Dublinesca
Dublinesque | Seix Barral, 2010; Debolsillo, 2011
» International Bottari Lattes Grinzane Award 2011
» One of the best 10 books of the year 2010 in Spain according to El País and El Periódico
» Best novel of 2010, as voted by the readers of Rockdelux Magazine
» Cunhambebe Award (Brazil)
» Longlisted for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2014
In this novel, Enrique Vila-Matas traces a majestic journey across a bridge that connects the world of Joyce with that of Beckett, and what they symbolize: great literature and evidence of the difficulties faced by literary authors, pedigree publishers and in the end, good readers, to survive in a society that bounds towards stupidity. A robust work, which houses a great sense of humour. In short, literature at its finest.
One night, a prestigious and now retired literary publisher has a very vivid and real dream that takes place in Dublin, a city he's never visited. The central scene of the dream is a funeral in the era of the printing press, held in homage to Ulysses. The publisher would give anything to know if the unidentified character in his dream is the great author he always wanted to discover, or the ghostly angel who abandoned him during childhood. As the days go by, he will come to understand that his vision of the end of an era was prophetic.
«This is a brilliant, funny novel; an expertly woven tapestry of literary allusions (…) a wondrously keleidoscopic novel (…) Vila-matas has created a masterpiece.» Jacqueline McCarrick, The Times Literary Supplement
«A wonderful novel.» Val Nolan, Irish Examiner
«Vila-Matas has pioneered one of contemporary literature’s most interesting responses to the great Modernist writers.» Scott Esposito, The Paris Review
«Enrique Vila-Matas is a consistently rich and challenging contemporary Spanish-language novelist. Revered in France, a mentor to Bolaño and his Iberoamerican brood, his prose is a model of world literature. (…) Dublinesca, Vila-Matas’s best and most engaging novel to date, is full of warmth and compassionate speculation about what it means to go on with one’s life.» Will H. Corral, World Literature Today
«A Catalan writer who is arguably Spain´s most significant contemporary literary figure.» Joanna Skavenna, The New Yorker
«Enrique Vila-Matas, one of Spain’s most distinguished novelists, turns this slight tale into a touching account of facing down mortality with a passion and an obsession for literature.» Rachel Nolan, The New York Times
«In DublinescaVila-Matas has concluded the groundwork for a great, mature literature, the way-out-through-negation that began in his Bartleby y compañía» Ryan Healey, Los Angeles Times
«Extremely funny (…) One of Vila-Matas great talents is to make his digressions and inventions entirely absorbing.» Nick Caistor, The Times Literary Supplement
«Dublinesque is one of the most pleasurable and joyous novels of the year, which takes as its springboards James Joyce, Samuel Beckett and Philip Larkin.» John Self, The Independent
«A masterpiece. We eagerly await further Swedish translations of Vila-Matas’ work.» Litteratur Magazinet - Sweden
«Enrique Vila-Matas is a great writer, and his new book Dublinesca is what great readers have been searching for.» The Coffin Factory
«Funerals make a kind of art out of death, and so does Dublinesca.» Terry Eagleton, London Review of Books
«A pleasure to read (…) This Spanish novel will do more for Dublin than any publicity campaign. Vila-Matas enjoyed himself writing Dublinesque, that is obvious, and the reader will also enjoy –and collaborate in- this delightful literary exercise that is clever without being knowing, lightly erudite but never pretentious.» Eileen Battersby, The Irish Times
«There is a kind of literary fiction that feeds on itself, like an introverted cannibal (…) The French excel at this but worthy followers include such masters as Borges, Sebald and the Spanish writer Vila-Matas. In this self-reflective area of fiction, Vila-Matas has a province of his own.» Alberto Manguel, The Guardian
«The best bits of Dublinesca are uncanny, auratic sentences: 'Even the rain beneath which all the dead once fell in love will have faded away.' Dublinesca is so good I can *almost* forgive his mentioning Coldplay on the same page as Beckett...» David Winters
«The double of Vila-Matas is devoted to the misdeeds of establishing five elements (“inalienable, indispensible”) that should be in any future novel in order to belong to the new century. The funny thing is that these five essential qualities apply strictly to Vila-Matas’s Dublinesca.» Liz Themerson
«In these pages you find the art of using words, of improving them so that, to the readers, they are like lighthouses in the infinite darkness of nothingness.» Florence Noiville, Le Monde Livres
«How can a book so dark become such exciting reading? It’s Vila-Mata’s secret, and he never ceases to amaze. A novel written for those who appreciate life-changing authors.» Maurice Nadeau, La Quinzaine Litteraire
«Vila-Matas exercises all his talents as literary laborer (...) using a smooth, mischievous and brilliant style.» Benjamin Locoge, París Match
«Two magnificent books by Vila-Matas, funny and playful, reflecting about these confusing times.» Olivier Renault, Page
«In these funny and desperate pages, we find –with delight- the disenchanted mockery of the author, in a restless search: the literary search.» Alain Nicolas, L´Humanité
«An exquisite and original book in which literature does not make us think about life: it is life.» Minh Tran Huy, Le Magazine Littéraire
«Vila-Matas is a conjurer in Nabokov’s footsteps, a brilliant imposter, like all the great artists.» Nelly Kaprièlian, Les Inrockuptibles
«Enrique Vila-Matas is one of the most important writers in the world.» Andrea Bajani, La Repubblica
«A magnificent composition.» Igor Capel, Le Canard Enchaîné
«A great novel. A sort of comedic and ghostly Under the Volcano.» Ricardo Piglia
«A visionary novel by one of Spain’s most highly acclaimed writers.» R. Carn, L´Unità
«Vila-Matas proves once again, with dreamlike vigor, what in his own novel is known as “unmeasured literary fanaticism”.» Juan Cruz, El País
«Amazing.» José Mario Silva, Atual
«The most unique, risky and new of all the narrative projects undertaken in Spain in the last three decades has reached its zenith. Because, everything considered, Enrique Vila-Matas’s last novel is precisely that: the zenith, his paramount work.» J. Albacete, Verdad Digital
«A unique novel (...) and, just like Ulysses, it´s about our longing for the lives we´ve never lived.» J.A. Masoliver Ródenas, La Vanguardia
«A true literary treat. Dublinesca offers a joyful celebration of art and words in a creation of great narrative flow and brilliant style. An excellent novel, the best and most ambitious by Enrique Vila-Matas.» Santos Sanz Villanueva, El Mundo
«Enrique Vila-Matas invites us to an intoxicating journey through the best literature and the most intimate feelings.» J. Antonio Garriga Vela, Mercurio
«The essence of everything Vila-Matas’ been building along his career, among the most original in nowadays Spanish literature.» Manuel Rodríguez Rivero, El País
Brazil: Cosac Naify; Canada: Penguin Books Ltd.; China (simplified): Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House; Croatia: Bozicevic; Estonia: Toledo; France: Bourgois; Germany: Die Andere Bibliothek; Greece: Kastaniotis; Hungary: Magveto; Israel: Rimonim; Italy: Feltrinelli; Letonia: Lietusdarzs; Poland: W.A.B.; Portugal: Teorema; Romania: Allfa; Russia: Eksmo; Serbia: Arhipelag; Slovenia: Beletrina; Sweden: Tranan; Turkey: Ithaki Yayinlari; UK: Harvill; US: New Directions
