Current:Home > ScamsCritics slam posthumous Gabriel García Márquez book published by sons against his wishes -Elevate Money Guide
Critics slam posthumous Gabriel García Márquez book published by sons against his wishes
View
Date:2025-04-16 11:36:35
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! (954)
Related
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Passenger on way to comfort Maine victims with dog makes emotional in-flight announcement
- Summer House's Lindsay Hubbard Claims Ex Carl Radke Orchestrated On-Camera Breakup for TV
- Tim Scott secures spot in third GOP debate following campaign strategy overhaul
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- Dunkin': How you can get free donuts on Wednesdays and try new holiday menu items
- Proof a Larsa Pippen, Marcus Jordan Engagement Is Just Around the Corner
- New Jersey governor closes part of state’s only women’s prison amid reports of misconduct there
- Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
- See Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet Twin During Red Carpet Outing
Ranking
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- Jason Aldean stands behind 'Try That in a Small Town' amid controversy: 'I don't feel bad'
- Delta says pilot accused of threatening to shoot the captain no longer works for the airline
- A magnitude 6.1 earthquake has shaken the Timor region of Indonesia
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- Antitrust in America, from Standard Oil to Bork (classic)
- Jason Aldean stands behind 'Try That in a Small Town' amid controversy: 'I don't feel bad'
- 1 man dead in Kentucky building collapse that trapped 2, governor says
Recommendation
Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
Oprah's Favorite Things 2023: 25 Chic & Useful Gifts Under $50 For Everyone On Your List
Fantasy football rankings for Week 9: Dolphins' Raheem Mostert rises to top spot among RBs
Cleanup is done on a big Kansas oil spill on the Keystone system, the company and EPA say
Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
Libya’s eastern government holds conference on reconstruction of coastal city destroyed by floods
Storied football rivalry in Maine takes on extra significance in wake of shooting
5 Things podcast: One Israeli and one Palestinian cry together for peace