Andres Barba is one of Spain’s most prominent literary writers, rightfully included in Granta’s The Best of Young Spanish-Language Novelists issue. Rain Over Madrid is his latest work of fiction, now available in English-language translation. “She remembers that the comment really stung and then immediately stopped stinging-like accidentally touching an open sore-when she took into account that a virtue can also be a defect if you just shift your perspective a few inches.” Taken from one of the four novellas comprising Rain Over Madrid- “Fatherhood,” “Guile,” “Fidelity,” and “Shopping”-these words encapsulate the whole book’s leitmotiv: all of a sudden, someone is finally able to comprehend somebody else’s life. By featuring totally divergent characters in different settings, Barba in these stories tackles issues such as death, the inability to communicate feelings, the sudden eruption of love, fascination for the other, the architecture of desire and the fear of happiness. An exceptional collection and an enticing read. “Andres Barba needs no introduction. He has his own intentional world perfectly contained and a literary gift that belies his age.” Mario Vargas Llosa “Barba has perfectly understood the aggressiveness that sometimes defines our romantic encounters and his precise prose provides the perfect vehicle to express it.” Times Literary Supplement “A new Spanish great, that’s all I need to say.” Lire”

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