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The Dead Writer
Anna is a middle-aged writer who has brought up her daughter all alone. Now that her daughter, Berta, is all grown up she wants to meet the unknown father she’s only ever seen in a photograph. Berta has a boyfriend called Hans, and as their relationship reaches crisis point, her need to connect with her father grows stronger. Hans works in a factory and has a sister named Clara. Clara is lonely and misunderstood, and has a bit of an obsession with this guy who rides a motorbike.
All these lives intertwine, but within them is the story of Anna Flieder, a woman who decides to write a story based on her life. Her inspiration? A shadowy form of the man who she abandoned all those years ago…
"The story shows the process of creation of a literary work (...) It’s a novel aimed at those who like to read, those who let themselves be absorbed into the reading because it requires a lot of imagination and there are lots of things which are just hinted at."—La Mañana
"This book tells the story of Anna, a writer, and the world and lives of the people around her. Anna lives her literary life as her real one, suffering from a kind of schizophrenia as the characters in her books collide with her life in their desire to see the light. The original was published in Spain in 2008."—Debbie Garrick, Translator
"The Dead Writer is, in essence, an invitation to all those who enjoy the way that literature reflects itself within a literary work. But it also represents the opportunity to follow other characters with feelings in situations that inevitably provoke recognition. [...] A delightful literary text which stands out with metaphorical language and suggests images that are capable of depicting daily scenes containing a multitude of possibilities that often, life does not let us see."—Dr Alexandra Santos Pinheiro, Resonancias Literarias, no. 153
"The Dead Writer, a novel which not only demonstrates the author's skill but also how we see her handling of the essential tool of all writers, language. [...] This novel is also an insightful literary artefact which is sure to satisfy the diverse enjoyment of the modern reader."—Letralia
"The author Núria Añó masterfully weaves a tale that delves deep into an exploration of the modern individual."—Noury Bakrim, Translator
All these lives intertwine, but within them is the story of Anna Flieder, a woman who decides to write a story based on her life. Her inspiration? A shadowy form of the man who she abandoned all those years ago…
"The story shows the process of creation of a literary work (...) It’s a novel aimed at those who like to read, those who let themselves be absorbed into the reading because it requires a lot of imagination and there are lots of things which are just hinted at."—La Mañana
"This book tells the story of Anna, a writer, and the world and lives of the people around her. Anna lives her literary life as her real one, suffering from a kind of schizophrenia as the characters in her books collide with her life in their desire to see the light. The original was published in Spain in 2008."—Debbie Garrick, Translator
"The Dead Writer is, in essence, an invitation to all those who enjoy the way that literature reflects itself within a literary work. But it also represents the opportunity to follow other characters with feelings in situations that inevitably provoke recognition. [...] A delightful literary text which stands out with metaphorical language and suggests images that are capable of depicting daily scenes containing a multitude of possibilities that often, life does not let us see."—Dr Alexandra Santos Pinheiro, Resonancias Literarias, no. 153
"The Dead Writer, a novel which not only demonstrates the author's skill but also how we see her handling of the essential tool of all writers, language. [...] This novel is also an insightful literary artefact which is sure to satisfy the diverse enjoyment of the modern reader."—Letralia
"The author Núria Añó masterfully weaves a tale that delves deep into an exploration of the modern individual."—Noury Bakrim, Translator
237 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
1 person is currently reading
820 people want to read
About the author
Núria Añó
22 books13 followersNúria Añó is a Catalan/Spanish writer, a translator, and a regular speaker at conferences and symposia, where she gives papers on literary creation, films, cities, or authors like Elfriede Jelinek, Patricia Highsmith, Salka Viertel, Karen Blixen, Alexandre Dumas or Franz Werfel.
Her novel "Els nens de l'Elisa" was third among the finalists for the 24th Ramon Llull Prize for Catalan Literature and was published in 2006. "L'escriptora morta" [The Dead Writer, 2020], in 2008; "Núvols baixos" [Lowering Clouds, 2020], in 2009, and "La mirada del fill", in 2012. Her most recent work "El salón de los artistas exiliados en California" [The Salon of Exiled Artists in California, 2020] is a biography of scriptwriter Salka Viertel, a Jewish salonnière and well-known in Hollywood in the thirties as a specialist on Greta Garbo scripts.
Some of her novels, short stories, and articles have been translated into Spanish, French, English, Italian, German, Polish, Chinese, Latvian, Portuguese, Dutch, and Greek.
Her writing focuses on the characters' psychology, generally antiheroes. The characters are the most important in her books, much more than the topic, due to "an introspection, a reflection, not sentimental, but feminine". Her novels cover a multitude of topics, treat actual and socially relevant problems such as injustices or poor communication between people, and frequently, the core of her stories remains unexplained. Añó asks the reader to discover the "deeper meaning" and to become involved in the events presented.
Literary Prizes/ Awards:
2019. Awarded at International Writer's and Translators' House in Latvia.
2018. Fourth prize of the 5th Shanghai Get-together Writing Contest.
2018. Selected for a literary residence in Krakow UNESCO City of Literature, Poland.
2017. Awarded at the International Writers' and Translators' Center of Rhodes in Greece.
2017. Awarded at the Baltic Centre for Writers and Translators in Sweden.
2016. Awarded at the Shanghai Writing Program, hosted by the Shanghai Writer's Association.
2016. Awarded by the Culture Association Nuoren Voiman Liitto to be a resident at Villa Sarkia in Finland.
2004. Third among the finalists for the 24th Ramon Llull Prize for Catalan Literature.
1997. Finalist for the 8th Mercè Rodoreda Prize for Catalan Short Stories.
1996. Awarded the 18th City of Almenara Joan Fuster Prize for Fiction.
Her novel "Els nens de l'Elisa" was third among the finalists for the 24th Ramon Llull Prize for Catalan Literature and was published in 2006. "L'escriptora morta" [The Dead Writer, 2020], in 2008; "Núvols baixos" [Lowering Clouds, 2020], in 2009, and "La mirada del fill", in 2012. Her most recent work "El salón de los artistas exiliados en California" [The Salon of Exiled Artists in California, 2020] is a biography of scriptwriter Salka Viertel, a Jewish salonnière and well-known in Hollywood in the thirties as a specialist on Greta Garbo scripts.
Some of her novels, short stories, and articles have been translated into Spanish, French, English, Italian, German, Polish, Chinese, Latvian, Portuguese, Dutch, and Greek.
Her writing focuses on the characters' psychology, generally antiheroes. The characters are the most important in her books, much more than the topic, due to "an introspection, a reflection, not sentimental, but feminine". Her novels cover a multitude of topics, treat actual and socially relevant problems such as injustices or poor communication between people, and frequently, the core of her stories remains unexplained. Añó asks the reader to discover the "deeper meaning" and to become involved in the events presented.
Literary Prizes/ Awards:
2019. Awarded at International Writer's and Translators' House in Latvia.
2018. Fourth prize of the 5th Shanghai Get-together Writing Contest.
2018. Selected for a literary residence in Krakow UNESCO City of Literature, Poland.
2017. Awarded at the International Writers' and Translators' Center of Rhodes in Greece.
2017. Awarded at the Baltic Centre for Writers and Translators in Sweden.
2016. Awarded at the Shanghai Writing Program, hosted by the Shanghai Writer's Association.
2016. Awarded by the Culture Association Nuoren Voiman Liitto to be a resident at Villa Sarkia in Finland.
2004. Third among the finalists for the 24th Ramon Llull Prize for Catalan Literature.
1997. Finalist for the 8th Mercè Rodoreda Prize for Catalan Short Stories.
1996. Awarded the 18th City of Almenara Joan Fuster Prize for Fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 15, 2021
I was very pleased by how much of this I understood, even though French is not my first language, or my second, or even my third.
To answer the question I found somewhere below, I identified most with Clara, since, um, you see, my name is also Claire. I also overall like this Catalan author since semesters ago I was swept away to a linguistics conference (LASSO) by a Spanish/Catalan language professor.
L'écrivaine morte is a translated story about a writer named Anna and the people around her. Its original edition was in Catalan, but I don't know any yet.
I think it's just interesting to think about what happened here.
To answer the question I found somewhere below, I identified most with Clara, since, um, you see, my name is also Claire. I also overall like this Catalan author since semesters ago I was swept away to a linguistics conference (LASSO) by a Spanish/Catalan language professor.
L'écrivaine morte is a translated story about a writer named Anna and the people around her. Its original edition was in Catalan, but I don't know any yet.
I think it's just interesting to think about what happened here.
March 31, 2020
I came to love the story and its characters but especially how it's written, through little pieces of real life with a special style of its author.
August 30, 2019
Excellent book!!!
October 2, 2020
Núria Añó sorprende a sus lectores con una traducción al castellano de su obra aparecida por primera vez en 2008, L'escriptora morta. La capacidad literaria que condensa en sus páginas es muy gratificante para los lectores que, como yo, conocíamos algunos de sus artículos y relatos bastante difundidos y traducidos por las redes, aun cuando resultaba complicado acceder a su obra en catalán.
La autora narra en el espacio de una semana una muestra de las vidas de cuatro personajes, cada uno con sus miedos, sus debilidades y también su relación con los otros. De una forma casi cinematográfica La escritora muerta se sitúa en un entorno muy bien retratado por la autora. Es sobre todo la historia de una escritora (Anna) ya consagrada que intenta escribir una novela biográfica sobre la relación fugaz con el que fue el padre de su hija. La hija (Berta) intenta entender el pasado de su madre y conocer a su padre, ello plantea un conflicto entre ambas en el que media su novio (Hans) un joven cuya situación laboral y personal está llena de indecisiones y preocupaciones. La única persona que no le pide nada a cambio y sabe escucharle es su hermana (Clara) una joven que siente sobremanera la incomprensión de cuantos la rodean.
Lo original y magistral de esta obra se desvela cuando se forma una novela dentro de otra. En ella se borda la psicología de los personajes y el estilo personal de la autora se nos muestra como algo prometedor.
En mi opinión, Núria Añó homenajea en La escritora muerta a tantos escritores y escritoras que viven y mueren dedicados al mundo íntimo, solitario y sacrificado de la escritura. Así pues, nosotros los lectores somos los más afortunados.
Núria AñóLa escritora muerta
La autora narra en el espacio de una semana una muestra de las vidas de cuatro personajes, cada uno con sus miedos, sus debilidades y también su relación con los otros. De una forma casi cinematográfica La escritora muerta se sitúa en un entorno muy bien retratado por la autora. Es sobre todo la historia de una escritora (Anna) ya consagrada que intenta escribir una novela biográfica sobre la relación fugaz con el que fue el padre de su hija. La hija (Berta) intenta entender el pasado de su madre y conocer a su padre, ello plantea un conflicto entre ambas en el que media su novio (Hans) un joven cuya situación laboral y personal está llena de indecisiones y preocupaciones. La única persona que no le pide nada a cambio y sabe escucharle es su hermana (Clara) una joven que siente sobremanera la incomprensión de cuantos la rodean.
Lo original y magistral de esta obra se desvela cuando se forma una novela dentro de otra. En ella se borda la psicología de los personajes y el estilo personal de la autora se nos muestra como algo prometedor.
En mi opinión, Núria Añó homenajea en La escritora muerta a tantos escritores y escritoras que viven y mueren dedicados al mundo íntimo, solitario y sacrificado de la escritura. Así pues, nosotros los lectores somos los más afortunados.
Núria AñóLa escritora muerta
July 19, 2018
Dejando a un lado la trama, el estilo particular de Núria Añó sorprende ya en las primeras líneas. En ellas se recaba cierta información no escrita, aunque sí insinuada, lo que provoca que el lector sea partícipe de algunas entrelíneas que se cuecen en este libro que bebe del más puro existencialismo. El estilo insinuante de la autora y, por supuesto, la descripción de los distintos personajes cuyas vidas se debaten entre la desigualdad laboral, la anorexia o el bullying, consiguen el resto.
Anna, la escritora protagonista, siente el deber de escribir una novela de carácter biográfico y de ese modo presentar a través de un texto, el que fuere el padre de su hija. Dicho episodio, difícil para una madre soltera, lo es también para la hija que tiene mala relación con la madre. Al mismo tiempo, Anna convive con una especie de esquizofrenia y su vida se desdobla entre la realidad y la ficción de su pasado, entre el recuerdo y la reconstrucción literaria de aquello. El desenlace es sumamente sorprendente.
Un homenaje al mundo de la escritura y, por supuesto, a los escritores que están detrás de nuestras lecturas.
Anna, la escritora protagonista, siente el deber de escribir una novela de carácter biográfico y de ese modo presentar a través de un texto, el que fuere el padre de su hija. Dicho episodio, difícil para una madre soltera, lo es también para la hija que tiene mala relación con la madre. Al mismo tiempo, Anna convive con una especie de esquizofrenia y su vida se desdobla entre la realidad y la ficción de su pasado, entre el recuerdo y la reconstrucción literaria de aquello. El desenlace es sumamente sorprendente.
Un homenaje al mundo de la escritura y, por supuesto, a los escritores que están detrás de nuestras lecturas.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews