Enrique Vila-Matas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Enrique Vila-Matas
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Enrique Vila-Matas
31 March 1948 |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Occupation | Writer |
Enrique Vila-Matas (born 31 March 1948 in Barcelona) is a Spanish writer. He has written many award-winning books. His stories often mix different styles, making him one of the most unique and important writers in Spanish.
He is also a founding member of the Order of Finnegans. This group meets every year in Dublin, Ireland, on June 16th. They celebrate the famous writer James Joyce and his book Ulysses.
Contents
His Life and Writing Journey
Enrique Vila-Matas was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1948. His father, Enrique, worked in real estate. His mother's name was Tayo Vila-Mata. When he was twelve years old, Enrique started writing. Later, he studied law and journalism.
Early Career in Film
In 1968, Enrique became an editor for a film magazine called Fotogramas. He also directed two short films. These were Todos los jóvenes tristes (which means All the Sad Youngsters) in 1970 and Fin de verano (The End of Summer) in 1970.
First Books and Time in Paris
In 1971, he did his military service in Melilla. While there, he wrote his first novel, Mujer en el espejo contemplando el paisaje. After returning to Barcelona, he worked as a film critic for magazines like Bocaccio and Destino.
From 1974 to 1976, Enrique lived in Paris, France. He rented a small room from the writer Marguerite Duras. In Paris, he wrote his second novel, La asesina ilustrada. His third and fourth books, Al sur de los párpados and Nunca voy al cine, came out in the early 1980s.
Becoming a Recognized Writer
Enrique Vila-Matas started to become well-known after his book Historia abreviada de la literatura portátil was published in 1985.
He then published several collections of short stories. These included Una casa para siempre, Suicidios ejemplares, and Hijos sin hijos. A book called Recuerdos inventados is a collection of his best short stories.
His later works were mostly novels. Some of these include Lejos de Veracruz, Extraña forma de vida, El viaje vertical, Bartleby & Co., and Montano's Malady.
Essays and Later Novels
In 1992, he published a collection of articles and essays about literature called El viajero más lento. He followed this with El traje de los domingos in 1995. Other books with literary essays include Para acabar entendamos nada (2003) and El viento ligero en Parma (2004).
His book Never Any End to Paris (2003) shares his experiences from living in Paris. In 2005, Doctor Pasavento was released. This book explores the idea of disappearing and "the difficulty of being nobody." It was the last book in a series about writing.
In 2007, Vila-Matas returned to writing short stories with Exploradores del abismo. In 2008, he published Dietario voluble. This book mixes fiction, essays, and parts of his own life. It's like a literary diary that combines reading experiences, personal memories, and his ideas about writing.
In 2010, he published the novel Dublinesca. This book is about a publisher who is having problems. Since then, he has published more novels, such as Kassel no invita a la lógica (2014), Marienbad electrique (2015), and Mac y su contratiempo (2017). He has also released two more short-story collections. The English translation of Mac y su contratiempo was considered for the International Booker Prize in 2020.
His most recent novel is Montevideo. This book is a metafiction work. It explores writing and how hotel rooms can be connected. For example, a hotel room in Montevideo at the Cervantes hotel was mentioned in two short stories by Adolfo Bioy Casares and Julio Cortázar.
His books have been translated into many languages, including French, English, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese, and Chinese.
Awards and Honors
Enrique Vila-Matas has received many important awards for his writing.
Major Prizes
- He is a knight of the French Legion of Honour. This is a very high award from France.
- He has an honorary doctorate from the University of the Andes, Venezuela.
- He won the Ciudad de Barcelona prize and the Venezuelan Rómulo Gallegos Prize in 2001.
- In 2002, he received the Meilleur Livre Etranger prize and the Fernando Aguirre-Libralire prize.
- He won the Herralde prize, the Nacional de la Crítica prize, and the Medicis-Etranger Prize in 2003.
- Other awards include the Internazionale Ennio Flaiano prize (2006), the Fundación José Manuel Lara prize (2006), and the Real Academia Española prize (2006).
Later Awards
In 2007, he won the Elsa Morante literary prize. This award honors a great foreign writer each year. In 2009, he received the Internazionale Mondello prize for his novel Dottor Pasavento.
In 2011, he won the Bottari Lattes Grinzane Prize (Italy), the Prix Jean Carriere (France), and the Leteo Award (Spain) for his novel Dublinesque. In 2012, he received the Argital Award Bilbao City for Air of Dylan. He also won the Premio Gregor von Rezzori for the Italian translation of Exploradores del abismo.
In 2014, he won the Premio Formentor de las Letras. In 2015, he received the FIL Literary Award in Romance Languages, which is worth $150,000. In 2016, he was given the National Award of Catalonia.
The Order of Finnegans
Enrique Vila-Matas is a founding member of the Order of Finnegans. This group is named after a pub in Dalkey, Ireland. Some people also think the name comes from James Joyce's last novel, Finnegans Wake.
The members of the Order of Finnegans greatly admire James Joyce's novel Ulysses. They try to attend Bloomsday every year on June 16th in Dublin. Bloomsday is a long day of celebrations that ends at the Martello tower in Sandycove. This is where the novel Ulysses begins. Participants read parts of Ulysses and then walk to Finnegan's pub in Dalkey. The other four founding members of this order are Eduardo Lago, Jordi Soler, Antonio Soler, and Malcolm Otero Barral.
See also
In Spanish: Enrique Vila-Matas para niños
