Rosanne writes in and, faintly echoing the last Book Question, asks about another multi-volume, highly praised biography:
I’m wondering when the next volume of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s autobiography is coming out – anyone know?
I learned two things in attempting to find an answer to this question. First, the Spanish language media, and particularly the South American media, covers Marquez as we might cover hotel heiresses or teenage pop stars, that is, extensively. Second, my Spanish skills are makeshift at best. I did, however, garner some interesting tidbits. In 1999 Marquez was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer. He described his illness as a “stroke of luck” because it compelled him to begin writing his memoirs. He decided to separate the memoirs into three volumes. The first, Living to Tell the Tale, covers Marquez’s childhood up through the publication of his first book. In an unprecedented move, Knopf initially published the book in the original Spanish language in the US. The other two volumes, speculates the New York Times, will be divided as follows: “one perhaps taking the reader through 1982, when he is awarded the Nobel, and the other about his relationships with world figures like Fidel Castro, Bill Clinton and Francois Mitterrand.” Unfortunately, I could not find any indication as to when these volumes might appear on shelves. He may, in fact, not be done writing them.
However, just days ago came the surprise announcement, originally reported in the Argentinean paper, Clarin, that the Spanish speaking world will have a new novel by Gabo (as they affectionately call him) next month, his first new work of fiction in over ten years. The news hasn’t yet been reported English speaking world, and there are no reports as to when this novel might appear in the US. The novel, titled Memorias de Mis Putas Tristes (Memories of My Sad Whores) is being described as “a history of love narrated in little more than 100 pages.”
