Andrés Barba

‘A ghost story without ghosts that, beyond the beauty of its form, explores solitude, the twists and turns of our lives, and the unfathomable complexities of affection.’ Mariana Enriquez While preparing an empty house for sale, a woman encounters an unblinking seven-year-old boy, trapped there from another era, like an insect preserved in amber. Unable to articulate what he needs, the child draws her into an unsettling bond that neither can escape … until they understand what has caused it. With incredible precision, this deeply disquieting novel weaves together doppelgängers and time loops in the tradition of a classic ghost story. Yet its contemporary sensibility — where lyricism meets cruelty — evokes the dark horror of Shirley Jackson. From one of the most renowned Spanish-language authors working today, Last Day of a Prior Life is a masterful dissection of human longing and the ties that bind us, even across time itself.

One day, the children begin to show up in the subtropical town of San Cristóbal, unwashed and hungry. No one knows where they have come from or where they disappear to each night. And then they rob a supermarket and stab two adults, bringing fear to the town. So begins a thrilling morality tale that retraces the lines between good and evil, the civil and the wild, dragging our assumptions about childhood and innocence out into the light.

Når jeg blir spurt om de 32 barna som mistet livet i San Cristóbal, avhenger svaret mitt av alderen på den som spør. Er vedkommende på min alder, svarer jeg at det å forstå ikke er annet enn å rekonstruere det vi bare har sett fragmentarisk, og er vedkommende yngre, spør jeg om han eller hun tror på dårlige omen. Da en gjeng skitne, sultne barn begynner å dukke opp i den lille subtropiske byen San Cristóbal, brer uroen seg blant befolkningen. Barna holder seg for seg selv, snakker et uforståelig språk og begår småkriminelle handlinger, men ingen vet hvem de er eller og hvor de blir av om natten. Etter at barna angriper to voksne med kniv, kjenner ingen seg trygge lenger.20 år senere setter en mann seg ned for å skrive historien om hva som skjedde, i et håp om å forstå hvordan alt kunne gå så galt. Lysende kollektiv er en dypt ubehagelig roman som utfordrer våre oppfatninger om barndom og uskyld, og om godt og ondt. Andrés Barba debuterte som forfatter i 1998 og har skrevet et titall bøker. Han regnes som en av Spanias fremste samtidsforfattere. Lysende kollektiv er hans første bok på norsk.«Andres Barba er en av et knippe imponerende spanske skjønnlitterære forfattere som på briljant vis dissekerer det å være menneske.» The Irish Times«Han er simpelthen den neste store fra Spania.» Lire «Barba konstruerer et stort metaforisk apparat … barna hans er bilder på det dysfunksjonelle ved en hel sosiokulturell organisme.» La Repubblica«Andrés Barba trenger ingen råd. Han har allerede på fullkomment vis virkeliggjort en verden og behersker skrivekunsten på en måte som ikke rimer med hans unge alder.» Mario Vargas Llosa«Fra tid til annen dukker det opp en forfatter som ikke bare registrerer ting, men opptegner en helt ny virkelighet som kan kaste lys over våre mørkeste følelser. Franz Kafka gjorde det. Bruno Schultz gjorde det. Og nå også Andrés Barba.» Edmund White«Barba inntar barnets bevissthet med en nøyaktighet som for meg fremstår som så uhyggelig at den nesten er truende.» The Guardian«En viktig forfatter.» Letra internacional«Med utsøkt eleganse viser Barba oss, i et tilsynelatende enkelt og hjemlig miljø, alle eksistensens mysterier.» Publishers Weekly

A "captivating" novel from a Spanish literary star about the arrival of feral children to a tropical city in Argentina, and the quest to stop them from pulling the place into chaos (Boston Globe). San Crist bal was an unremarkable city--small, newly prosperous, contained by rain forest and river. But then the children arrived. No one knew where they came from: thirty-two kids, seemingly born of the jungle, speaking an unknown language. At first they scavenged, stealing food and money and absconding to the trees. But their transgressions escalated to violence, and then the city's own children began defecting to join them. Facing complete collapse, municipal forces embark on a hunt to find the kids before the city falls into irreparable chaos. Narrated by the social worker who led the hunt, A Luminous Republic is a suspenseful, anguished fable that "could be read as Lord of the Flies seen from the other side, but that would rob Barba of the profound originality of his world" (Juan Gabriel V squez)." Wholly compelling." --Colm T ib n

A new novel from a Spanish literary star about the arrival of feral children to a tropical city in Argentina, and the quest to stop them from pulling the place into chaos. San Crist bal was an unremarkable city--small, newly prosperous, contained by rain forest and river. But then the children arrived. No one knew where they came from: thirty-two kids, seemingly born of the jungle, speaking an unknown language. At first they scavenged, stealing food and money and absconding to the trees. But their transgressions escalated to violence, and then the city's own children began defecting to join them. Facing complete collapse, municipal forces embark on a hunt to find the kids before the city falls into irreparable chaos. Narrated by the social worker who led the hunt, A Luminous Republic is a suspenseful, anguished fable that "could be read as Lord of the Flies seen from the other side, but that would rob Barba of the profound originality of his world" (Juan Gabriel V squez).

A new novel from a Spanish literary star about the arrival of feral children to a tropical city in Argentina, and the quest to stop them from pulling the place into chaos. San Crist bal was an unremarkable city--small, newly prosperous, contained by rain forest and river. But then the children arrived. No one knew where they came from: thirty-two kids, seemingly born of the jungle, speaking an unknown language. At first they scavenged, stealing food and money and absconding to the trees. But their transgressions escalated to violence, and then the city's own children began defecting to join them. Facing complete collapse, municipal forces embark on a hunt to find the kids before the city falls into irreparable chaos. Narrated by the social worker who led the hunt, A Luminous Republic is a suspenseful, anguished fable that "could be read as Lord of the Flies seen from the other side, but that would rob Barba of the profound originality of his world" (Juan Gabriel V squez).

Wholly compelling. --Colm T ib nA new novel from a Spanish literary star about the arrival of feral children to a tropical city in Argentina, and the quest to stop them from pulling the place into chaos. San Crist bal was an unremarkable city--small, newly prosperous, contained by rain forest and river. But then the children arrived. No one knew where they came from: thirty-two kids, seemingly born of the jungle, speaking an unknown language. At first they scavenged, stealing food and money and absconding to the trees. But their transgressions escalated to violence, and then the city's own children began defecting to join them. Facing complete collapse, municipal forces embark on a hunt to find the kids before the city falls into irreparable chaos. Narrated by the social worker who led the hunt, A Luminous Republic is a suspenseful, anguished fable that could be read as Lord of the Flies seen from the other side, but that would rob Barba of the profound originality of his world (Juan Gabriel V squez). Narrator Jonathan Davis is a critically acclaimed and award-winning narrator and voiceover actor who has earned accolades for his narration from The New York Times, Publisher's Weekly, AudioFile Magazine, and USA Today. In 2017, he was inducted into Audible's Narrator Hall Of Fame. Jonathan's work as a narrator includes film and programming for National Geographic Television, NOVA, and PBS. He has narrated a variety of bestselling and award-winning titles in all genres for major publishing houses and national audio divisions. He is a four-time recipient and sixteen-time nominee of the celebrated Audie Award, presented by the APA for excellence in audiobook narration/production

Fra tid til anden dukker en forfatter op, som ikke bare registrerer ting, men optegner en helt ny virkelig, der kan kaste lys over vores mørkeste følelser. Franz Kafka gjorde det. Bruno Schultz gjorde det. Og nu også Andrés Barba. Edmund White"Min far døde på stedet, min mor på hospitalet." Marina har lært at sige sætningen uden tristhed, ligesom man siger sit navn til en fremmed, ligesom jeg hedder Marina og er syv år. På børnehjemmet bliver hun beundret af de andre piger. Og holdt udenfor. Dukken tager de fra hende. Men så finder Marina på en leg. På skift bliver pigerne klædt ud som dukke. Dukken ligger stille og kan ikke tale. Bare lytte. Endelig en nat får Marina lov at være dukken. Små hænder er under filmatisering af det anerkendte britiske produktionsselskab 4Film Production, som bl.a. har været med til at lave film som 12 Years a Slave, Slumdog Millionaire, Dancer in the Dark og Buena Vista Social Club. Andrés Barba fik i 2017 tildelt den store spanske romanpris Premio Herralde for Lysende republik, som også er udkommet på dansk. Prisen favner hele den spansktalende verden og er tidligere tildelt blandt andre Roberto Bolano, Guadalupe Nettel og Álvaro Enrigue.

"Fra tid til anden dukker en forfatter op, som ikke bare registrerer ting, men optegner en helt ny virkelig, der kan kaste lys over vores mørkeste følelser. Franz Kafka gjorde det. Bruno Schultz gjorde det. Og nu også Andrés Barba." Edmund White ”Når man spørger til de 32 børn, der mistede livet i San Cristóbal, afhænger mit svar af, hvem der spørger. Hvis det er en på min egen alder, svarer jeg, at det at forstå noget blot vil sige at rekonstruere det, man kun har set fragmentarisk, og hvis det er en yngre person, spørger jeg, om vedkommende tror på onde varsler eller ej. Det bliver næsten altid besvaret med et nej, som om det at tro på varsler betød, at man ikke satte pris på friheden. Jeg stiller ikke flere spørgsmål, men giver dem min version af begivenhederne, for det er det eneste, jeg har, og det ville være umuligt at overbevise dem om, at det ikke så meget drejer sig om at sætte pris på friheden, men mere om ikke at tro så naivt på retfærdigheden. Hvis jeg var lidt mere energisk eller lidt mindre fej, ville jeg altid begynde min historie med samme sætning: Næsten alle får som fortjent, og onde varsler er en realitet. For det er de …” Andrés Barba fik i 2017 tildelt den store spanske romanpris Premio Herralde for Lysende republik, som på rekordtid er blevet solgt til udgivelse i en lang række lande.

Kirkus Best Books of 2018"Barba is a master of the novella . . . A gorgeous, fully realized collection."—Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)Nothing is simple for the men and women in Andrés Barba's stories. As they go about their lives, they are each tested by a single, destructive obsession. A runner puts his marriage at risk while training for a marathon; a teenager can no longer stand the sight of meat following her parents' divorce; a man suddenly fixates on the age difference between him and his younger male lover. In four tightly wound novellas, Andrés Barba establishes himself as a master of the form. Andrés Barba is the one the most lauded contemporary Spanish writers. He is the author of twelve books, including August, October and Rain Over Madrid. In addition to literary fiction, he has written essays, poems, books of photography, and translations of Thomas De Quincey and Herman Melville. His books have been translated into ten languages. Lisa Dillman won the 2016 Best Translated Book Award for her translation of Yuri Herrera's Signs Preceding the End of the World. She translates from Spanish and Catalan and teaches in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at Emory University.

Her father died instantly, her mother in the hospital. She has learned to say this flatly and without emotion, the way she says her name (Marina), her doll's name (also Marina) and her age (seven). Her parents were killed in a car crash and now she lives in the orphanage with the other little girls. But Marina is not like the other little girls. In the curious, hyperreal, feverishly serious world of childhood, Marina and the girls play games of desire and warfare. The daily rituals of playtime, lunchtime and bedtime are charged with a horror; horror is licked by the dark flames of love. When Marina introduces the girls to Marina the Doll, she sets in motion a chain of events from which there can be no release. With shades of Daphne du Maurier, Shirley Jackson, Guillermo Del Toro and Mariana Enríquez, Such Small Hands is a beautifully controlled tour-de-force, a bedtime story to keep readers awake.

One of the Guardian Best Books of 2017"Every once in a while a novel does not record reality but creates a whole new reality, one that casts a light on our darkest feelings. Kafka did that. Bruno Schulz did that. Now the Spanish writer Andr s Barba has done it with the terrifying Such Small Hands."--Edmund WhiteLife changes at the orphanage the day seven-year-old Marina shows up. She is different from the other girls: at once an outcast and object of fascination. As Marina struggles to find her place, she invents a game whose rules are dictated by a haunting violence. Written in hypnotic, lyrical prose, alternating between Marina's perspective and the choral we of the other girls, Such Small Hands evokes the pain of loss and the hunger for acceptance.

"Rain Over Madrid" is a collection of four novella-length stories where intense loneliness and desire guide an alienated cast of characters. In "Fatherhood," a Madrid musician recognizes his inability to communicate with his estranged son. In the claustrophobic "Guile," a middle-aged woman is weighed down by memories as she cares for her elderly mother. A young woman's emerging sexuality clashes with her father's womanizing in "Fidelity." And, in "Shopping," a daughter emotionally stunted by the tyranny of her mother recognizes and identifies with the helplessness of an apprehended shoplifter. What isn't said is as important as what is in these poignant depictions of repression and guilt-each of the four stories illuminates the others.