Carmen Posadas
Carmen Posadas was born in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, in 1953. She moved to Madrid at the age of twelve as her father was appointed ambassador to Spain. She also spent parts of her childhood in Buenos Aires, London and Moscow. At the age of nineteen she discontinued her studies at Oxford to get married. Following a ten-year period as a housewife and mother of two daughters she embarked on a literary career, writing children’s books. »El señor Viento Norte« (1983; Eng. »Mister North Wind«, 1986) was awarded a prize by the Ministry of Culture as the most beautifully edited children’s book of 1984. Since then she has published around twenty titles in this genre.
Posadas’ rise to fame, however, was thanks to her humorous novels that are full of suspense and which show the influence of Anglo-Saxon literature as well as being entertaining and literary in quality. »It’s important to establish two levels of reading. Thus, for instance, the narrative threads of intrigue and other complex elements such as social satire or character studies. Those are my ingredients, as if it were a recipe for cooking«, pr ofessed Posadas in an interview. Her first novel, »Cinco moscas azules« (1996; Eng. »The Last Resort«, 2005), is an ironic portrait of high society and tells of gossip and schmooze, intrigues and murder. A penniless bon vivant who wishes to bring an end to his life after his last vacation at a luxury hotel is infected with a new joie de vivre by his adventurous niece. Posadas received the renowned Premio Planeta for her next novel, »Pequeñas Infamias« (1998; Eng. »Little indiscretions«, 2003). In the manner of Agatha Christie, it describes a gathering at a wealthy art dealer’s summerhouse that ends with the murder of the celebrity chef, whose expertise is not only to be found in the art of cooking but also in the explosive secrets of the pr esent guests. The novel »La Bella Otero« (2001; t: The beautiful Otero) which tells the story of a dancer, successful in the twenties and enjoyed in the most important theatres of Europe and America, is being made into a feature film.
Posadas herself has written several scripts for film and television. She presented the programme »Entrelíneas« on Spanish TV and has written essays, newspaper articles, plays for children and last but not least a large number of short stories, including the collection »Nada es lo que parece« (1997; t: Nothing is what it seems). Her work has been translated into over twenty languages and has appeared in around fifty countries.
Following her latest novel, »Juego de niños« (2006; t: Children’s game), Posadas recently published a collected volume of nineteen short stories from the past thirty years. The author has been living in Madrid since 1986.
© internationales literaturfestival berlin
El señor Viento Norte
SM
Boadilla del Monte, 1983
[Ill: Alfonso Ruano]
Kiwi
SM
Boadilla del Monte, 1984
El parque de papel
SM
Boadilla del Monte, 1984
Yuppies, jet set, la movida y otras especies
Temas de Hoy
Madrid, 1987
Mi hermano Salvador y otras mentiras
Seix Barral
Barcelona, 1990
El mercader de los sueños
Alfaguara
Madrid, 1990
Quién te ha visto y quién te ve!
Temas de Hoy
Madrid, 1991
María Celeste
Fondo de cultura económica
Mexiko, 1993
Padres, padres
Espasa-Calpe
Madrid, 1993
[Ill. Ximena Maier]
Was hatte sie, was ich nicht habe?
Heyne
München, 1994
[Ü: Susanne Töppler]
Liliana, bruja urbana
Fondo de cultura económica
Mexiko, 1995
Nada es lo que parece
Santillana
Madrid, 1997
El síndrome de Rebeca
Temas de Hoy
Madrid, 1998
Fünf blaue Fliegen
Malik
München, 1999
[Ü: Karl A. Klewer]
Dorila
Alfaguara
Madrid, 2000
Por el ojo de la cerradura
Temas de Hoy
Madrid, 2001
El buen sirviente
Planeta
Barcelona, 2003
La Belle Otero
Europa-Verlag
Hamburg, Wien, 2003
[Ü: Ursula Guinaldo]
A la sombra de Lilith
Planeta
Barcelona, 2004
Cuac
Destino Infantil & Juvenil
Barcelona, 2004
Kleine Infamien
Suhrkamp
Frankfurt/Main, 2004
[Ü: Thomas Brovot]
Hipo Canta
Bruño
Madrid, 2006
Juego de niños
Planeta
Barcelona, 2006
Un veneno llamado amor
Temas de Hoy
Madrid, 2006
Literatura, adulterio y una tarjeta Visa platino
Planeta
Barcelona, 2007
Übersetzer: Thomas Brovot, Ursula Guinaldo, Karl A. Klewer, Susanne Töppler