Ted Mooney's Blog: One Page at a Time - Posts Tagged "javier-marias"

Of course the best refuge from today's publishing world is reading books as good as what got you into this mess in the first place. I've just finished a second reading of Javier Marias's magnificent three-volume novel, "Tu Rostra Manana" ("Your Face Tomorrow") and am confirmed in my opinion that he is the greatest writer of my generation, due, as I warned him, for the Nobel next time the Swedes get around to Western Europe. That, in addition, he is a bestseller all over the world (except the U.S.) also confirms that the novel, far from being dead, is in great form; it's the U.S. public that is ill. Generations of bad education, obsession with wealth accumulation and now the proliferation of electronic devices (most of which I own also, of course) have given "Americans" (wrong term; the U.S. in only one of three countries in North America, and that's not even counting Central America of Latin America), alas, the attention span of a fruit fly. This country is soft, stupid and fat--very sad. I know, you already knew that. Still it's sad.

But I urge Marias upon anyone who wants to be swept away by wonderful writing that at the same time doesn't hesitate to address the most important questions of this or any other time. What is evil, what is betrayal, what are any of us really capable of when push comes to shove? Wouldn't you rather learn the answers to those questions than see "Ironman II" on your iPhone? Certainly Marias will prepare you better for the life you will lead over the next 20 years than Hollywood . . .