When I Was Mortal

Look inside
Victims of mistaken identity, sponging relatives, amateur sleuths, eavesdroppers, professional liars, assassins, and failed bodyguards populate the short stories in When I Was Mortal. Plots turn on curious exigencies: a woman about to star in her first porn film; a night doctor who adds new meaning to “specialist”; a ghost whose neglect is greatly resented.

“Mariás is a startling talent. . . . His prose is ambitious, ironic, philosophical and ultimately compassionate, forgiving of the vulnerability that compels us to destroy.” —The New York Times Book Review

“A refreshing discovery . . . [these stories] should be welcomed here like a bracing tonic.” —Chicago Tribune
© Santi Burgos
JAVIER MARÍAS was born in Madrid in 1951. He has published fifteen novels, including The Infatuations and A Heart So White, as well as three collections of short stories and several volumes of essays. His work has been translated into forty-four languages, has sold nine million copies worldwide, and has won a dazzling array of international literary awards, including the prestigious International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and the Prix Femina Étranger. He died in 2022. View titles by Javier MarĂ­as

About

Victims of mistaken identity, sponging relatives, amateur sleuths, eavesdroppers, professional liars, assassins, and failed bodyguards populate the short stories in When I Was Mortal. Plots turn on curious exigencies: a woman about to star in her first porn film; a night doctor who adds new meaning to “specialist”; a ghost whose neglect is greatly resented.

“Mariás is a startling talent. . . . His prose is ambitious, ironic, philosophical and ultimately compassionate, forgiving of the vulnerability that compels us to destroy.” —The New York Times Book Review

“A refreshing discovery . . . [these stories] should be welcomed here like a bracing tonic.” —Chicago Tribune

Author

© Santi Burgos
JAVIER MARÍAS was born in Madrid in 1951. He has published fifteen novels, including The Infatuations and A Heart So White, as well as three collections of short stories and several volumes of essays. His work has been translated into forty-four languages, has sold nine million copies worldwide, and has won a dazzling array of international literary awards, including the prestigious International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and the Prix Femina Étranger. He died in 2022. View titles by Javier MarĂ­as

Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Every May we celebrate the rich history and culture of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Browse a curated selection of fiction and nonfiction books by AANHPI creators that we think your students will love. Find our full collection of titles for Higher Education here.

Read more