ParÃs
Paris | Anagrama, 1999
ParÃs depicts a man’s journey through the labyrinth of his memories, a search for his origins that will uncover an old family secret and turn his world upside down.
There is nothing that can alter our past. Everything we have never done or said remains in that dark, secret part of our memory which is inhabited by ghosts, both real and imaginary. Faced with a much too shady past, the young protagonist of Paris tries to make his way through the secrets and half truths of his parents. The only solace, he will finally realize, is to understand that old wounds, like curses, are rarely soothed by the passing of time.
«Paris heralded the arrival of a significant talent. The three titles of his that we have in English (Paris, Father and Son and The End of Love) establish him as a formidable interpreter of those tiny moments that define our relationships. His skillful manipulation of time, his careful use of compression, and his intuitive grasp of how we form the stories that define our lives are worthy of close attention.» Scott Esposito, Barnes and Noble
«There are first novels that are anything but the work of a newcomer; the justness of the perceptions imposes itself, its potency and the mastery of its phrasing leave no room for doubt. ParÃs is one of these.» Fabienne Dumontet, Le Monde
«The attempt to understand another, through narrative, is like walking through a house of mirrors alone, hoping to catch, in one of those mirrors—the next one, perhaps, or the next?—the image of another. Paris is an excellent first novel. »
Alex McElroy, Quarterly Conversation
«This meticulous search is really exciting. The author has true style.» B.A., L’Écho
«Marcos Giralt has everything an author needs to lead the third generation of Spanish contemporary literature.» E. Affinati, Il Giornale
«Almost poetry, an opera prima of rare beauty.» R. Sala, Il Messaggero
«A splendid novel…» Bruno Arpaia, Il Sole-24 Ore
«An interesting heir to the new paths opened up over a decade ago by authors such as J. MarÃas, E. Vila-Matas and I. MartÃnez de Pisón.» I. EchevarrÃa, El PaÃs
«Following the trends of the best narrative tradition, ParÃs is free from the flaws found in some of its contemporary counterparts. A Proustian novel in the best sense of the word.» M. GarcÃa Posada, El PaÃs
«As long as the future is in the hands of writers like Marcos Giralt, there is still hope for our narrative tradition.» S. Alonso, ABC
France: Balans; Germany: Luchterhand; Greece: Diigisi; Italy: Elliot; Portugal: Teorema; English World: Hispabooks
