Pedro Almodóvar's most personal book: a self-portrait articulated in twelve stories that reveal his secret passion for writing

“A book of discoveries. I already knew that Almodóvar was a great writer; we only needed to discover since when. From childhood to the day before yesterday, his writing takes us by the hand through a surprising forest. Being born backwards (at the end) and living backwards is only one of his talents. There is more: moving forward too, like a streetcar (of desire). Reading these stories, one does not know whether one has been invited into his head or his soul. In any case, it is a gift. And a sweet intrusion.”--Ray Loriga

“This book is the closest thing to a fragmented autobiography. [...] The reader will end up obtaining the maximum amount of information about me as a filmmaker, as a storyteller, and about the way my life makes one thing and the others blend together.” This is how the author defines this volume, in a brilliant introduction that also serves to put it into perspective: the twelve stories that make it up span several periods, from the late 1960s to the present day, and they reflect some of his most intimate obsessions, as well as his evolution as an artist. The dark school years, the influence of fiction on life, the unexpected effects of chance, the sophistication of humor, the drawbacks of fame, the fascination with books, and experimentation with narrative genres are some of the themes that populate this essential book, which contains multiple layers of reading.

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION

Pedro Almodóvar's most personal book: a self-portrait articulated in twelve tales that reveal his secret passion for writing.

"A book of findings. That Almodóvar was a writer, that I already knew. We just needed to find out since when. From an early age up until the day before yesterday, his narrative takes us by the hand through an astonishing forest. To be born backwards (at the end) and to live backwards is just one of his talents. There are more--moving forward like a streetcar (of desire) too. By reading these tales, one does not know if it is an invitation to his head or his soul. Either way, it is a gift. And a sweet intrusion." --Ray Loriga

"This book is the closest thing to a fragmented autobiography... The reader will obtain great insight about me as a filmmaker, as a storyteller, and in the way my life makes one thing, and all others mix."

This is how the author defines this volume in a brilliant introduction that also sets a perspective: the twelve tales that comprise it encompass several eras, from the late sixties to date, all of them reflecting some of his most intimate obsessions, as well as his evolution as an artist. His dark school years, the influence of fiction in his life, the unexpected effects of chance, the sophistication of humor, the downside of fame, his fascination with books, and his experimentation with different narrative genres are some of the themes that inhabit this indispensable book, with a multilayered interpretation.