Eduardo Mendoza Garriga facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eduardo Mendoza
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| Born | Eduardo Mendoza Garriga 11 January 1943 Barcelona, Spain |
| Language | Spanish |
| Nationality | Spanish |
Eduardo Mendoza Garriga (born on January 11, 1943) is a famous Spanish writer. He writes novels, plays, and essays. His first novel, La Verdad sobre el Caso Savolta (The Truth About the Savolta Case), came out in 1975. It was very popular and showed the big changes happening in Spain as it became a democracy.
Mendoza is also well-known for his funny "mad detective" books. One of his most famous novels is La Ciudad de los Prodigios (The City of Marvels), published in 1986.
Contents
About Eduardo Mendoza
Early Life and Education
Eduardo Mendoza Garriga was born in Barcelona, Spain, on January 11, 1943. He studied law in the early 1960s.
Later, he lived in New York City from 1973 to 1982. During this time, he worked as an interpreter for the United Nations. Even though he tried working as a lawyer, he soon realized his true passion was writing. He lives in London today.
His Writing Career
In 1975, Mendoza published his first novel, La Verdad sobre el Caso Savolta (The Truth About the Savolta Case). This book was a big success. It showed his skill in using different writing styles. Many people see it as an important book that marked the start of Spain's move towards democracy after the Franco era. The story talks about workers' struggles in Barcelona in the early 1900s.
His most praised novel is probably La Ciudad de los Prodigios (The City of Marvels), which came out in 1986. This book tells the story of how Barcelona changed and grew between the Universal Expositions of 1888 and 1929. A movie based on this book was made in 1999.
In 1992, he wrote El Año del Diluvio (The Year of the Flood). This novel is about Sister Consuelo's difficult choices after she falls in love. It also describes the tough times in Spain after the civil war. In 1996, he published Una Comedia Ligera (A Light Comedy), another important novel set in Barcelona, this time in the 1940s.
The "Mad Detective" Series
Several of Mendoza's novels feature a very unusual character: a nameless detective who is accidentally involved in mysteries and lives in a mental hospital. These books are very funny and make fun of detective stories.
- The first book in this series was El Misterio de la Cripta Embrujada (The Mystery of the Enchanted Crypt), published in 1979. It mixes detective stories with spooky tales.
- The second book, El Laberinto de las Aceitunas (The Olive Labyrinth), from 1982, is one of his most popular works.
- Later books in the series include La Aventura del Tocador de Señoras (The Adventure of the Ladies' Dressing Table, 2001) and El Enredo de la Bolsa y la Vida (The Money and the Life Muddle, 2012).
- The fifth novel, El Secreto de la Modelo Extraviada (The Secret of the Missing Model), was released in 2015 and was also very successful.
Other Works
The Spanish newspaper El País published two of his novels in parts: Sin Noticias de Gurb (No Word from Gurb, 1990) and El Último Trayecto de Horacio Dos (The Last Journey of Horatio Dos, 2001). Both of these are funny science fiction comedy novels.
In 1993, Mendoza wrote his first play, Restauració (Restoration). It was first written in Catalan and then translated into Spanish by Mendoza himself. He later wrote two more plays, and all three were published together in 2017.
In 2018, he published El Rey Recibe (The King Receives). This is the first book in a series called Three Laws of Motion. This series looks at the big changes that happened in the second half of the 20th century.
Awards and Recognition
Eduardo Mendoza is considered one of the most important Spanish writers alive today. He has received many awards for his work:
- 1976: Critics Prize, for his first novel La Verdad sobre el Caso Savolta.
- 2010: Premio Planeta de Novela, for his novel Riña de Gatos. Madrid, 1936 (An Englishman in Madrid).
- 2013: European Book Prize (fiction), also for An Englishman in Madrid.
- 2015: Franz Kafka Prize, making him the first Spanish writer to win this award.
- 2016: Miguel de Cervantes Prize, which is the most important award for Spanish literature.
- 2024: Premio Cultura (Culture Award) in the Premios Vanguardia.
- 2025: Princess of Asturias Award in Literature.
See also
In Spanish: Eduardo Mendoza para niños
