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Posthumous Stories
“One of the more colorful gods in the pantheon of international literary myth . . . [Bolaño] follows his restless talent down every available rabbit hole.” —Sam Anderson, New York
“When I read Roberto Bolaño, I Everything is possible again.” —Nicole Krauss, author of To Be a Man
. . . because stories like this don’t have an ending . . .
Gathering the short works, in various states of completion, found on Roberto Bolaño’s computer shortly after his death, Posthumous Stories is animated by indeterminacy. Fragments of fantasies, memories, monologues, fears, and dreams proceed one into the other, seeming neither to begin nor to end. Each is haunted by its tick, its weight, its eternity. Forever open, and forever becoming, these stories make collaborators of us all, and offer, like a ghost, the great gift of infinity.
“When I read Roberto Bolaño, I Everything is possible again.” —Nicole Krauss, author of To Be a Man
. . . because stories like this don’t have an ending . . .
Gathering the short works, in various states of completion, found on Roberto Bolaño’s computer shortly after his death, Posthumous Stories is animated by indeterminacy. Fragments of fantasies, memories, monologues, fears, and dreams proceed one into the other, seeming neither to begin nor to end. Each is haunted by its tick, its weight, its eternity. Forever open, and forever becoming, these stories make collaborators of us all, and offer, like a ghost, the great gift of infinity.
- GenresFictionShort Stories
160 pages, Paperback
Published December 2, 2025
4 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Roberto Bolaño
140 books6,872 followersFor most of his early adulthood, Bolaño was a vagabond, living at one time or another in Chile, Mexico, El Salvador, France and Spain. Bolaño moved to Europe in 1977, and finally made his way to Spain, where he married and settled on the Mediterranean coast near Barcelona, working as a dishwasher, a campground custodian, bellhop and garbage collector — working during the day and writing at night.
He continued with his poetry, before shifting to fiction in his early forties. In an interview Bolaño stated that he made this decision because he felt responsible for the future financial well-being of his family, which he knew he could never secure from the earnings of a poet. This was confirmed by Jorge Herralde, who explained that Bolaño "abandoned his parsimonious beatnik existence" because the birth of his son in 1990 made him "decide that he was responsible for his family's future and that it would be easier to earn a living by writing fiction." However, he continued to think of himself primarily as a poet, and a collection of his verse, spanning 20 years, was published in 2000 under the title The Romantic Dogs.
Regarding his native country Chile, which he visited just once after going into voluntary exile, Bolaño had conflicted feelings. He was notorious in Chile for his fierce attacks on Isabel Allende and other members of the literary establishment.
In 2003, after a long period of declining health, Bolaño passed away. Bolaño was survived by his Spanish wife and their two children, whom he once called "my only motherland."
Although deep down he always felt like a poet, his reputation ultimately rests on his novels, novellas and short story collections. Although Bolaño espoused the lifestyle of a bohemian poet and literary enfant terrible for all his adult life, he only began to produce substantial works of fiction in the 1990s. He almost immediately became a highly regarded figure in Spanish and Latin American letters.
In rapid succession, he published a series of critically acclaimed works, the most important of which are the novel Los detectives salvajes (The Savage Detectives), the novella Nocturno de Chile (By Night In Chile), and, posthumously, the novel 2666. His two collections of short stories Llamadas telefónicas and Putas asesinas were awarded literary prizes.
In 2009 a number of unpublished novels were discovered among the author's papers.
He continued with his poetry, before shifting to fiction in his early forties. In an interview Bolaño stated that he made this decision because he felt responsible for the future financial well-being of his family, which he knew he could never secure from the earnings of a poet. This was confirmed by Jorge Herralde, who explained that Bolaño "abandoned his parsimonious beatnik existence" because the birth of his son in 1990 made him "decide that he was responsible for his family's future and that it would be easier to earn a living by writing fiction." However, he continued to think of himself primarily as a poet, and a collection of his verse, spanning 20 years, was published in 2000 under the title The Romantic Dogs.
Regarding his native country Chile, which he visited just once after going into voluntary exile, Bolaño had conflicted feelings. He was notorious in Chile for his fierce attacks on Isabel Allende and other members of the literary establishment.
In 2003, after a long period of declining health, Bolaño passed away. Bolaño was survived by his Spanish wife and their two children, whom he once called "my only motherland."
Although deep down he always felt like a poet, his reputation ultimately rests on his novels, novellas and short story collections. Although Bolaño espoused the lifestyle of a bohemian poet and literary enfant terrible for all his adult life, he only began to produce substantial works of fiction in the 1990s. He almost immediately became a highly regarded figure in Spanish and Latin American letters.
In rapid succession, he published a series of critically acclaimed works, the most important of which are the novel Los detectives salvajes (The Savage Detectives), the novella Nocturno de Chile (By Night In Chile), and, posthumously, the novel 2666. His two collections of short stories Llamadas telefónicas and Putas asesinas were awarded literary prizes.
In 2009 a number of unpublished novels were discovered among the author's papers.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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December 21, 2025To my fellow Bolaño completists: As some have speculated, this book is just a re-packaging of The Secret of Evil (originally published as El secreto del mal in 2007). It's the exact same 19 stories in the exact same order — but inexplicably without the helpful "Preliminary Note" we saw in The Secret of Evil, written by Bolaño's literary executor Ignacio Echevarría. This is a cash grab by Picador. Don't be fooled.
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July 4, 2025Oh, ho, ho! They've just got to be kidding us.
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February 3, 2026An interesting amalgamation of unfinished work left by Roberto Bolano posthumously. I have to admit, his writing is fantastic, but the unfinished excerpts leave a bit to be desired. Perhaps I should have read some of his finished published work prior to this.
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January 21, 2026"But things have happened in the meantime."
Fragmentary, uneven, fascinating, and how do I feel about publishing the short works found on Roberto's computer after his death?
Fragmentary, uneven, fascinating, and how do I feel about publishing the short works found on Roberto's computer after his death?
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews