At the end of the eighties, as a result of the presentation of a novel of his, I said, and there is a written record of this, two things that I thought then and still think today: that Javier Marías was the one who wrote the best in Spain and the one who best treated to women.
I was referring, of course, to the female characters in his work, but literature and reality are never very dissociated.
In those years, Javier Marías's novels had defenders and detractors among critics and a faithful but minority public.
Later it got the fame it deserved, and my two statements received international and, sometimes grudgingly, national ratification as well.
More information
The writer Javier Marías dies
Since we were old friends, we presented some books to each other: he mine, I his.
At the presentation of one of his novels in Barcelona, a mostly female audience overflowed a spacious room.
They were not going to see a celebrity, but to show their interest and appreciation for him.
Abroad he enjoyed the highest prestige.
Although he was influenced by Juan Benet, like so many writers of his generation, including myself, Javier Marías found a voice, a theme and a style so unique that they made him an eccentric phenomenon, within Spanish literature and perhaps also for himself.
Javier Marías's writing is unlike any other.
It's easy to parody, it's impossible to imitate.
Several times I heard him say that he had written his last novel, that he had nothing more to say.
After a few months he confessed that he had started another novel, almost against his own judgment.
And this other Marías, who forced him to write, he did better and better.
He has also been, and this may not be mentioned by many, a splendid editor: the Reino de Redonda publishing house is a reflection of his love for fantastic literature that illuminated his youthful reading.
Personally, he had a curmudgeon's sense of humor.
I have already said that we were friends, now I repeat: he was a loyal, generous, affectionate, intelligent, cultured and funny companion.
the Reino de Redonda publishing house is a reflection of his love for fantastic literature that illuminated his youthful readings.
Personally, she had a curmudgeon's sense of humor.
I have already said that we were friends, now I repeat: he was a loyal, generous, affectionate, intelligent, cultured and funny companion.
the Reino de Redonda publishing house is a reflection of his love for fantastic literature that illuminated his youthful readings.
Personally, she had a curmudgeon's sense of humor.
I have already said that we were friends, now I repeat: he was a loyal, generous, affectionate, intelligent, cultured and funny companion.
Subscribe to continue reading
read without limits
Keep reading
I'm already a subscriber
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/ARSNWB2XLVCKLA6C6ZSJWYORGE.jpg)
