Until August (Spanish: En agosto nos vemos, lit. 'See you in August') is a novel by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez published posthumously in March 2024.[1] It was released on the 97th anniversary of his birth, 6 March.
| Author | Gabriel García Márquez |
|---|---|
| Original title | En agosto nos vemos |
| Translator | Anne McLean |
| Language | Spanish |
| Publisher | Random House |
Publication date | 6 March 2024 |
| Publication place | Colombia |
| Pages | 150 |
Background
editUntil August was originally planned to be a collection of four stories.[2] García Márquez had worked on the novel at least since 1997. In September of that year he read portions of Until August out loud at Georgetown University.[3] However, he put aside work on the novel to work on Memories of My Melancholy Whores. In 2004, he commented that he felt satisfied with the development of the protagonist, but did not feel satisfied with the version of the novel he had written.[4] He never completed the novel. Towards the end of his life, he began to suffer from dementia. Due to his memory issues, he could no longer follow the plot of the novel, and therefore could not complete it. The manuscript of the novel was placed in an archive at Ransom Center after García Márquez's death. Originally, his family decided not to publish the incomplete novel.[5] However, in 2022, his sons[a] re-read the drafts of the novel, of which there were five. Although García Márquez had requested that his sons ensure the destruction of the novel, they found literary worth in the novel, and chose to edit and release it, stating "We did think about it for about three seconds - was it a betrayal to my parents, to my father's [wishes]? And we decided, yes, it was a betrayal. But that's what children are for".[7] The publication of Until August was announced in April 2023.[8] According to his sons, this will be the final García Márquez work published, as there is nothing else left in his archive. The choice of his sons to publish the novel against the wishes of their father was met with criticism.[9][10]
Summary
editAna Magdalena Bach lives happily with her husband of 27 years. Despite this, she takes a ferry every August to the island where her mother is buried, and every August takes a new lover.
It is the first and only novel by García Márquez to be centered on a female protagonist.[7][11]
Reception
editThe publication of a posthumous novel by García Márquez was met with great anticipation.[3][12] Over 250 thousand copies were preordered in Latin America,[13] and in Colombia, the book was the third most sold novel by bookseller Librería Nacional in the week before its release.[14] The Torre Colpatria in Bogotá lit up to commemorate the publication of the novel.[15][16]
The novel received mixed reviews. A negative review for the New York Times called Until August an "unsatisfying goodbye".[17] Lucy Hughes-Hallett gave a negative review of the novel for The Guardian, criticizing the prose style, structure, and inconsistencies; conversely, Anthony Cummins, also writing for The Guardian, called the novel "better than [García Márquez] had feared".[18][19] A review for El País wrote that the novel "had virtues", but that it could not live up to García Márquez's best work.[20]
References
edit- ^ García Márquez and his wife, Mercedes Barcha, had two sons: Rodrigo and Gonzalo García Barcha.[6]
- ^ Kahn, Carrie (6 March 2024). "Gabriel García Márquez's last novel is published against his wishes". NPR. Archived from the original on 6 March 2024. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ Mora, Rosa (20 October 2004). "García Márquez regresa con una historia de amor" [García Márquez returns with a story of love]. El País (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
Sigue trabajando en sus memorias y tiene también en cartera En agosto nos vemos, una serie de cuatro cuentos.
- ^ a b Martínez Polo, Liliana (3 March 2024). "Gabriel García Márquez, el hombre que fue agosto". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ Colchen, Gabrielle (28 April 2023). ""En agosto nos vemos": una novela inédita de Gabriel García Márquez será publicada en 2024" ["Until August": an unpublished novel by Gabriel García Márquez will be published in 2024]. France 24. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ Taylor, Luke (28 April 2023). "Unseen Gabriel García Márquez novel to be published next year". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ Osorio, Camila (16 August 2020). "Muere Mercedes Barcha, la mujer que hizo posible el éxito de García Márquez". El País. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ a b Rufo, Yasmin (6 March 2024). "Gabriel García Márquez: Sons publish last novel that late author wanted destroyed". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ González Fornés, Nora (28 April 2023). "An unpublished novel by García Márquez set to be released in 2024". EL PAÍS English. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ Alter, Alexandra (6 March 2024). "Gabriel García Márquez Wanted to Destroy His Last Novel. It's About to Be Published". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 11 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ Clark, Alex (8 March 2024). "'An act of betrayal': Gabriel García Márquez's son on publishing his father's work against his will". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ Dorfman, Ariel (9 May 2024). "Clamoring for Life". The New York Review of Books. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ Liu, Max (6 March 2024). "Gabriel García Márquez was right not to want his final novel published". The i. Archived from the original on 11 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ Hoyos, Andrés (8 March 2024). "'En agosto nos vemos' y los mejores secretos de cama de Gabriel García Márquez" ["Until August" and the best secrets from the bed of Gabriel García Márquez]. El Tiempo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ Hoyos, Andrés (6 March 2024). "'En agosto nos vemos': así se está moviendo el nuevo libro de Gabo en las librerías". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ Alarcón Vargas, Laura Daniela (6 March 2024). "Imágenes alusivas a la novela inédita de Gabo iluminan la Torre Colpatria de Bogotá" [Images from the unpublished novel by Gabo illuminate the Torre Colpatria of Bogotá]. El Tiempo (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ "La Torre Colpatria se iluminó en honor a Gabriel García Márquez" [The Torre Colpatria was illuminated in honor of Gabriel García Márquez]. El Espectador (in Spanish). 6 March 2024. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
- ^ Greenberg, Michael (10 March 2024). "Gabriel García Márquez's Last Book Is an Unsatisfying Goodbye". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ Hughes-Hallett, Lucy (6 March 2024). "Until August by Gabriel García Márquez review – a 'lost' last novel". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ Cummins, Anthony (10 March 2024). "Until August by Gabriel García Márquez review – his abandoned last novel". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.
- ^ Suau, Nadal (6 March 2024). "'En agosto nos vemos', la novela inédita de Gabriel García Márquez: un libro pequeño, leve, legítimo". El País (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 10 March 2024. Retrieved 11 March 2024.