Rafael Chirbes writer dies – Vanguardia.com.mx

The novelist who portrayed the political and moral degradation of the current Spanish society died yesterday at age 66. Rafael Chirbes (Tavernes, 1949) died from irreversible lung cancer that was recently detected, according to its editor Jorge Herralde, devastated by the loss. “It’s a blow, a brutal story that I did not expect at all. I knew that it was not in good health, who had thyroid problems and high blood sugar, but nothing presaged this outcome, “he told this newspaper from the island of Antigua, where he is vacationing. “Apart from considering him an extraordinary writer, was one of my best friends and a person of moral integrity off the charts,” said the editor.

The writer, who was a year fighting his addiction to snuff He had already given his new book, Paris-Austerlitz, whose output is planned for early 2016. “It’s a different Chirbes, other novel,” forward Herralde, who spoke with the author of Crematorium last bit before you go on holidays. “I was very interested and excited by the political change in Valencia, he had been supercritical to the PP and the policy of devastation that followed in Valencia,” he said.

Herralde recalled that in recent months had traveled Madrid twice, in addition to Lisbon. “He was an author who had more recognition in other countries than in Spain, but this had changed in recent years,”

From 2007., With the publication of Crematorium (National Award Criticism and adapted to television by Canal +), began the great takeoff of Chirbes, who by then had already demonstrated his literary talent in titles like Mimoun, The Long March or old friends. In 2013, after the publication of On the shore, he received the ultimate accolade of criticism with the conquest of the most important awards, including the National Narrative. Although he disliked that he etiquetase as the novelist of the economic crisis, in his later works reflected the social, economic and political turmoil generated by the culture of urban pitch.

In his books portray mafia practices businessmen and politicians, which is mixed with the bitter frustration of the friendships that are corrupted by power and money. Of leftist ideology, Chirbes lived devoted to writing, held in the small town of Beniarbeig Alicante, along with their two dogs. The media noise frightened him and declined politely say “about anything”, as it is called from the sales success of his last books.