Current:Home > MyCritics slam posthumous Gabriel García Márquez book published by sons against his wishes -TradeWisdom
Critics slam posthumous Gabriel García Márquez book published by sons against his wishes
View
Date:2025-04-11 19:09:27
Gabriel García Márquez has a posthumous book coming out 10 years after his death. But he wouldn't have ́aMáwanted it that way.
García Márquez's final book "Until August" is set for release on March 12, but the author explicitly told his sons he didn't want the work published.
"He told me directly that the novel had to be destroyed," the author's younger son Gonzalo García Barcha told The New York Times. His eldest son, Rodrigo García, said his dad "lost the ability to judge the book."
In the New York Times piece, the brothers say they helped publish "Until August" because it lifts the veil on a new side to their father, who centered the book around a female protagonist for the first time. However, García told the outlet that he and his brother "were worried of course to be seen as simply greedy."
"Until August" follows a happily married woman Ana Magdalena Bach, who travels every August by a ferry to an island where her mom is buried to find another love for just one night.
Check out: USA TODAY's weekly Best-selling Booklist
García Márquez, one of the most popular Spanish-language writers ever, died in 2014 in Mexico City at the age of 87. His book "100 Years of Solitude" sold over 50 million copies, which is a mammoth feat in the literary world.
Author Gabriel García Márquez diesat 87
Oprah Winfrey chose his books twice for her original book club, "100 Years of Solitude" in 2004 and "Love in the Time of Cholera" in 2007, a rare occurrence for the media mogul.
It seems that his new work won't receive the same fate. Critics are slamming "Until August," which spans just 144 pages, in early reviews.
Harsh reviews for Gabriel García Márquez's new book: 'a faded souvenir'
"Until August" has yielded harsh reactions from several publications.
In a review of the book for British outlet i News, author Max Lui wrote, "The story ends so abruptly that it is obvious that it is unfinished" and called out the author's family and publishers for disrespecting his wishes.
"Usually, in a review of an underwhelming posthumous publication or minor work by a major author, it is worth saying that, despite its flaws, it will delight devoted fans. I do not believe that is true of 'Until August.' Márquez knew this and was right not to want it to see the light of day," Liu wrote.
Lucy Hughes-Hallett called the Latin American author's last novel was "not good writing" and "like a faded souvenir" for The Guardian.
"So should it have been published? There are small errors of continuity. The structure is ungainly. More importantly, the prose is often dismayingly banal, its syntax imprecise," she wrote.
While writer David Mills in a review for The Times agreed with similar critiques, he seemed to enjoy the book.
"Yet, for all these faults, 'Until August' is recognizably a Garcia Marquez novel: inventively enjoyable and working to its surprising, pleasing ending. I read it straight through in one sitting, then got up the next day and did it again," Mills wrote.
veryGood! (2166)
Related
- The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
- Man accused in killing and kidnappings in Louisiana waives extradition
- Shuttered Detroit-area power plant demolished by explosives, sending dust and flames into the air
- A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark lead WNBA All-Star fan vote
- Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
- Shannen Doherty Says Ex Kurt Iswarienko Is Waiting for Her to Die to Avoid Paying Spousal Support
- N.Y. Liberty forced to move WNBA Commissioner's Cup title game due to NBA draft
- RFK Jr.'s campaign files petitions to get on presidential ballot in swing-state Pennsylvania
- Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
- Possible return of Limited Too sends internet into a frenzy: 'Please be for adults'
Ranking
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- Biden and allied Republicans are trying to rally GOP women in swing-state suburbs away from Trump
- Reggie Jackson recalls racism he faced in Alabama: 'Wouldn't wish it on anybody'
- Shannen Doherty Says Ex Kurt Iswarienko Is Waiting for Her to Die to Avoid Paying Spousal Support
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- New York county reaches $1.75 million settlement with family of man fatally shot by police in 2011
- The Top 21 Amazon Deals: $19.98 Nightstands, 85% Off Portable Chargers, $4.42 Covergirl Concealer & More
- Nelly and Ashanti secretly married 6 months ago
Recommendation
The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
Sabrina Carpenter Reveals Her Signature Bangs Were Inspired By First Real Heartbreak
Watch interviews with the 2024 Tony nominees
Watch interviews with the 2024 Tony nominees
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
Malik Monk remaining in Sacramento, agrees to $78 million deal with Kings, per reports
190 pounds of meth worth $3.4 million sniffed out by K9 officer during LA traffic stop
Free dog food for a year? Rescue teams up with dog food brand to get senior dogs adopted