In Literary News

Hello Gentle Reader

Carmen Balcells in Spanish and Latin American literature is a name to be reckoned with. She has been nicknamed La Mamá Grande – after one of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s short stories (Big Momma’s Funeral). She is the literary agent of some of the greatest giants of the Latin American Boom, and Spanish language literature in general. She has managed six Nobel Laureates in Literature – including the recently deceased Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Mario Vargas Llosa. She has been referred to as one of the most influential women in Spanish letters. However, at eighty three years old, La Mamá Grande is aware of her age. The Latin Boom maybe over, but it is in debt to Carmen Balcells, for her liaison between Spain and Latin America; and the eventual release of such books translated into English for the rest of the world to enjoy. The backlist of the Boom lives on; however Balcells has no clear successor; which leaves a purgatory for her authors work. Who would negotiate and broker deals with foreign publishers? Who would ensure that her authors got their fair cut of the deal? All of this Balcells had done for each of them before hand, ensuring that each of her authors budded and bloomed accordingly. Her lavish parties are the talk of legends; and each of her authors adore, Balcells, looking to her as a friend and confidant. Yet with the onslaught of time, Balcells has come to a deal with the American literary agent Andrew Wylie, to create the Balcells-Wylie agency; in which Carmen Balcells authors would come under joint management of herself and Andrew Wylie. What this means for Wylie is that he is getting a deeper and more lucrative hold into the publishing industry of Spain and Latin America – specifically for Latin America; as sales continue to rise; since Spain was hit hard by the economic crisis. Wylie has attempted three times to get a stronger foot hold into this literary market. Hopefully this means more Spanish authors that are not well known, will soon be published into English, and the Spanish speaking worlds of Latin America and Spain, will be able to achieve a stronger dialogue between the two languages. Time will have to tell.

Continuing with the Latin American Spanish language theme:

Recently new poems by Nobel Laureate Pablo Neruda had been discovered. What is interesting in regards to this ‘universal significance,’ as the manager of Neruda’s estate has stated; is that the poems discovered are in Neruda’s mature style. These are not amateur poems, by a younger poet; but the poetry that Neruda has become famous for. Six of the twenty poems that were discovered are love poems; and the other fourteen vary in the themes of Neruda’s universe. Though these poems are to be published in Latin America this year, and then in Spain next year; there is no news when they will be published in English.

[Last and least:]

The Peace Prize of the German Book Trade has also announced this years winner. The American writer, computer scientist and composer of classical music: Jaron Lannier has been announced to receive the prize; which he will receive October during the Frankfurt Book Fair. Previous winners include Liao Yiwu the expatriate Chinese author in two-thousand and twelve and the Belarusian journalist and writer Svetlana Alexievich who won in two-thousand and thirteen. Congratulations to Jaron Lannier.

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M. Mary