The Desperate Literature Notebook
‘SPANISH BEAUTY’
Entradas
No Category El 23 de Febrero Entradas Limitadas - 20*
Gratuita | con un descuento de 5% en compras anticipadas
Invitamos a Esther García Llovet a presentar su nueva obra, Spanish Beauty (Anagrama), en conversación con Lucía Lijtmaer, autora de Ofendiditos (Anagrama).
*mascarilla obligatoria Saber más sobre Spanish Beauty: «Su estilo es de cuchilla de afeitar» (Laura Fernández) «Excelente narradora... Brillante» (Alberto Olmos) «Nos gusta mucho García Llovet, y nos gusta su estilo, su poética... Autora de culto» (Sara Mesa) «Una exquisita rara avis... Esta autora cuestiona cada código, cada imagen, cada palabra... Estupenda» (Marta Sanz) Si en sus novelas de la Trilogía instantánea de Madrid (Cómo dejar de escribir, Sánchez y Gordo de feria) Esther García Llovet construyó una ciudad nocturna, marginal y casi surreal, en esta Spanish Beauty, la primera entrega de la Trilogía de los países del Este, nos ofrece un Benidorm plagado de mafiosos ingleses, rusos millonarios, billares cutres de sótano y rascacielos a medio construir: una ciudad en la que manda Michela, la policía corrupta que necesita a toda costa recuperar un mechero que perteneció a los legendarios Kray Twins del Londres de los sesenta.
€0.00 – €24.55
‘Another Valentine’
Entradas | Tickets
No Category El 18 de Febrero Entradas Limitadas | Limited Tickets - 25
€1 con billete para el sorteo | €1 with raffle ticket*
Invitamos a Martha Sprackland, Kwaku Osei-Afrifa, Joe Dunthorne y Rodrigo García Marina para una lectura de San Valentín extramundana | We invite Martha Sprackland, Kwaku Osei-Afrifa, Joe Dunthorne and Rodrigo García Marina for an other-worldly Valentine's reading
EVENT IN ENGLISH y ESPAÑOLmascarilla obligatoria | mask obligatory *THE RAFFLE: Win feedback on three poems or a single short story (English ONLY)
Saber más:
Joe Dunthorne was born and brought up in Swansea. His debut novel, Submarine, was translated into twenty languages and made into an award-winning film. His second novel, Wild Abandon, won the Society of Authors’ Encore Award. His latest is The Adulterants. His first collection of poems, O Positive, was published by Faber & Faber in 2019. He lives in London.
Rodrigo García Marina estudió el Conservatorio Profesional de Viola, el Grado en Medicina y en Filosofía. Acaba de realizar el Máster en Teoría y Crítica de la Cultura. Ha publicado La caricia de las amapolas, Premio de Poesía Saulo Torón 2017, Aureus, I Premio de Poesía Irreconciliables, Edad, I Premio de Poesía Tino Barriuso, El libro de los arquitectos, II Premio de Poesía de la Facultad de Filología de la UNED, y Desear la casa. Investiga, edita y enseña.
Kwaku Osei-Afrifa is a nonbinary writer and editor living in east London. A novella is coming out in June this year with Solaris, and they will start writing part two when the time is right.
Martha Sprackland is the founder of Offord Road Books and poetry editor for CHEERIO Publishing. Her debut collection, Citadel, was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection and the Costa Poetry Prize.
€1.00
‘Eleven Stories 2023’
.pdf + print
GIFTS, Literary Prize Eleven Stories 2023 collects the shortlist from our sixth short fiction prize and is available in either:
PDF - €2.5 (which can be recouped against entry to the 2024 prize!) PRINT + PDF - €11 / a limited edition copy, numbered and stamped by our fine selves (OUT NOW) and the PDF to boot. **shipping is by Spanish postal service and doesn't carry tracking, which can be added for €15 on demand via email!
ABOUT THIS YEAR'S SHORTLIST:
‘There is such energy in these stories. Such pulse!’ - TIFFANY TSAO, 2023 Judge
‘I like this prize especially because it’s so international. The voices aren’t coming from a limited cultural perspective, not that there’s anything wrong with that, but there’s a breadth of wider experiences by the writers. They’re conveying something, and I think conveying something with urgency.’ - OTTESSA MOSHFEGH, 2023 Judge
ABOUT THIS YEAR'S WINNING STORY:
‘['Falling' is] a story I haven’t read before: a story of loss, focused not on grief but on how others make use of the depth and power of death [...] beautiful in its economy, not a word too long or short. Moving, and yet very quiet. Precise and relaxed.’ — OTTESSA MOSHFEGH, 2023 Judge
‘honest and sensual [...] carrying a slight but intense wickedness.’ — MARIANA ENRÍQUEZ, 2023 Judge
The stories were exquisitely written and completely delightful in their power to surprise and astonish in a remarkably few number of words. Reading these stories made me feel glad for the future of short stories and excited me for reading more. I hope other readers feel the same way - ANTON HUR
In these rich and vibrant stories, the language surprises and delights. From surreal mouse proposals to the catharsis of visible grief, via the uncertainty of memory and perception, each of these stories creates a new, engrossing reality, while shedding light on our own. - NATASHA BROWN
Here's what the magnificent Rachel Cusk and Niven Govinden have to say about our 2020 selection:
‘I thoroughly enjoyed reading these submissions, which surprised me with their honest poise, their integrity, and their understated adherence to the values of literature. In the hands of some of these writers, the story form was brought to bear on the modern scene in new and astute ways.’ – Rachel Cusk ‘I was bowled over by the power, inquiry, and humour of these stories. They shine brightly in the mind after reading.’ – Niven Govinden
€2.50 – €11.00
Gift Certificates
GIFTSThe perfect gift for bibliophiles, the travelling lover, the Madrid-based progeny, or just your future self.
Order online and we'll prepare the gift certificate and have it ready for you or the lucky recipient on the day you specify below.*
“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.”
Jorge Luis Borges
* please note, gift certificates are valid for one year after the specified collection date. And of course, if you'd prefer us to let the recipient know about their gift certificates so that they don't miss the good news, just select the relevant option below and include the recipients email!
€25.00 – €100.00