Translation Rights TQE / Portrait of an Inmature Man

« His style, which has evolved toward simplicity and essentiality, has made him into one of the best Spanish novelists of the last decades. » Fernando Valls

«Probably the greatest natural-born Spanish narrator of the last years. A necessary writer. » Rafael Conte, El País

« A sure bet. » Ricardo Senabre, El Cultural (El Mundo)

Praise for Hoy, Júpiter:

« It has the perfect measures, the excellent findings and the gracious touch of works meant to be among the best. A great achievement. »  Enrique Turpin, El Periódico

« An excellent and enjoyable novel. »  Nicolás Miñambres, Diario de León

« A perfect novel.” Santos Domínguez

In a hospital room, on what will likely be his last night on earth, a man around the age of 65 tells someone – perhaps a nurse – and also himself, the story of his life. Giving into his memories and the fluidity of his own story, he comes and goes in time, mentioning episodes from his childhood, his adolescent doubts, his maturity, of the smallest and also the most important adventures that he lived and saw others live. This man has always enjoyed watching the world as much as participating in it. He is, in some ways, an existential voyeur. Like most people, he has known love, the bittersweet taste of freedom, power, terror, beauty, friendship, absurd, good conscience and double conscience, the ever fascinating relation between words and things, and, in short, all of those ingredients that make up life. He does not merely tell the stories, but also reflects on each episode, trying to search for a meaning to the old mystery of life. And he does so with the urgency and sincerity of one who wants, even needs, to know the kind of man that he has been, the meaning of his life, especially now that his time has come and there is no point in lying to himself nor time to rectify.

The author offers a mix of the captivating freedom of the narration and the essay-like notes, the quick journey through life and the reflexive moments of peace, the unending introduction of characters and adventures, the transcendental along with the trivial, the deepest lessons along with humor, all of which comes together to make an unforgettable image of a smart but childish man, responsible but also arbitrary, good and yet immoral. The image of a man that is also the portrait of a contemporary man, with his constant search for identity. One who has lived many years and inherited centuries upon centuries of culture to end up dying without knowing himself.

Luis Landero was born in Alburquerque (Badajoz, Spain) in 1948. He has a degree in Spanish Language and Literature from the Complutense University. He has worked as a literature teacher in the School of Dramatic Arts in Madrid and has been a visiting professor of Yale University. His successful literary debut took place in 1989 with the novel Juegos de la edad tardía (Games of the Late Age, Critics Prize and National Narrative Prize in 1990), and it was followed by Caballeros de fortuna (The Fortunate Knights, 1994), El mágico aprendiz (The Magician’s Apprentice, 1998), El guitarrista (The Guitarist, 2002), and Hoy, Júpiter (Today, Jupiter, 2007). This novel won the XIV Arcebispo Juan de San Clemente Prize. Landero, who has been translated into several languages, is one of the most important Spanish narrators of the last decades and one of the brightest literary essayists. He is the author of Entre líneas: el cuento o la vida (Between the Lines: Story vs. Life, 2000), where he uses the short story to meditate on the art of fiction, and of ¿Cómo le corto el pelo, caballero? (How Shall I Cut Your Hair, Sir?, 2004), a compilation of his best articles.