By IANS/EFE,
Madrid : A novel by late Mexican author Carlos Fuentes, in which he invents a dialogue with the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, is to be posthumously published by Alfaguara.
Fuentes died in Mexico May 15 and had planned to present the work – titled “Federico en Su Balcon” (Friedrich on His Balcony) – in November at the Guadalajara International Book Fair.
The final work by the Mexican writer, dedicated to Spanish cardiologist Valentin Fuster and due to hit bookstores Nov 7, is a reflection on power and how it influences the life of citizens.
“Federico en Su Balcon” begins when Dante Loredano, a poor imitation of the author, gets into a conversation with the neighbour with whom he shares a balcony (Friedrich Nietzsche). The philosopher guides him through an unknown city that is going through a social revolution and introduces him to certain characters that he uses to embody the reflections he is making, Alfaguara said.
For the publishing house, this is a “spoken portrait” of the author as well as a “multiple portrait”, because as the narrator “he multiplies himself by the number of characters”.
Winner of Spain’s Cervantes Prize in 1987 and the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature in 1994, Fuentes is considered one of the leading representatives of the Latin American “boom” and has left a large body of work.
Among his best-known creations are “La Region Mas Transparente” (Where the Air is Clear) in 1958, “La Muerte de Artemio Cruz” (The Death of Artemio Cruz) in 1962, “Terra Nostra” in 1975, “Gringo Viejo” (The Old Gringo) in 1985, “Los Anos con Laura Diaz” (The Years with Laura Diaz) in 1999 and “La Voluntad y la Fortuna” (Destiny and Desire) in 2008.