Ulysses is regarded by many as the single most important novel of the 20th century. A blazingly original voice and a postmodern visionary, enrigue tells the grand adventure of the dawn of the modern era, breaking down traditions and upending expectations, in this bold, powerful gutpunch of a novel. Sudden death is the best kind of puzzle, its elements so esoteric and wildly funny that readers will race through the book, wondering how alvaro enrigue will be able to pull a novel out of such an astonishing ball of string. How to love sudden death by alvaro enrigue and also how not. He has taught at new york university, princeton university, the university of maryland, and columbia university. The premise of this novel the first of enrigue s novels to be translated into english may, to less adventurous readers, sound bizarre. Sudden death is the best kind of puzzle, its elements so esoteric and wildly funny that readers will race. Apr 14, 2016 sudden death is the best kind of puzzle, its elements so esoteric and wildly funny that readers will race through the book, wondering how alvaro enrigue will be able to pull a novel out of such an astonishing ball of string.
Sudden death, which was awarded spains prestigious herralde prize, is actually the writers sixth book, but his first novel to be published in the states. Escritor, editor y critico literario nacido en mexico d. His internationally acclaimed novel sudden death is a dazzling synthesis of fact and fiction in which a single tennis match ties together the fate of indigenous mexico and the cultural revolutions shaking europe at the time of the conquest. The book sudden death, was written by alvaro enrigue, and published by riverhead books, new york 2016. Sudden death by alvaro enrigue penguin books australia. Feb 05, 2016 enrigue muses on the nature of the novel and his intentions in writing sudden death as easily as he holds a candle to the obscure maneuvers of the powerful. Both begin a normal day, and both set off on a journey around the streets of dublin, which eventually. The novel opens with a description of a 16thcentury tennis match, which will end in the sudden death that gives the book its title. The novel is divided into three sets, interspersed with historical anecdotes, literary titbits, extracts from historical works, lists of facts and characters. Sudden death is one of the most audacious, smart, and original books you will read this year. Apr 30, 2016 sudden death traces the convoluted story of the antagonism between these two men. In his novel sudden death, mexicanborn, new yorkbased writer alvaro enrigue uses a substantial dose of creative license in rewriting certain historical eventsfrom major to minorto critique.
We are the children of that generation, chasing again and again the volleys of religious fanatics and the abusive politicians who prosper thanks to them, the bankers and capitalists cashing in on the misery they produce in the rest of the world. Apr 08, 2016 the sport, alvaro enrigue tells us in his brilliant new novel sudden death, was invented by mediterranean monks and considered from its inception a matter of death and the afterlife, the ball. A daring, kaleidoscopic novel about the clash of empires and ideas in the sixteenth century that continue to reverberate throughout modernitya story unlike. The bawdy italian painter caravaggio and the loutish spanish poet quevedo battle it out before a crowd that includes galileo, mary magdalene, and a generation of popes who would throw europe into the flames. Sudden death, by alvaro enrigue, translated by natasha. Translated from the spanish by sophie hughes amanda hopkinson. Mar, 2016 alvaro enrigue, a mexican author who lives in new york, must be having some fun when people ask what his latest novel is about. Sudden death, by alvaro enrigue the new york times. Caravaggio, as is known, was the brilliant and irascible artist whose portraits of. Alvaro enrigue, author of sudden death its a little space, wellmeasured and precise, in which you have to keep the ball bouncing, says alvaro enrigue.
Enrigue presents historical details side by side with fantasy, and unless you really know your sixteenth and seventeenth century european and american history, youll need to do some serious digging to parse enrigue s research from his inventions. Mar 03, 2016 sudden death, which was awarded spains prestigious herralde prize, is actually the writers sixth book, but his first novel to be published in the states. Its a little disheartening to think i may have already read the best book im going to. That gives the novel a headspinning breadth enrigue means to capture. Enrigue s varied body of work, but it also raises a question related to the themes of the novel. Enrigue is also a scholar and the author of hypothermia. In alvaro enrigues sudden death, a farcical duel with. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read sudden death. His sudden death was awarded the prestigious herralde prize in spain, the elena poniatowska international novel award in mexico, and the barcelona prize for. Why are englishlanguage readers only now getting a glimpse of what this gifted writer has produced in a career that is already two decades old. By turns intellectual and earthy, enrigues fictionalized account of renaissance europe and 16th century.
Oct 12, 2016 the premise of sudden death, alvaro enrigues fifth novel and the second to be translated into english, invites one of two possible effects. Considered of the most significant writers in contemporary literature in spanish language, enrigue is an awardwinning author of six novels, three books of short stories, and one book of essays. Alvaro enrigue was a cullman center fellow and a fellow at the princeton university program in latin american studies. Apr 01, 2016 sudden death, the first of alvaro enrigues novels to appear in english, is perhaps his most ambitious. Sudden death, from mexican writer alvaro enrigue, is a novel on how the backandforth of history, from one side to the other end of the court, history, and planet. During the novels changeovers, so to speak, enrigue delves into the. It tells the story of one day in dublin, june 16th 1904, largely through the eyes of stephen dedalus joyces alter ego from portrait of the artist as a young man and leopold bloom, an advertising salesman. Sudden death begins with a brutal tennis match that could decide the fate of the world. A daring, kaleidoscopic novel about the clash of empires and ideas in the sixteenth century that continue to reverberate throughout modernitya story unlike anything youve ever read before. About half of the books chapters take place at a fictional tennis match between the italian painter, caravaggio and the spanish poet, quevedo.
Awardwinning author alvaro enrigue discusses his recent novel sudden death and its connections to the current political situation in mexico. It is a literary triptych part history lesson, part tennis match, and part hypermodern adventure. Feb 18, 2016 sudden death often seems more an intellectual exercise than a novel. Enrigue presents historical details side by side with fantasy, and unless you really know your sixteenth and seventeenth century european and american history, youll need to do some serious digging to parse enrigues research from his inventions. Jan 01, 20 the premise of this novel the first of enrigue s novels to be translated into english may, to less adventurous readers, sound bizarre. Sudden death his first novel to be translated into english was awarded the prestigious herralde prize in spain, the elena poniatowska international novel award in mexico, and the barcelona prize for. Alvaro enrigue born 6 august 1969 in guadalajara, mexico is a mexican novelist, shortstory writer, and essayist.
In sudden death, the spanish poet quevedo and the italian painter caravaggio play a tennis match to settle a duel. Sudden death by alvaro enrigue world literature today. He has taught at new york university, princeton university, the university of maryland and columbia university. The present, in part, is the continuous rewriting of past and futurethe modification of historical narratives to suit a particular message or goal. Sudden death traces the convoluted story of the antagonism between these two men. By turns intellectual and earthy, enrigue s fictionalized account of renaissance europe and 16th century. Sudden death often seems more an intellectual exercise than a novel. Alvaro enrigues sudden death hits history around like a. A daring, kaleidoscopic novel about the clash of empires and ideas in. Daring and visceral with a cast that includes thomas cromwell, mary magdalene, aztec emperors and more, the limits of the novel in enrigue s hands. Feb 09, 2016 that gives the novel a headspinning breadthenrigue means to capture the many global resonances of sexual, religious, and artistic struggles, most of them bad news for those not in power. Alvaro enrigue is the author of five novels and three books of short stories. In his novel sudden death, mexicanborn, new yorkbased writer alvaro enrigue uses a substantial dose of creative license in rewriting certain historical. Mar, 2016 thats one of the many themes in sudden death, the new novel by alvaro enrigue.
Washington post notable book of 2016 the times literary supplement best of. Feb 15, 2016 in his droll and erudite new novel, sudden death, alvaro enrigue provides his own distinct take on that chessontherun notion and elevates it to an even more exalted level. Caravaggio, as is known, was the brilliant and irascible artist whose portraits of saints and other holy figures. During the novel s changeovers, so to speak, enrigue delves into the. The riotous impurity of his intellectual forays has already made him one of mexico. Sudden death is a novel of revolution in the spatial and historical sense of the word. Sudden death is the best kind of puzzle, its elements so esoteric and wildly funny that readers will race through the book, wondering how lvaro enrigue will be able to pull a novel out of such an astonishing ball of string. Enrigues varied body of work, but it also raises a question related to the themes of the novel. As enrigue himself writes, the book is not exactly about a tennis match. It was first published in spain by anagrama as meurte subita in 20, if you want to read it in the original spanish. His novel sudden death was awarded the prestigious herralde prize.