASS).
Gual, the youngest of three orphaned
He has won several brothers from a Republican family who
awards, including the leaves school to work in a workshop, rents
prize of the Serra d’Or a hut near the pond where he boils skins
Critics Award for Bulbs or to create glue and builds a company that
the Columna Award for with the years becomes a thriving factory.
Ulls d’aigua. Jepi ends up marrying his childhood love,
the daughter of an owner who had been ‘on
(Complete profile of the author
here)
the other side’.
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com 25The Memory of the Tree
sample
(La memòria de l’arbre) English
Anagrama, 2017 | 218p available
Catalan: 5 ed
Spanish: 2 ed
Rights sold: #Contemporary Anagrama Llibres Prize
#Literary
French: Philippe Rey
Galician: Kalandraka
Spanish
#Grandfather&Grandson “A little upmarket gem”
Italian: Solferino #Longseller
The Jury:
Portuguese: Dom Quixote
Spanish: Anagrama • The Curious Incident A magical and deeply
Tina Vallès Turkish: Can Çocuk Yayinlari of the Dog In the Night-
Portuguese
moving portrayal superbly
Time meets The Boy in the realised of the relation-
(Barcelona, 1976). Striped Pyjamas .
ship between grandfa-
Writer, translator and
• Voice compared to
ther, grandson and the
proofreader. Co-editor
of the digital magazine Huckleberry Finn and The loss and transmission of
for short stories Paper de Catcher In the Rye. memory.
Italian
Vidre. Founding member
of APTIC, a professional
From now on there will be will discover how memories
association of transla-
five at home. Jan tries to are made, how they are con-
tors and interpreters
in Catalunya. She is a
discover why his parents did served and how they are lost.
powerful literary voice
not smile when they gave him Between the big city and
who publishes books
French the news: grandpas Joan and a small town of barely five
for adults and she also Caterina go to live with them, hundred inhabitants, Jan
writes stories for chil- in their flat in Barcelona. pursues the story of a myste-
dren. Now the house is filled with rious weeping willow that the
some silences that Jan will grandfather treasures in his
(Complete profile of the try to decipher with the help infancy since childhood.
author here)
Galician of his grandfather. And little While the first one builds
by little, between walks full his memory, his identity, the
of questions and answers, si- second sees his own disap-
lences and tress, Jan and we pear.
Turkish
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com 26On La memòria de l’arbre
Praises
Babelia, El País - «Tina Vallès shows her expertise and the simple beauty without dark sides.»
her delicate narrative insight.» L’Espolsada (bookshop) - «A beautiful book that every-
@Librotea, Gabi Martínez - «Delicate miniaturist and one should definitely read.»
beauty searcher, Tina Vallès is able to offer the best of
details. Her use of the language is passionate.»
Excerpt from UK Reading is deceptively simple yet
L’avenç - «If in La memòria de l’arbre we are not ex- Report effective. Vallès realises
actly in front of the adolescent skatz that applied Mark
(by Laura McGloughlin) Jan’s voice brilliantly -he is
Twain in Huckleberry Finn and J.D. Salinger in The
bright and sensitive to the
Catcher In the Rye, little is lacking.»
moods of the adults around
“
La Razón - «Impressive existential everyday life. […] La memòria de l'arbre him, and his narration never
The return to simple and direct writing.» is a beautifully-written, feels contrived.
Màrius Serra - «Delicious ... A novel as sensitive as a poignant novel about the I loved this novel and it
haiku. Contained and full of emotional content.» relationship between a boy stayed with me for days
Núvol - «As slowly unwrapping a gift [...]. La memòria and his grandfather, told in after I finished reading it.
Anagrama, 2017 | de l’arbre is a book that can give very good surprises.» a series of vignettes, which Vallès manages to evoke
218p leaves a lasting impression genine feeling in the reader
Ara – «A delicate delicious novel […]. A remarkable
Catalan: 5 ed on the reader. -the depiction of the rela-
Spanish: 2 ed
domain of dramatic irony. The prose is clean, airy and
The novel is artfully con- tionship between Jan and
carefully purged of kitsch.»
Rights sold: structed as a series of his grandfather brought me
French: Philippe Rey Vilaweb - «Its sensitivity and tenderness are born of a memories and glimpses to tears more than once.
Galician: Kalandraka mind structured and precise.» into one small boy’s world Its universal themes of love
Italian: Solferino Nació Digital - «An example of how overwhelming can as it changes around him, and memory, coupled with
Portuguese: Dom be delicacy. Take this book [...] and you’ll understand often evocative and quiet- the increasingly topical sub-
Quixote what substance is memory made of.» ly devastating. The novel’s ject matter of dementia,
Spanish: Anagrama true strength, however, lies make this a very universal
Turkish: Can Çocuk Diari De Mallorca - «200 pages that read like a party.
”
[...] A writer full of verbal freshness.» in the writing. Vallès’ style novel.
Yayinlari
El País - «Vallès has expressed deep silence of the in-
timate nature of everyday life. Commitment in favor of
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com 27Non
Fiction
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com 28Tradition Scrapped.
In the workshop of the XXth
century fiction CLAUDIO MAGRIS - “Happy
(El desguace de la tradición. En el taller de la narrati- to be in this book.”
va del siglo XX) d
THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF idge
Cátedra, 2011 | 1.021p | 4 ed abr
ions
BOOKS - “A formidable, fas- vers le
cinating and seriously funny ilab
#Tradition #ContemporaryNarrative ava
amusing book.”
#AmazingBlurbs
EDUARDO MENDOZA - “An
Javier Aparicio Maydeu
“ The only book that submerges the
reader in the creative process of the
extraordinary and stimulating
book. One of the few books to
thank.”
A stimulating visit to the
”
great authors of the XX. workshop of contempo-
(Barcelona, 1964) is Full EL PAÍS – “One of the few, rary narrative, where the
Professor of Spanish and reader will observe the de-
lucid, incisors, stimulating,
Comparative Literature at tails of the process of cre-
protean texts that teach why.”
Universitat Pompeu Fabra. ation of some of the most
He worked with Carmen ABC CULTURAL – “Damned het-
erodox, tremendously docu-
significant narrative arti-
Balcells as literary agent
mented, brilliantly written and facts of the XXth century.
for 15 years. He found-
intelligently raised.” A practical, interdisci-
ed and still manages the
Master in Publishing of
plinary and interactive
LA VANGUARDIA – “An essay
UPF, Barcelona School of that allows the reader to be
course where the reader
Management. He has been part of the creative process can surf as he was in inter-
reviewing contemporary of the great authors of the net.
fiction at “Babelia”, El País XX century.”
for the last 20 years and is
still one of the most re- Why did Kafka’s page seem Passos? Did LSD help Kerouac to
nowned critics in Spanish destined to be always blank? solve the On the Road roll? Does
language. He is the author Listen to Satie helps to under- Nabokov’s Pale Fire prove that
of several essays and the stand Proust’s style? Should we the narrators lost their credibil-
editor of critical editions read aloud Ulysses? How much ity? Joseph Roth wrote thinking
of Nabokov, Calvino and is the first edition of The Great about the advance, for Delibes
Modiano, all published Gatsby worth? How did Faulkner inspiration came when he slept
Cátedra and Alianza. or Capote advise young narra- well, editors changed the winning
tors? What do Mondrian’s neo- style of Carver and JFK’s death
(Complete profile of the author plasticism have in common with on TV generated Libra by DeLillo
here) Manhattatan Transfer by Dos as a episode of The Simpsons.
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com 29More on Javier Aparicio Maydeu
A Light Comedy Continuity and
(Una comedia ligera)
Breakdown
Eduardo Mendoza (anotated edition
1 The edition that contextu-
(Continuidad y ruptura. Una gramática » A strategic study to see
by Javier Aparicio Maydeu) de la tradición en la cultura contem- how what’s been created
alizes and enriches this ines- poránea)
Cátedra, 2019 | 648p capable work. determines the creation:
Alianza, 2013 | 216p Bach is in Bártok as Van
2 Includes some pages of the
notebooks that contributed der Weyden in Bill Viola or
to the writing process Palladio in Le Corbusier.
#Barcelona 3 New Epilogue by Eduardo » Tradition in Humanities. A
#LiteraryHumor Mendoza. very short introduction.
#Mistery #ContemporaryFiction
#PlayWithinthePlay #Tradition
In the late 1940s the Civil ENRIQUE VILA-MATAS:
War is over, and Franco is “A small huge book.”
still very much in charge.
Prullas, a once-popu- An essay that faces the ir-
lar playwright, pursues a revocable concept of tradi-
crowded life in the stifling tion, proposes and reasons
city. a definition, and examines
Of a stylistic virtuosity its mechanisms and inter-
disciplinary relationships
as playful as uncommon,
with culture and the arts.
this novel constitutes the
A laboratory in which the
catalog of voices of an
relationship between tra-
infamous time and an in-
dition and the entelechy of
ventory of the forms that
originality is experienced:
morality acquires when
the inevitable imitation, the
the need squeezes in an
canon and parody, genius
inefficient old country. The
and influence, protocols of
bourgeois glare is opposed
innovation and the machin-
to the obscureness of the
ery of trends.
underworld.
Asterisc Agents | Foreign Rights - Natàlia Berenguer | natalia@asteriscagents.com 30You can also read
