Jesús Ferrero
Encyclopedia
Jesús Ferrero is a Spanish writer born in 1952 in the Spanish province of Zamora
.
After completing his secondary education he studied literature in Zaragoza
for a while and then moved to Paris
to study ancient Greek history at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales
.
Jesús Ferrero, like Javier Marías
or Antonio Muñoz Molina
, is a writer of that new Spanish prose which developed after La Movida Madrileña
(Madriliene Movement), one of the early post-modern currents. He has written numerous novels, poetry collections, short stories, essays and screenplays. He is, among other things, co-author of Pedro Almodovar
’s film 'Matador
'.
Ferrero's debut, chinese-set novel 'Belver Yin' (1981) was one of the most successful and critically acclaimed in post-Franco Spanish literature, and helped him to establish himself as one of the major writers of La Movida years. With novels set in Tibet ('Opium', 1986), Barcelona ('Lady Pepa', 1988) or Berlin ('Débora Blenn', 1988), Ferrero continued during the eighties a literary exploration characterized by eclectic intertextuality.
Fererro’s book 'El Efecto Doppler' (1990), follows a precise choreography which shows the protagonist, Darío, caught up in a complex tale. During an evening meal in Paris the young Rosaura blows her brains out in front of the diners: "Suddenly she looked at me and took a pistol from her bag. Without stopping her whistling she put the weapon to her temple." Every gesture, every look follows a kind of message, and Darío, Rosaura’s cousin, takes it upon himself to create a meaningful entity from the seemingly unconnected clues. In calm, very precise language and in a very detailed, cleverly devised structure Ferrero tells in his novel a gripping love story and at the same time makes us consider the limits of our perception.
Precise, too, is that view which the hero has in the novel 'El diablo en los ojos' (1998). Since young Leo Salgado has been focussing his camera lens on his own family, he senses the great influence of this instrument which is able to record everyday trivialities and their most intimate facets. The camera here is the up and coming creative genius which captures, with almost cruel clarity, the disintegration of the family.
The action of Jesús Ferrero’s novel, 'Juanelo o el hombre nuevo' (2000), is set in Toledo in the 16th century. The protagonist in this fantasy-tale, a good-looking youth, gradually comes to discover the terrible history of his origin as he becomes more and more involved in events in Toledo. It becomes clear that he is an artificially created human being, a golem, a new kind of human being. The novel is a good example which again makes clear Ferrero’s basic themes: "Destruction begins with the first tears in the cradle and ends when, in our parchment-like hands, time dies."
Jesús Ferrero’s writing shows a rebirth of the old myths and also tells of the banal, sometimes absurd everyday stories. It reflects the utopias of the twentieth century like those of 'Metropolis'. Ferrero’s style has been seen as close to that of Cervantes or Kafka. The author loves adopting classical narrative patterns while also modernizing and using them aesthetically with new stylistic features.
Since 1995 he has been living in Madrid
where he teaches literature.
Zamora (province)
Zamora is a Spanish province of western Spain, in the western part of the autonomous community of Castile and León.The present-day province of Zamora province was one of three provinces formed from the former Kingdom of León in 1833, when Spain was re-organised into 49 provinces.It is bordered by...
.
After completing his secondary education he studied literature in Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
for a while and then moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to study ancient Greek history at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales
École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales
The École des hautes études en sciences sociales is a leading French institution for research and higher education, a Grand Établissement. Its mission is research and research training in the social sciences, including the relationship these latter maintain with the natural and life sciences...
.
Jesús Ferrero, like Javier Marías
Javier Marías
Javier Marías is a Spanish novelist. He is also a translator and columnist.-Life:Javier Marías was born in Madrid. His father was the philosopher Julián Marías, who was briefly imprisoned and then banned from teaching for opposing Franco...
or Antonio Muñoz Molina
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Antonio Muñoz Molina is a Spanish writer and, since 8 June 1995, a full member of the Royal Spanish Academy. He currently resides in New York City, United States...
, is a writer of that new Spanish prose which developed after La Movida Madrileña
La Movida Madrileña
La Movida Madrileña was a countercultural movement that took place mainly in Madrid during the Spanish transition after Francisco Franco's death in 1975...
(Madriliene Movement), one of the early post-modern currents. He has written numerous novels, poetry collections, short stories, essays and screenplays. He is, among other things, co-author of Pedro Almodovar
Pedro Almodóvar
Pedro Almodóvar Caballero is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer.Almodóvar is arguably the most successful and internationally known Spanish filmmaker of his generation. His films, marked by complex narratives, employ the codes of melodrama and use elements of pop culture, popular...
’s film 'Matador
Matador
A torero or toureiro is a bullfighter and the main performer in bullfighting, practised in Spain, Colombia, Portugal, Mexico, France and various other countries influenced by Spanish culture. In Spanish, the word torero describes any of the performers who actively participate in the bullfight...
'.
Ferrero's debut, chinese-set novel 'Belver Yin' (1981) was one of the most successful and critically acclaimed in post-Franco Spanish literature, and helped him to establish himself as one of the major writers of La Movida years. With novels set in Tibet ('Opium', 1986), Barcelona ('Lady Pepa', 1988) or Berlin ('Débora Blenn', 1988), Ferrero continued during the eighties a literary exploration characterized by eclectic intertextuality.
Fererro’s book 'El Efecto Doppler' (1990), follows a precise choreography which shows the protagonist, Darío, caught up in a complex tale. During an evening meal in Paris the young Rosaura blows her brains out in front of the diners: "Suddenly she looked at me and took a pistol from her bag. Without stopping her whistling she put the weapon to her temple." Every gesture, every look follows a kind of message, and Darío, Rosaura’s cousin, takes it upon himself to create a meaningful entity from the seemingly unconnected clues. In calm, very precise language and in a very detailed, cleverly devised structure Ferrero tells in his novel a gripping love story and at the same time makes us consider the limits of our perception.
Precise, too, is that view which the hero has in the novel 'El diablo en los ojos' (1998). Since young Leo Salgado has been focussing his camera lens on his own family, he senses the great influence of this instrument which is able to record everyday trivialities and their most intimate facets. The camera here is the up and coming creative genius which captures, with almost cruel clarity, the disintegration of the family.
The action of Jesús Ferrero’s novel, 'Juanelo o el hombre nuevo' (2000), is set in Toledo in the 16th century. The protagonist in this fantasy-tale, a good-looking youth, gradually comes to discover the terrible history of his origin as he becomes more and more involved in events in Toledo. It becomes clear that he is an artificially created human being, a golem, a new kind of human being. The novel is a good example which again makes clear Ferrero’s basic themes: "Destruction begins with the first tears in the cradle and ends when, in our parchment-like hands, time dies."
Jesús Ferrero’s writing shows a rebirth of the old myths and also tells of the banal, sometimes absurd everyday stories. It reflects the utopias of the twentieth century like those of 'Metropolis'. Ferrero’s style has been seen as close to that of Cervantes or Kafka. The author loves adopting classical narrative patterns while also modernizing and using them aesthetically with new stylistic features.
Since 1995 he has been living in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
where he teaches literature.
List of Major Works
- Bélver Yin (Barcelona City Prize1981)
- Opium (1986)
- Río amarillo (Poesía. 1986)
- Lucrecia Temple: Encuentro en Berlín (libro de diálogos; 1987)
- Negro sol (Poetry. 1987)
- Lady Pepa (1988)
- Débora Blenn (1988)
- Ah, mira la gente solitaria (Poetry. 1988)
- El Efecto Doppler (Plaza y Janés Prize; 1990)
- La era de la niebla (1990)
- Alis el Salvaje (1991)
- Los reinos combatientes (1991)
- Pekín de la Ciudad Prohibida (1991)
- El secreto de los dioses (1993)
- Las veinte fugas de Básil (1995)
- Amador o la narración de un hombre afortunado (1996)
- Ulaluna (1997)
- El último banquete (Azorín Prize; 1997)
- El diablo en los ojos (1998)
- Juanelo o el hombre nuevo ( 2000)
- Zirze piernas largas (2002)
- Las Trece Rosas (2003 ; Fundación José Manuel Lara Prize, finalist 2004)
- Ángeles del abismo (2005).
- Las fuentes del Pacífico (2008)
- Las experiencias del deseo. Eros y misos (Anagrama Prize; 2009)
- Balada de las noches bravas (2010)