The letter opener

BOOK REVIEW

THE LETTER OPENER

Author: Vicente Molina Foix From the reader report by: Katie Whittemore

Molina Foix ambitiously recreates the personal writing of at least two dozen characters, a feat in style and tone that is mostly successful. There are a few voices that feel weaker, or characters who are less fleshed out, but in general, the changes in how the characters write and reflect over time read as mostly consistent and smooth. The letter writers express themselves from the perspective of the political left, and create something like an interwoven discourse of the public and private people affected by the repression, cruelty, and reprisals of Franco’s Spain. There is just one voice from the other side, Ramiro Fonseca’s, the police informant we have to thank for the letters, and thus, the book. Fonseca’s reports on his targets and his superior’s comments and edits on his reports represent a counter discourse, one of official prose made ridiculous by the overblown and malicious nature of Fonseca’s writing.

When El abrecartas was published in 2006, it was mostly warmly received by critics and celebrated by a very important prize jury, despite the fact that the market was considered “saturated” by books about Spanish Civil war and Franco dictatorship by that point; certainly, Molina Foix’s novel is ambitious and well-written, and innovative in its approach to well-worn themes in contemporary Spanish literature.

PUBLISHED IN NEW SPANISH BOOKS US

ALT AUTORES EDITORIAL

Title THE LETTER OPENER EL ABRECARTAS

Author Vicente Molina Foix Genre Literature Pages 447

ISBN 978-84-91819-30-1 Year of publication 2006

Number of editions

Language Spanish Spanish retail price 20.00 €

Author’s biography: Born in Elche, Alicante, Vicente Molina Foix has written poetry, fiction, essays, dramaturgy, film criticism, screenwriting and film direction. With degrees in Philosophy and Art History, he has won numerous literary prizes. He won the Barral award for his second novel, Bust (Busto, Barral Editores, 1973); the Azorín award for The widowed parents (Los padres viudos, Cátedra, 1984); the Herralde award for The Soviet fortnight (La quincena soviética, Anagrama, 1988); and the National Fiction Award for The letter opener (El abrecartas, Anagrama, 2006). In his second film as a director, The god of wood (El dios de madera, 2010), the leading actress, Marisa Paredes, won the best actress award at the Málaga Film Festival. With The Gourmet Sisters (Las hermanas Gourmet, Storytel Original, 2020), Molina Foix offers his first work using the audio serial format. www.elboomeran.com

Synopsis: The letter opener begins with the letters that a childhood friend wrote in the 1920’s to García Lorca, the distant inspiration of his hopes and dreams. From that first moment of what was perhaps a one-way correspondence, the reader discovers this “novel in letters”. This is also a splendid underground river-novel that reflects the last hundred years of Spanish life and interweaves the public History (the Republic, the civil war, Franco’s repression, the “liberated” 1960’s, life under democracy) with the private histories of a group of victims, survivors, hustlers, “modern” girls and “the damned”. We get a glimpse of some of the major characters of this time:

Lorca, Aleixandre, María Teresa León, Alberti, Eugenio d’Ors, among others. With this novel Vicente

Molina Foix won the National Fiction Prize.

Publisher: Alt autores editorial Alt Authors is a publishing house that publishes in paper, ebook, audiobook and podcast format. We understand the dynamics of the digital age, which is why we use digital tools for the benefit of our authors. We also work to ensure our authors are translated into other languages.

Publishing rights available from: Alt autores editorial - CIF B95888996 Henao 60, 7 izq.Bilbao, Bizkaia www.altautores.com/autores/vicente-molina-foix/ Contact: Beatriz Celaya [editorial@altautores.com] Phone: (+34) 628 062 233

Prizes and reviews: National Fiction Prize 2006.