The life of laughter by Mel Brooks, a requiem for a pet, the intellectual dissidence of Chirbes and other books of the week

Mel Brooks, center, in the role of Frederick Bronski, during a parody of Hitler in his film 'To be or not to be' (1983).Pictorial Press / Alamy

Professor Andersen's Night

, by Dag Solstad, one of the most relevant Norwegian authors today, is the featured book of the week.

It tells of the moral consequences for Professor Andersen, who is 55 years old and Professor of Norwegian Literature at a prestigious university, witnessing a murder... and doing nothing.

Why didn't he report the crime?

Why did he go to the phone, but not pick up the receiver?

Why is his passivity in the face of the fact only slightly strange to her?

Solstad narrates in this good novel, located outside of diversity, the teacher's conscience problems after an event that turns everything upside down.

Another relevant book is the autobiography of one of the humor geniuses of the last century.

It's

by Mel Brooks, humorist and filmmaker, author of masterpieces such as

or

Written during confinement and published in December 2021 in the United States, his book is exciting, lively.

He devours himself with pleasure.

Brooks is only interested in giving his reader constant convulsions of happiness with whatever weapons of comic destruction are necessary.

Other books reviewed by Babelia experts this week include the novels

by Julian Barnes;

, by Marta Carnicero Hernanz;

, by Julio Llamazares;

and

, a requiem by the Colombian Alonso Sánchez Baute for his dead pet.

Two essays also have their place on this occasion:

, by photojournalist Fidel Raso;

and the excellent

, a compilation of texts by Rafael Chirbes published between 1975 and 1978 that reveals the author's intelligence to analyze the cultural process that took place during the Transition in parallel to the political process.

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