Clarissa's Blog

Juan Marsé is one of the world’s greatest living writers, and Esa puta tan distinguida is the most recent novel of the 83-year-old writer. Marsé is not capable of mediocrity. His novels are either out of this world amazing or so bad that I can’t get through more than 10 pages no matter how much I try. 

Esa puta tan distinguida is one of the out of this world amazing ones. In this novel, Marsé makes pretty vicious fun of himself and the entirety of his literary output. People tend to take themselves way too seriously these days, and it is humbling to see the ease with which an elderly writer who knows that this might turn out to be his last novel laughs at his life’s work. This is not sarcastic, angry laughter. Marsé doesn’t want the readers’ pity. He demonstrates that no matter how old he is, he still asks crucial questions and is unafraid to recognize that he doesn’t know all the answers.

The only problem with this novel is that I don’t think it should be the first novel by this writer one reads. It will be confusing for those who haven’t followed Marsé since his earliest work and don’t understand his frame of reference. Sadly, there is no English translation yet for Marsé’s best novels but if you are firtunate enough to be a Spanish speaker, do read this old novel of his from 1966. It is as if the writer were mocking today’s spoiled brats at Oberlin who whine about inauthentic sushi. This is what timeless literature is really like!

God, I love Spanish literature.