Current:Home > ContactCritics slam posthumous Gabriel García Márquez book published by sons against his wishes -VitalWealth Strategies
Critics slam posthumous Gabriel García Márquez book published by sons against his wishes
View
Date:2025-04-12 14:00:25
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! (53833)
Related
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- Deadline for businesses to apply for their share of massive credit card company settlement looms
- South Carolina lawmakers rekindle bill limiting how topics like race are taught
- Jelly Roll Reacts to Katy Perry’s Hope That He Replaces Her on American Idol
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- Netanyahu's Cabinet votes to close Al Jazeera offices in Israel following rising tensions
- Powerful storms bring tornadoes to Oklahoma, large hail to Kansas. Forecasts warn more is to come
- 'Would you like a massage?' Here's what Tom Brady couldn't handle during his Netflix roast
- The 'Rebel Ridge' trailer is here: Get an exclusive first look at Netflix movie
- Why Rihanna, Jared Leto, Billy Porter, Ben Affleck and More Stars Skipped the 2024 Met Gala
Ranking
- FBI: California woman brought sword, whip and other weapons into Capitol during Jan. 6 riot
- Cara Delevingne Is Covered in Diamonds With Hooded 2024 Met Gala Outfit
- Camila Cabello Reveals Her 15-Pound Met Gala Dress Features 250,000 Crystals
- Exes Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny Cozy Up at 2024 Met Gala After-Party
- Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear ready to campaign for Harris-Walz after losing out for spot on the ticket
- A Town Board in Colorado Considers a Rights of Nature Repeal
- Starbucks needs a better in-store experience to retain, gain US customers, Howard Schultz says
- Kevin Spacey to go to trial in UK for alleged sexual assault
Recommendation
'Meet me at the gate': Watch as widow scatters husband's ashes, BASE jumps into canyon
Nosebleeds are common but can be a sign of something serious. Here's when to see a doctor.
Camila Cabello Reveals Her 15-Pound Met Gala Dress Features 250,000 Crystals
Powerful storms bring tornadoes to Oklahoma, large hail to Kansas. Forecasts warn more is to come
Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
A doctor whose views on COVID-19 vaccinations drew complaints has her medical license reinstated
What to do during a tornado warning: How to stay safe at home, outside, in a car
Kim Kardashian Wears Her Most Curve-Hugging Look to Date at 2024 Met Gala