María Blanchard: Like a shadow

BOOK REVIEW

MARÍA BLANCHARD: LIKE A SHADOW

Author: Baltasar Magro From the reader report by: Martina Mauritz

By his artist novel María Blanchard. Como una sombra, Baltasar Magro makes this Spanish painter, who made a unique contribution to the development of cubism, apart from Pablo Picasso and Juan Gris, the focus of attention: Marie Blanchard (1881-1932). Although in Paris in the 1910s and 20s she was very influential all her lifetime and her artistic language was innovative and unique, soon after her death she was forgotten. The search for traces of women as protagonists of the world of art and the revision of the traditional historiography of art started with the women´s movement of the 1970s, but even half a century later there remains much to do; Magro´s view at the last weeks of Blanchard´s life provides a solid contribution in this respect. […]

As the character of novel, María lacks rough edges, and the novel somewhat lacks a story, however as a painter made into a literary character Blanchard is fully justified, for also fiction contributes to correcting the false picture of the traditional historiography of arts.

To approach the topic also at the literary level, in recent years exhibitions and acquisitions have made the German audience sufficiently aware of the works of unjustly forgotten female artists […]. And even if the Spanish `María Blanchard´ of the title may be unknown, Picasso, Gris, Modigliano or Diego Rivera, the artists mentioned in the blurb, are not. And I am sure that for most people the moment `after´ having read this novel will be followed by a `before´ dealing further with this interesting and important artist.

PUBLISHED IN NEW SPANISH BOOKS DE

AGENCIA LITERARIA ALBARDONEDO

Title MARÍA BLANCHARD: LIKE A SHADOW MARÍA BLANCHARD COMO UNA SOMBRA

Author Baltasar Magro Genre Literature Pages 176

ISBN 978-84-91819-30-1 Year of publication 2020 Number of editions 1 Language Spanish Spanish retail price 22.00 €

Author’s biography: Baltasar Magro is a journalist and writer. For thirty years, he worked in television as a scriptwriter for cultural programs, documentaries and entertainment programs, as well as director of news programs, for which he won many awards, including the Golden Antenna. He began writing books with Juanelo’s Circle, a historical novel full of intrigue that has not been out of publication in twenty years. This was followed by: Blood Moon, Carrosanto, Knights of the Nine, and Front Line, which is about the inside of journalism. In 2008 he published Quevedo’s Hour, apocryphal stories about the famous writer. This was followed by his novels: In the Heart of the City of Levi, The Light of Guernica, Beato from Lebaniego, Ash in One’s Mouth, Profanities, The Sleeping Threat, and Seven Streets Toward Life. In 2019 he published The Ants’ Secret, which received an award for best story in the United States.

Synopsis: Bohemian Paris in the early 20th century brought together a large community of prestigious novelists, poets, musicians, and painters who revolutionized the art world. One of these geniuses was a woman: María Blanchard. She was a cubist painter and intimate friend of Picasso, Juan Gris and Diego Rivera who, like a shadow, went almost unnoticed in spite of her undeniable originality and the indelible mark that she left on the artistic vanguard. A moving story with moments of intrigue and emotion that entwines reality and fiction.

Publisher: Agencia literaria Albardonedo Agency for Spanish writers. We believe in the values of contemporary Spanish literature and its international character.

Publishing rights available from: Agencia literaria Albardonedo - CIF 44817264-Q Molino de Pedrouzo s/n. Cotá, Lugo www.albardonedo.es Contact: Déborah Albardonedo [deborah@albardonedo.es] [derechos@albardonedo.es]

Phone: (+34) 616 926 774

Prizes and reviews: A book that clarifies some of the mysteries surrounding this marvellous artist, whose life was largely unknown.