Luis Goytisolo

[Daniel del Real]

We've been listening this name very much these days, mainly because of his unusual apparition at the Ladbrokes list. There’s no much information available in English at the web, so I had to translate some, so my apologies for every mistake you find.

Luis Goytisolo, born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1935. He is the youngest in a family of writers integrated by older brothers Jos? Agust?n and Juan. He started writing at the age of 11, two novels at the same time. From that time, it was his Uncle Luis who selected his reading material and introduced him his love for American literature.
He graduated from law school and in 1958 he was awarded the Biblioteca Breve Prize for his first novel, Las Afueras.
Later he published Las Mismas Palabras (1962). In 1963 he began a series of 4 titles, Antagon?a, dedicated to his wife, novel that took him 17 years to write and many desperate editors; The first one was Recuento (1974); the second one Los Verdes de Mayo hasta el Mar (1976), followed by La C?lera de Aquiles (1977), and finished the cycle with Teor?a del Conocimiento (1981).

He is the author of ten other novels, and other books that include essays, short stories, and experimental fiction. Goytisolo received the Spanish National Prize for Literature for his novel, Estatua con palomas (1993) and is a member of the Real Academia Espa?ola de Lengua. He regularly contributes editorials to many Spanish newspapers and has also scripted a travel program, Indico, for Spanish television.

The Luis Goytisolo Foundation in El Puerto de Santa Mar?a hosts an annual international symposium on Hispanic literature and is involved in other projects, including Spanish language education for foreigners.

His writing is considered a search for the structural and formal features of the story and the total absence of unnecessary words for adorn or embellishment.

[JTolle]

I've just read the only work of L. Goytisolo's that has been translated into English, 360 Degree Diary. I'm not really sure how translation has been going in other languages, but as far as this

the Literary Saloon at the complete review - 21 - 30 September 2009 Archive

would have me believe, he still fares no better in French or German.

It's selfish of me to say, but I wouldn't mind if he got the Nobel simply to get some translations spurred, because as good a book as I thought 360 Degree Diary was, I know nothing about any of his other writings, although Claude Simon said he considered Goytisolo's Antagonia tetralogy one of the three greatest novels of the 20th Cent. If Antagonia is actually better than 360 Degree Diary and he's got some other great novels in the bunch, I'd say he'd be very worthy of the prize, but it's mere speculation.

Maybe some of the Spanish-language readers here at WLF might take a look at Antagonia and tell us what they think?

[Daniel del Real]

I've just read the only work of L. Goytisolo's that has been translated into English, 360 Degree Diary, I'm not really sure how translation has been going in other languages, but as far as this

the Literary Saloon at the complete review - 21 - 30 September 2009 Archive

would have me believe, he still fares no better in French or German.

It's selfish of me to say, but I wouldn't mind if he got the Nobel simply to get some translations spurred, because as good a book as I thought 360 Degree Diary was, I know nothing about any of his other writings, although Claude Simon said he considered Goytisolo's Antagonia tetralogy one of the three greatest novels of the 20th Cent. If Antagonia is actually better than 360 Degree Diary and he's got some other great novels in the bunch, I'd say he'd be very worthy of the prize, but it's mere speculation.

Maybe some of the Spanish-language readers here at WLF might take a look at Antagonia and tell us what they think?

Well, here is the Spanish edition of Antagon?a

Antagon?a I y II de Luis Goytisolo - Sinopsis, descargas y comentarios | Alfaguara Espa?a

I'm still not sure if this is the complete version or just volume I and II of the four novels. It must be the complete version since it is 1328 pages long. Can't imagine if this is only half of the novel. I'm not sure is so easy to get since last edition was made in 1998. Not a cheap book either, 39.95 euro. However it does look impressive. I wouldn't start with this mamooth to read Goytisolo but I'm sure it worths the attempt.

[Daniel del Real]

Taking a look to the new publications by Anagrama I'm thrilled to find a re-edition of Luis Goytisolo's masterpiece Antagonía, reuniting for the first the four novels in one single volume. Great news, as not even us in the Spanish speaking world had an easy access to Antagonía since it was more than ten years it hasn't been edited and as separate books; now it comes in a single volume published by the great Anagrama. Hope that somebody could translate this colossal work to English soon.
Really glad about this news

http://www.anagrama-ed.es/titulo/NH_500

(At 1120 pages I'll have to make some time in my schedule to read it)

[MichaelS]

I haven't read anything by this Goytisolo brother, but reading Juan G's autobiography I'm interested to, partly because he repeatedly leaves blanks saying "my brother wrote about this, which spares me the trouble of doing so".

Juan Goytisolo also just won the Formentor Prize, which I must admit i'd never heard of

[Daniel del Real]

Juan Goytisolo also just won the Formentor Prize, which I must admit i'd never heard of

It's normal you haven't heard of it. It was created last year and Carlos Fuentes won it. I think he was also the president of the jury for this year so probably Goytisolo will be president next year.

[Rumpelstilzchen]

It's normal you haven't heard of it. It was created last year and Carlos Fuentes won it. I think he was also the president of the jury for this year so probably Goytisolo will be president next year.

To be exact, it has been recreated last year. The prize was given several times in the 60s before. They made some really great choices then:
1961: Borges + Beckett (shared prize)
1962: Uwe Johnson
1963: Semprun
1965: Bellow
1966: Gombrowicz

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prix_Formentor

[Daniel del Real]

To be exact, it has been recreated last year. The prize was given several times in the 60s before. They made some really great choices then:
1961: Borges + Beckett (shared prize)
1962: Uwe Johnson
1963: Semprun
1965: Bellow
1966: Gombrowicz

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prix_Formentor

Interesting, thank you for sharing Rumpel, I had no idea it had a previous history before last year's.

[Daniel del Real]

Here's a take from MVLL about Goytisolo's Antagonía:

http://elpais.com/elpais/2012/07/13/...07_431077.html