Quiet
Still | Empúries, 2018
"This book covers seven years in the life of our son Lluís Serra Pablo, alias Llullu, who was born with serious brain disease which neurological science has been unable to define, writes the author. Seven years after his birth, medical terminology has not got beyond 'brain disease of unknown origin', popular language palms us off with the, fairly clear, 'cerebral palsy' and administrative language sums him up as 85% disabled.
At home these labels count for little. He has his own particular needs, but this just means that we are more aware of his fragility. Our aim is to ensure that neither his sister nor we fail to do anything that we would have done if he had not come into the world with 15% ability. It is not always possible, but more often than not it is just a case of doing things differently.
In Quiet I have searched for a narrative way of explaining the ambivalent emotional state that is caused by having a son who is not progressing adequately. It is a situation often exposed to needles of pain, but one in which pleasure and a certain fascination predominate. It seems to me that the best way was to rescue specific scenes from my memory and put them into motion. He and those like him act as mirrors. All of us who look at ourselves closely in them age in a different way."
«A book that has impressed Spain.» Marina Speich, Grazia
«Quiet is a great literary piece, one of the best books by Serra.» Julià Guillamon, La Vanguardia
«Every page in this book is full of enthusiasm, affection, rage and intelligence. There is also space for critique and sarcasm. A book full of emotion, overwhelming and moving to the very last page.» Gabriella Bona, Risveglio Popolare
«There are not too many books that may change your way of seeing the world. I had that unique feeling when I closed the last page of Quiet by Màrius Serra.» Ernest Folch, El Periódico
«Both emotional and funny at the same time (...) It is the transformation of a personal experience into literature.» Emili Teixidor, Avui
« This is literature that transcends anecdote to become alive material that dignifies, not only the author but also those of us who have the pleasure of sharing it through reading.» Joan Josep Isern, Avui
«In Quiet, Serra offers us an emotional tale (…) And, above all, he does not renounce literatura. Because beyond its testimonial carácter, Quiet is a great book of narrative.» Julià Guillamon, Culturas, La Vanguardia
«Quiet delves into some unexplored and chilling territory, which opens up the safe and limited space designated by words. The story is short, but what is left unsaid broadens the reverberation of the text until it reaches some unsuspected places inside the reader. There is nothing more literary than this.» Núria Barrios, El País
«On these pages, the humour that is usual in the work of Marius Serra is like the ability of the writer to reduce pathos and accentuate hilarity, all with episodic releases of anger and rage, but also pity and tenderness. The narrative distance, the style in its nakedness and absence of morals or spiritualism, works well and eliminates from the text any possible or emotional bumps or breakdowns.» Jordi Gracia, Quadern de El País
«Literature that is a necessity for us.» Sergio Vila-Sanjuán. La Vanguardia
«Serra does not try, and he achieves “to play with tears or emotional blackmail”. He has fleed from victimisation and with a dose of irony and humour but also a great deal of contained emotion, he attempts to get the reader to reflect.» Anna Abella. El Periódico
«The story is an example of precision and commitment, with realistic characters that speak to us of weaknesses, dependencies, nobilities and neglects.» Sergi Pàmies
Italy: Mondadori; South Korea: Prunsoop Publishing; Spanish: Anagrama; Spanish Club: Círculo de Lectores
