Dvanásť poviedok zbierky Keď som bol smrteľný ponúka čitateľovi možnosť nazrieť do tajných zákutí ľudskej mysle, odhaľovať jemné, no pritom hrôzostrašné nitky zločinov a pozrieť sa na náš svet "z druhého sveta", keď máme možnosť vidieť všetko inak, kompletne. Javier Marías je dôsledný štylista, v jeho textoch je napätie, irónia, čierny humor a veľmi šikovne dávkovaný prídel hrôzy a strachu nielen z toho, čo nevieme, ale aj z toho, čo sme sa nechtiac dozvedeli.
Written by Cuba's most important modern novelist as part of a bet with Gabriel Garcia Marquez, this significant novel is a cornerstone of Latin American literature. In the early 1970s, Marquez, Augusto Roa Bastos, and Alejo Carpentier agreed to each write a novel addressing the dictatorships causing suffering in the region. While Marquez produced The Autumn of the Patriarch and Roa Bastos I, the Supreme, Carpentier's contribution, Reasons of State, is celebrated as Cuba's most significant literary work. The narrative follows an unnamed Latin American dictator who enjoys a lavish life in Paris until a coup at home forces him to return and suppress it with brutal military action. Upon his return to Paris, he faces a cold reception as images of his atrocities circulate among his elite acquaintances. Amid the backdrop of World War One and rising Marxist movements in his country, the dictator grapples with the shifting political landscape. Carpentier weaves a masterful and biting satire of the new world order, characterized by bold storytelling, rich detail, and a suspenseful plot, making this novel a compelling exploration of power and its consequences.
