'A book of deep reckoning' New York Times'Becomes a way of looking honestly at what mourning really feels like' GuardianA man in tumult returns to Ordesa, the small mountain town where he was born, and where his parents have recently died. He sits down to write. Newly sober, his career on the wane, his relationship with his own children strained, what he produces is a dizzying chronicle of his childhood and an unsparing account of his life's trials, failures and triumphs. He reckons with the ghosts of his parents, the pain of loss and, as the pages fill with words, he tries to piece together the bits of himself. What is a person without a family? What is a person when faced with memories alone?An autobiographical novel by a Spanish literary icon, written with the intimacy of a diary, Ordesa is a beautiful, redemptive meditation on identity, grief and the passing of time.
Manuel Vilas Book order
This author masterfully blends poetry and prose, crafting works that have garnered widespread acclaim. His stylistic prowess and insightful thematic explorations have earned him recognition from both critics and readers alike. Through his verses and narratives, he offers a distinct perspective on the human experience.






- 2020
- 2020
Heaven
- 144 pages
- 6 hours of reading
This is the first translation of Spanish poet Manuel Vilas's two major collections Heaven (El cielo, 2000) and Heat (Calor, 2008) into English. Thematically fuelled with alcohol, death and sex, they go off into freewheeling megalomaniacal flights of fantasy. The poet James Womack has won prizes for his versions of Vilas's work, and of Mayakovsky's.