In 1999, Cristina Rivera Garza published Don’t let me see you again. The novel has been defined by Carlos Fuentes as “one of the most remarkable works of fiction in twentieth-century literature”.
She had already written a book of short stories and written two first novels “that would never see the light of day,” but this work changed her life and made her a storyteller. The author won the Pulitzer Prize in 2024 Liliana’s Invincible Truth Here is the story of Modesty Burgos, a woman who spent more than three decades locked up in a mental institution.
Random House is now reviving the work in Spain in an edition that includes the authors from whom arose Modesto’s unbearable anger in the face of an uncertain, cruel and harmless time that, in a way, continues the dialogue with the present.
Rivera Garza took a temporary leave of absence from her professorship at the University of Houston to take advantage of a sabbatical that took her on a trip to Mexico City, a megalopolis for which she has great affection. From there, he talks to El Cultural via video about the Spanish re-edition of the novel that he knows made him a writer.
And here we go:
LETRAS. Benjamin Labatut, author Maniac y Terrible verdorthe main character of our book of the week with Antartica fills here, a collection of his first obscure stories on his reissue explores the origins and obsessions of his literature.
ART. From the classic fold to the baroque and the contemporary “gurruño”, we talk to six young sculptors about these new wrinkled forms and the “gurruñesco” is now a desperate form to grasp the world.
THEATER. Friends outside and inside the drama, Malena Alterio and Carmen Ruiz are ready to perform at Teatros del Canal An extraordinary lifeby Mariano Tenconi Blanco, and it’s the first time he’s ever faced a screenplay. On World Theater Day, we have a no-holds-barred conversation with these two eclectic artists.
MUSIC. Days marked in the Christian calendar where quotations of great religious significance abound. Today we look at Religious Music Week in Cuenca and FIAS in Madrid. First, Fabián Panisello calmly explains the program Songs of the Soul (Bach, Webern and Kurtág). On the second of September, Les Arts Florissants with William Christie in front.
CINEMA. Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino, always devoted to perfection and baroque, looks for literature in his new film, Gracewhere fetishist Toni Servillo plays the President of the Italian Republic during his last six months in office.
SCIENCE. Science historian Sánchez Ron explains how the discovery of nuclear physics changed politics, culture and military strategy, and analyzes Macron’s recent speech on “advanced persuasion” and France’s scientific legacy.
All this and much more in the next issue of El Cultural. On sale from this weekend, March 27th in stores for €2.50. Available a day in advance for digital PDF subscribers. Subscribe here for 25 euros per year.
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