Frankfurter Allgemeine reviews 'The Other Island' by Francisco Suniaga

The German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine has published a review of ‘La otra isla’ (The Other Island), by Francisco Suniaga, in its literary supplement ''Feuilleton''. The novel was published in Germany by Mare Verlag. Translation rights have also been acquired recently in France by Éditions Asphalte.

Amongst other things this review, signed by Kersten Knipp, says: “The Great success in its country (Venezuela) is deserved (...) Suniaga wrote a hauntingly melancholic novel, a portrait of an island on the days - and there are many - in which it does not show up in bright blue.” 

See the Full review in German here

Astor Förlag acquires Swedish rights of ''Depois de morrer aconteceram-me muitas cosas", by Ricardo Adolfo

We are glad to announce that Astor Förlag has just acquired translation rights into Swedish of Ricardo Adolfo's novel 'Depois de morrer aconteceram-me muitas cosas' (published by Alfaguara Portugal, 2009).

Rights were previously sold in France to Editions Métailié

Lots Happened to Me After I Died

by Ricardo Adolfo

Alfaguara Portugal, 2009

* Included in the list of the Best Books published in Portugal in 2009 (Leer Magazine)

“From Amsterdam, where he lives, young Portuguese writer Ricardo Adolfo observes his country with fierce and slashing irony. Only from afar can you see this close. A writer that Portugal needs to discover.”

José Eduardo Agualusa -Winner of the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize 2007

“The new Portuguese literature has to go through here.”

valter hugo mãe - Winner of the José Saramago Literary Award 2007

"If an Author is easily identified by an originality of style, a coherence of inspiration and a capacity to impress, then Ricardo Adolfo is clearly, along with João Tordo, the most notable writer of his generation". Newspaper Sol (Portugal)

Lots Happened to Me After I Died, by Ricardo Adolfo, was selected as the first and leading title in Portuguese language to be published by Alfaguara Portugal, the Portuguese branch of Santillana Group (Spain), launched in September 2009.

***

A young couple and their son, recently arrived illegal immigrants in a big city, are left stranded halfway home when their tube train breaks down. It soon becomes clear they don’t know any alternative route home – and nor can they ask for help as they don’t speak a word of the local language.

Portuguese cover of the novel

Confused, they walk through streets carrying their son inside a newly bought suitcase that doubles as a pram. By turns they are chased by two frightened women in hijab, abandoned by a runaway bus driver, robbed by a gang of street kids, and finally end up stealing a spare sleeping bag from a homeless man. The family’s traditional Sunday outing around the shopping streets – streets littered with bankruptcies and boarded-up façades – becomes a 24-hour marathon of revelations and confrontations that could make the couple inseparable, or could tear them apart.

Narrated by the husband, a loner locked inside his own mind, who believes that to make a good decision he has to do just the opposite of what he thinks is right, the novel explores the internal fight of someone forced into seclusion because he is unable to communicate with the world around him.

Combining a fast-paced narrative, quirky dialogues and a strong visual sense with an unflinching social conscience, Lots Happened to Me After I Died exposes the struggle of ‘internal’ immigration – much more overwhelming than any physical displacement.

Ricardo Adolfo is an Angolan-born Portuguese writer. Currently he is based in Tokyo. In 2006 Dom Quixote published his debut novel Mizé. Mizé was very well received in Portugal and has subsequently been translated into Spanish (Suma) under the title of La peluquera de Lisboa, German (Berlin Verlag/Bloomsbury Berlin) and Dutch (Querido). In 2010 it was been reprinted in Portugal by Alfaguara Portugal, who have already acquired rights of his new novel (still in progress). In 2012 Alfaguara Portugal will reprint Adolfo’s first published book, a compilation of short stories.

In 2007 he was creative consultant of the short film There’s Only One Sun, shot by award-winning director Wong Kar-Wai. (See it here)

Lots Happened to Me After I Died is Ricardo’s third book. It continues to explore some of the author’s favourite themes, such as the mixture between the banal and the uncanny, and the peaks of tension in the ordinary and mundane.

His writing has been praised for its “…maverick writing, sober and elevated, with an amazingly fine-tuned sense of oral syntax. The dialogue is perfect. Nothing in literature is harder than ‘natural dialogue’…” Fernando Venâncio, writer and critic.

* “Lots happened to me after I died” is a big, enjoyable surprise. Ricardo Adolfo is able to easily pass on those problems that are common to all emigrants: from feeling invisible in the host country, to the uncertainty about the future, the exploitation suffered, the quest for symbols of personal success, etc.

“Diario Digital” (Portugal)

Astor Förlag is a young Swedish publishing house looking for new, young and literary voices to be translated for the first time in Sweden. Amongst their authors we find Mercedes Cebrián, Elvira Navarro or Andrés Barba.

Éditions Métailié is well known in France for introducing important voices from the Portuguese language, such as José Saramago, Lidia Jorge, Mia Couto, Antonio Lobo Antunes or José Eduardo Agualusa.

This recent acquisition confirms Ricardo Adolfo as one of the most interesting and promising new Portuguese voices. 

Asphalte (France) acquires rights of 'La otra isla', by Francisco Suniaga

We are glad to announce that Asphalte Éditions (France) has acquired rights of 'La otra isla' (The Other Island), by Venezuelan author Francisco Suniaga. Rights of this novel have also been acquired by Mare Verlag (Germany). Below you can see more information about 'La otra isla': 

 (...) A masterwork that will remain. (...) I hadn't read a book with such mastery of the craft of a novelist for a long time. 
- Jean F. Fogel, 'El Boomeran(g)'

 'La otra isla' is a novel that has enjoyed a great success in Venezuela, where it was first published in 2005 by a small publishing house, selling up to 15.000 copies. A truly best seller figure for a country like Venezuela. It was the first published novel by Francisco Suniaga, who now is an author of Random House Venezuela. Mare Verlag (Germany) published its translation into German last summer.

 'La otra isla' takes place in Isla Margarita (Caribbean Sea), but the island that is depicted to us is far away from the cliché of the Caribbean and the white sands beaches. 'La otra isla' is a lively and accomplished novel that takes the structure of a detective novel and adapts it to the chaotic, unpredictable and generally unsatisfactory way in which things – anything – tend to happen in Venezuela. 

 Edeltraud Kreutzer, a German mother, arrives suddenly to the Island to try to solve the mystery surrounding the death of his son Wolfgang. He drowned in the sea under unclear circumstances. Wolfgang had been living on the island for some years. He arrived there with his girlfriend as tourists and decided to remain on the island an run a bar for tourists by the sea. To help her overcome the language and the bureaucratic barriers, Edeltraud hires the services of a local lawyer, Alberto Benítez.

 Benítez was once a talented young professional, full of dreams, but after a few years working in the country's capital city, where he saw how his dreams of a better future were unattainable, he's back in the island with little expectations and less hope. He will confirm how it becomes impossible to count on the authorities's complicity and collaboration and, frustrated, will be of little help to Edeltraud. 

But he will also have access to people who knew Wolfgang and, thus, will learn who he was and will listen to different verisons about the cause of his death. Apparently, Wolfgang became obsessed with the world of cock fights, to the point that he left his bussiness and his relationship unattended...

Nord/Mauri Spagnol pre-empts 'Miel y almendras', a novel by Maha Akhtar, in Italy.

We are happy to announce that publishing house Nord (part of the Mauri Spagnol Group) has acquired Italian rights of 'Miel y almendras' (Honey and Almonds), by Maha Akhtar, in a pre-empt. The novel is published in Spain by Roca Editorial. The third reprint has just been ordered this week. 

Miel y Almendras (Honey and Almonds), by Maha Akhtar 

RocaEditorial, 2012 (469 pp.) 

 A small group of women from different social backgrounds meet at Lebanon’s Beauty Saloon Cleopatra. Their fears, mistakes and the wish to rebuild their lives are at the centre of ‘Miel y almendras’, an exotic novel in which it is easy to recognise bits of our own lives. 

 Miel y almendras is built up by the stories of different women, who meet at the small beauty saloon ‘Cleopatra’, in Beirut. Mouna, the owner, is 37 and remains unmarried. Her mother still criticises the way she dresses and her make up. Besides, she is having serious difficulties to keep the bussiness running. The Cleopatra lived better moments when the neighbourhood where it is located was a chic area of Beirut. Now, after the civil war its decay is obvious. 

 But by chance, four of the most important women in the country become her regular clients. Each of them has her own story and readers learn them as the novel develops. The stories told by these women show the contradictions but also the advantages of living in a country where the West and the East converge. Despite the differences in social class and their arguments about modernity and tradition, the Cleopatra becomes a particular Oasis for these women as when they meet in this women-only small paradise they can talk and discuss freely about their lives, their hopes, their frustrations... without the feeling that a patriarchal society is watching or judging them. 

 They will also unfold the difficult situation of the country, with a recent history marked by the Civil War that ended up in 1990. The war and its consequences has also played an important role in their private lives. 

Rights sold: Italy (Nord/Mauri Spagnol)

 Maha Akhtar (Beirut, 1963) is an American journalist and writer based in New York. Raised up in the UK and with Indian and Spanish ancestors. Years ago she was PR of the famous band ‘The Cure’ and later she began her career in journalism becoming a producer for CBS News’s Evening News With Dan Rather, 60 Minutes and 48 Hours. She is the author of two successful non-fiction books in Spain: La nieta de la Maharaní and La princesa perdida. Both inspired in her family’s story and in the discovery that one of her grandmothers was a Spanish dancer who married the Maharaja of Kapurthala (India).

Más elogios para 'Un montón de gatos', de Eider Rodríguez

Encontramos en este blog, los comentarios de otro lector entusiasmado con 'Un montón de gatos', de Eider Rodríguez (Caballo de Troya).


Aquí el link a la entrada completa. Y aquí abajo un extracto:

¡Menuda escritora! No todos sus relatos son geniales, en cualquiera de los dos 
libros que he leído de ella, pero unos cuantos alcanzan ese calificativo, sin duda, 
en especial en Un montón de gatos. Con acidez, saña, frialdad, Eider Rodríguez 
descubre y desmenuza un buen puñado de reacciones humanas, ay, demasiado 
humanas (...) la autora brilla especialmente en la crueldad, en las espinas, en la 
sugerencia de muchos miedos y mezquindades, en la mostración escueta y fría
de cómo somos una cosa y mostramos otra. (...) Qué relatos. En este último libro,
Un montón de gatos, cinco de los ocho que lo forman, Gatos, La muela, El verano
de Omar, Capitalismo, Louis Vuitton, los he leído y releído con creciente
admiración. Además, he aprendido o recordado unas cuantas cosas sobre las
mujeres con la sabia mirada de Eider Rodríguez, una escritora de la que ya ansío
nuevas historias.

Destek Publishing (Turkey) acquires rights of 'Hierba Santa'/'The Secret Book of Frida Kahlo'

Destek Publishing, in Turkey, is the last international publisher to acquire rights of 'Hierba Santa' ('The Secret Book of Frida Kahlo'), by F.G. Haghenbeck. With over 45.000 copies sold in Germany (published by Insel/Suhrkamp), the novel (originally published in Mexico by Editorial Planeta) will be released in the USA by Atria Books/Simon & Schuster this fall. With this recent rights sale, the novel will be available in 12 languages. 

In a rich, luscious style bordering on magical realism, Haghenbeck takes readers on an intriguing ride through Frida’s life, including her long and tumultuous relationship with her lover Diego Rivera, the development of her artistic vision, her complex personality, her lust for life, and her existential feminism. The book also includes Mexican food receipes and stories about the remarkable people who were a part of her life, including Georgia O'Keeffe (with whom she had an affair), Trotsky, Nelson Rockefeller, Hemingway, Dos Passos, Henry Miller, and Dalí. 

‘Hierba Santa’/’The Secret Book of Frida Kahlo’  was originally published by Editorial Planeta Mexicana, (2009). 

Foreign rights have already been sold to: Atria Boooks (World Engl.), Rizzoli (Italy) Suhrkamp/Insel (Germany), Orlando Publishers/Bruna (The Netherlands), Planeta Brasil (Brazil), Shangai 99 (China), Éditions de l'Herne (France), Ivan Rotta (Finland), Alnari Publishing (Serbia), Libri Publishing (Hungary) and Destek Publishers (Turkey).

'El caso tequila' (L'Affaire Tequila) is out in France, published by Denoël

A couple of weeks after its publication, the French media is reacting very well to 'L'Affaire Tequila', by F.G. Haghenbeck, published by Éditions Denoël in their series '& D'ailleurs'.

Below you can see the cover and a nice article appeared at Le Figaro.


More info about the book (here) and a sample of the text (here)

‘Quisiera que algo bueno pasara por fin’, de Trixi von Bülow, pronto en librerías

‘Quisiera que algo bueno pasara por fin’, de Trixi von Bülow, a partir del 19 de Junio en librerías. Editada por Espasa.

"La novela que hay que leer después de 'La sonrisa de las mujeres'"
Nicolas Barreau

“—Las cosas no pueden ir mejor —dije, y por primera vez tuve la sensación de ser una privilegiada—. Vivo en Colonia, en una bonita casa antigua en Südstadt, tengo una hija de cinco años preciosa, trabajo en una importante editorial y llevo un año separada.  Y además —levanté un poco la voz para resaltar la importancia  de lo que iba a decir—, estoy enamorada. Me pareció que mi breve biografía no sonaba nada mal.”

Friederike Berger es una mujer fuerte por pura necesidad. Lleva 365 días sin marido y tiene tantas dudas como anhelos. Su hija pequeña y su peluche acaban todas las noches durmiendo con ella. Tiene un trabajo mal pagado como editora en Best&Seller y quince años de matrimonio a sus espaldas. Está a punto de cumplir los cuarenta y su mejor amiga la convence para pasar unos días juntas en el mar. 

Entre la locura de la vida diaria y el deseo de volver a ser feliz se desarrolla una historia conmovedora, a veces triste, a veces cómica, y con muchos giros sorprendentes: las andanzas de Friederike en busca del amor. 

'Le jour des morts' (Hierba Santa): les premières pages

Les lecteurs français peuvent lire les premières pages de «Le jour des morts», de Francisco G. Haghenbeck, ici:

http://es.scribd.com/doc/95268622/Le-Jour-des-morts-de-Francisco-Gerardo-Haghenbeck

Couverture du livre (Éditions de L'herne)

'Porque la vida no basta. Encuentros con Miquel Barceló'. En Mayo en librerías

'Porque la vida no basta. Encuentros con Miquel Barceló'

de Michael Damiano

Anagrama/Empúries, Mayo 2012

En mayo se publica en castellano (Editorial Anagrama) y en català (Editorial Empúries) 'Porque la vida no basta. Encuentros con Miquel Barceló.', un fascinante perfil del artista mallorquín escrito por Micahel Damiano, quien durante años ha entrevistado a más de doscientas personas relacionadas con Barceló y ha acompañado al pintor tanto en sus residencias de París, Mali o Mallorca como en muchos de sus viajes. Una obra única y de obligada lectura para conocer no únicamente la trayectoria de Barceló, sinó también todos sus matices como persona y artista. 


En la web de Editorial Anagrama ya podéis consultar un fragmento del texto (aquí).


Y a continuación os dejamos algunas citas e información sobre el libro:

Cubierta de Editorial Anagrama (castellano)

* “Desde la indagación presente, Damiano va retrocediendo en el tiempo para explicar las raíces del personaje. La escritura, precisa y elegante, se integra en la escuela de periodismo literario de The New Yorker.”

Sergio Vila-Sanjuán, Culturas/La Vanguardia.

* “Un libro excepcional (...) llamará la atención, ya que entre otras cosas reproduce la singular relación entre Damiano, el admirador, y Barceló, el admirado. El resultado de este acceso privilegiado será el primer retrato escrito del artista, a quien el autor define como complejo, ambicioso y contradictorio. Hay material inédito y más de un secreto revelado (...). He anunciado que era una buena historia. Porque Damiano venera a Barceló pero no ha realizado un panegírico. Tampoco a él le bastaba.”

Ricard Ruiz Garzón, El Periódico.

* “En estas páginas vemos el arte de Barceló: sus cuadros, sus murales, sus esculturas se alzan ante nosotros, cobran vida, casi respiran –muchas veces nos parece que presenciamos momentos de su creación-, gracias a la maestría descriptiva de Michael Damiano.”

Rodrigo Rey Rosa (escritor)

* “Michael Damiano se marcó un reto muy difícil: fijar en palabras la vida de Miquel Barceló. Y a través de todo tipo de miradores y de un finísimo juego de perspectivas, ha conseguido cazar al vuelo un buen fajo de imágenes, de ideas y de hechos de este pintor tan metamórfico como su obra y entregarlo al lector con todos los matices de su verdad más íntima.”

Biel Mesquida (escritor)

* “El retrato de Barceló más fidedigno y humano que se ha escrito. Barceló es una persona que despierta tal fascinación que se puede caer en la adulación o en el reproche, y Damiano ha sabido dominar esos sentimientos a la perfección.”

Joan Riambau (editor)

A finales de 2008, Miquel Barceló invitó a Michael Damiano, un estudiante norteamericano de veintidós años, a vivir en su taller de París. Desde hacía meses, Damiano estudiaba a Barceló, su artista favorito, con una beca de su universidad, pero esa invitación lo cambiaría todo.

Cubierta de Editorial Empúries (català)

Durante el siguiente año, Michael llegaría a conocer profundamente al sujeto de su estudio, pasando tardes con él en París y acompañándole en viajes a Barcelona, Ginebra o el País Dogón de Mali. También estudiaría la personalidad del artista a través de conversaciones con los miembros de su círculo más íntimo: su familia, sus amigos de toda la vida y sus colaboradores más cercanos.

Porque la vida no basta, el resultado de este proceso de investigación personal, relata, por una parte, la historia del encuentro entre el autor y el artista y, por otra, la de la vida singular de Barceló, desde sus años radicales de pobreza en la Mallorca post-franquista hasta las vicisitudes de sus grandes proyectos públicos y sus triunfos y frustraciones en el mundo del arte internacional. De estas dos historias paralelas surge el retrato humano de un hombre brillante, complejo y contradictorio, un hombre, en palabras del autor, «de enorme generosidad y a la vez de gran egoísmo, con un lado cariñoso y otro peligroso».

Michael Damiano ha llegado a trabar una relación amistosa con Barceló y no disimula su admiración por él, pero, lejos de escribir un panegírico, en estas páginas nos descubre de forma franca y sincera todas las facetas de la personalidad y la biografía de uno de los españoles contemporáneos más exitosos y cautivadores.

Michael Damiano (Nueva York, 1986) es un escritor de no-ficción. Porque la vida no basta es su primer libro. Desde que se graduó en 2010 (Georgetown University) ha publicado artículos y críticas en La Vanguardia y Modern Painters. Para más información, podéis consultar su web (aquí)