Eduard Márquez - Brandes's Decision

When I think back on it, I’m still surprised that, after everything that happened, what best represents the moment that gives meaning to my life, the center where all the lines of the star’s vertices come together, is a sound. Not a color, not a word, not a person. A sound. That of the studio door closing behind me, with the Cranach, wrapped in newspaper, under my arm. Yes, in the end, that’s the answer.

Many thanks to all the people who, in one way or another, made this book possible:

Quim Armengol, Silvia Bastos, Maru Boquet, Eugènia Broggi, Lula Bullich,Àngel Burgas, Pau Centellas, Javier Cisneros, Xavier Cortés, José Antonio de Juan, Eduard Márquez, Jordi Márquez, Ramón Minguillón, Bernat Puigtobella, Mercè Pujadas, Andreu Rossinyol and Ramon Solsona, for their comments and suggestions.

Silvia Schmid, for answering so many questions.

Ángel Seral, for Brandes’ artistic trajectory.

Isabel Balaguer, for an afternoon of watercolors.

Gabriele Saure, for the trees in the Hofgarten.

Eduard Márquezlives in Barcelona. He published two books of poetry in Spanish before writing Zugzwang , his first work in Catalan. He has continued writing in Catalan, publishing another collection of short fiction, fifteen children’s books, and four novels. His work has been translated into German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Turkish.

Mara Faye Lethem is a writer and literary translator from the Catalan and the Spanish.Authors she has translated include Jaume Cabré, David Trueba,Albert Sánchez Piñol, Javier Calvo,Toni Sala, Patricio Pron, Juan Marsé, Rodrigo Fresán and Pola Oloixarac. Her translations have appeared in publications such as Grant a, The Paris Review and McSweeney’s .