Current:Home > ContactCritics slam posthumous Gabriel García Márquez book published by sons against his wishes-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Critics slam posthumous Gabriel García Márquez book published by sons against his wishes
lotradecoin peer-to-peer trading features View Date:2024-12-26 05:32:24
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! (73)
Related
- Millions of kids are still skipping school. Could the answer be recess — and a little cash?
- NFLPA calls to move media interviews outside the locker room, calls practice 'outdated'
- Harris is heading to North Carolina to survey Helene’s aftermath one day after Trump visited
- Homeowners hit by Hurricane Helene face the grim task of rebuilding without flood insurance
- A slain teacher loved attending summer camp. His mom is working to give kids the same opportunity
- What's the 'Scariest House in America'? HGTV aims to find out
- 'It was just a rug': Police conclude search after Columbus woman's backyard discovery goes viral
- Counterfeit iPhone scam lands pair in prison for ripping off $2.5 million from Apple
- State, local officials failed 12-year-old Pennsylvania girl who died after abuse, lawsuits say
- Federal Highway Officials Reach Agreement With Alabama Over Claims It Discriminated Against Flooded Black Residents
Ranking
- Sofía Vergara Responds After Joe Manganiello Says Her Reason for Divorce Is “Not True”
- North Carolina is distributing Benadryl and EpiPens as yellow jackets swarm from Helene flooding
- Texas high school football players beat opponent with belts after 77-0 victory
- IRS doubles number of states eligible for its free Direct File for tax season 2025
- Ex-YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki dies a year after stepping down. Who is the current CEO?
- Takeaways from AP’s report on affordable housing disappearing across the U.S.
- 'It was just a rug': Police conclude search after Columbus woman's backyard discovery goes viral
- NFL says the preseason saw its fewest number of concussions since tracking started
Recommendation
-
What to stream: Post Malone goes country, Sydney Sweeney plays a nun and Madden 25 hits the field
-
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Spring Forward
-
Halloweentown’s Kimberly J. Brown Reveals Where Marnie Is Today
-
'19 Kids and Counting' star Jason Duggar and girlfriend Maddie tie the knot
-
Conservative are pushing a ‘parental rights’ agenda in Florida school board races. But will it work?
-
Pete Alonso keeps Mets' storybook season alive with one mighty swing
-
Man deemed violent predator caught after removing GPS monitor, escaping and prompting 3-day search
-
Why this $10,000 Toyota Hilux truck is a great affordable camper