Current:Home > ScamsCritics slam posthumous Gabriel García Márquez book published by sons against his wishes -PrimeFinance
Critics slam posthumous Gabriel García Márquez book published by sons against his wishes
View
Date:2025-04-13 16:57:57
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! (9)
Related
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- What is breadcrumbing? Paperclipping? Beware of these toxic viral dating trends.
- Proof Dwayne The Rock Johnson's Kids Are Already Following in His Footsteps
- Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs leave no doubt in Super Bowl: They're an all-time NFL dynasty
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- You can't escape taxes even in death. What to know about estate and inheritance taxes.
- Teen accused of shooting tourist in Times Square charged with attempted murder
- 'We’ve got a streaker': Two fans arrested after running on field at Super Bowl 58
- Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
- Who has the most Super Bowl wins? The teams and players with the most rings in NFL history
Ranking
- Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
- Suspect captured in Memphis crime rampage that left at least 1 dead, several wounded
- Helicopter carrying 6 people crashes in California desert near Las Vegas
- Judge orders Elon Musk to testify in SEC probe of his $44 billion Twitter takeover in 2022
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Woman slain by officers after opening fire in Osteen megachurch in Houston; child critical
- Spring training preview: The Dodgers won the offseason. Will it buy them a championship?
- Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Bask in Afterglow of Chiefs' Super Bowl Win With On-Field Kiss
Recommendation
North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
University of Arizona looks to ‘reset’ athletics budget. What does that mean for sports?
All the times number 13 was relevant in Super Bowl 58: A Taylor Swift conspiracy theory
'I'm just like a kid': Billy Dee Williams chronicles his 'full life' in new memoir
Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
Shooting at Greek shipping company kills four, including owner and suspected gunman
Bob's Red Mill founder, Bob Moore, dies at 94
Been putting off Social Security? 3 signs it's time to apply.