Personalia
Héctor Abad, born in 1958, Medellin, Colombia. Central Library Director at University Eafit, Medellin, Colombia.
Writer-in-Residence (1 February – 30 June 2016)
A novel: Memoir of an Impotent Lover, and a biography of a Colombian poet: León de Greiff
Research Question
Creative writing has something very difficult to achieve: enthusiasm with your subject
Project Description
To avoid self-criticism I always work in two different books: one that is very personal, and one that is totally impersonal. The novel is about two forms of impotence: the impotence of writing, and the other one. The biography is about one of the best Colombian poets, the Antioqueño of Swedish origins, León de Greiff. By the time I will arrive in Holland I will have completed the research period about the life and facts of the poet. And I will have some idea of all the chapters of the new novel.
Selected Publications
1) El olvido que seremos (novel, 2006, Seix Barral). English translation: Oblivion: a Memoir (FSG). Dutch translation: Het vergeten da tons wacht (De Geus).
2) Tratado de culinaria para mujeres tristes (stories, 1994, Alfaguara). English translation: Culinary for Sad Women (Pushkin, 2013).
3) La Oculta (novel, 2014, Alfaguara). French translation: La Secrète (2016, Gallimard).