A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF 2024

Also available in audio featuring narration by Colman Domingo, Rachel Weisz, and Michael Cera.

Instantly fascinating, brimming with twisting narratives and unforgettable endings... The Last Dream stands alone as a major literary talent's virtuosic debut. --Kaveh Akbar, New York Times bestselling author of Martyr!

Making his English language debut, the iconoclastic, two-time Academy award-winning writer and director reveals his singular mind as never before in this collection of twelve remarkable stories spanning memoir, comedy, autofiction, parody, pastiche, and gothic fiction.

With this debut collection, film legend Pedro Almodóvar delivers a tantalizing glimpse into his world, formed by twelve stories carefully selected from his personal writings dating from the late '60s to the present. Almodóvar writes: I've been asked to write my autobiography more than once, and I've always refused. . . . I've never kept a diary, and whenever I've tried, I've never made it to page two; in a sense, then, this book represents something of a paradox. It might be best described as a fragmentary autobiography, incomplete and a little enigmatic.

Each entry reflects Almodóvar's most intimate obsessions, as well as his evolution as an artist. In the title story, The Last Dream, Almodóvar reflects on the death of his mother. Other entries in the collection include a love story between Jesus and Barabbas, a story of retribution that formed the basis for the film Bad Education, a manic adventure about a film director searching for painkillers on a bank holiday weekend, and a gothic tale centered around a repentant vampire.

Translated from the Spanish by Frank Wynne

El libro más personal de Pedro Almodóvar: un autorretrato articulado en doce relatos que revelan su pasión secreta por la escritura

«Un libro de hallazgos. Que Almodovar era un gran escritor ya lo sabía, sólo hacía falta descubrir desde cuando. De la infancia hasta anteayer, su escritura nos lleva de la mano por un bosque sorprendente. Nacer al revés, (al final), y vivir para atrás es sólo uno de sus talentos. Hay más, avanzar también como un tranvía (de deseo). Al leer estos relatos uno no sabe si ha sido invitado a su cabeza o a su alma. En cualquier caso, es un regalo. Y una dulce intromisión .--Ray Loriga

«Este libro es lo más parecido a una autobiografía fragmentada. [...] El lector acabará obteniendo la máxima información de mí como cineasta, como fabulador y el modo en que mi vida hace que una cosa y las otras se mezclen . Así define el autor este volumen, en una brillante introducción que sirve también de puesta en perspectiva: los doce relatos que lo componen abarcan varias épocas, desde finales de la década de los sesenta hasta la actualidad, y en ellos se reflejan algunas de sus obsesiones más íntimas, además de su evolución como artista. Los oscuros años escolares, la influencia de la ficción en la vida, los efectos inesperados del azar, la sofisticación del humor, los inconvenientes de la fama, la fascinación por los libros o la experimentación con los géneros narrativos son algunos de los temas que pueblan este libro imprescindible, que contiene múltiples capas de lectura.

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.

A visually immersive exploration of the provocative and humanistic themes at the heart of Almodóvar's cinema

Pedro Almodóvar is one of the most daring and influential writer-directors of our time. He directed his first feature in 1980, during La Movida Madrileña (the Madrid Scene), a countercultural and democratic movement in Spain, and has been pushing boundaries for over four decades. Often outlandish and provocative, and rife with passion, Almodóvar's 22 films to date explore the full spectrum of the human condition. In the process, they have transformed Spanish cinema and contributed invaluably to the global film scene.
Pedro Almodóvar: Installation/Instalación accompanies an immersive exhibition created by Almodóvar for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. Spanning 1984's What Have I Done to Deserve This? to 2019's Pain and Glory, Almodóvar's 12-channel film installation distills his filmography around iconic scenes and key themes including Family, Bodies, Guilt and Pain, Mothers, Musicals, Noir and Religious Education. This lush volume devotes a visual chapter to each, showcasing Almodóvar's muses--including Victoria Abril, Antonio Banderas, Pina Bausch, Penélope Cruz, Rossy de Palma, Marisa Paredes and Julieta Serrano--and the inspiration he draws from filmmakers such as Ingmar Bergman and Luis Buñuel.
The bilingual (Spanish and English) book also features a new conversation between Almodóvar and film journalist Rachel Handler, a foreword by Tilda Swinton, texts by curators Jenny He and J. Raúl Guzmán, an afterword by Agustín Almodóvar, and a richly illustrated filmography. As bold and beautiful as Almodóvar's films themselves, Pedro Almodóvar: Installation/Instalación captures the dynamic female characters, tantalizing stories, colorful humor and depth of emotion that exemplify this Academy Award-winning director's career.

***León de Oro en el Festival de Cine de Venecia***

El libro que acompaña a la nueva película de Pedro Almodóvar, la primera de su carrera rodada íntegramente en inglés, con Tilda Swinton y Julianne Moore.

Un regalo para cinéfilos.

Ingrid y Martha fueron muy amigas en su juventud. Trabajaban en la misma revista, pero Ingrid acabó convirtiéndose en novelista de autoficción y Martha en reportera de guerra. Las circunstancias de la vida las separaron y, después de muchos años sin tener contacto, vuelven a encontrarse en Nueva York, en una situación límite, aunque extrañamente dulce. Martha, que ha sido una madre muy imperfecta y se ha ido distanciando de su hija, sufre una grave enfermedad. Ingrid la acompañará durante varios meses, mientras hablan sobre la muerte, la amistad y el placer sexual como buenos aliados para luchar contra el horror y la crueldad de un mundo empeñado en avanzar hacia la destrucción.

Esta edición contiene, además del guion en español de la película, un epílogo firmado por el propio Almodóvar que recoge, en un texto inédito, sus reflexiones sobre el duelo; asimismo, está profusamente ilustrada a todo color con fotogramas del film, imágenes del rodaje y fragmentos del storyboard. La habitación de al lado es un libro que sirve de perfecto acompañante del largometraje y atraerá a todos los amantes del cine y la cultura.

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION

***Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival***

The companion to the new movie by Pedro Almodóvar, his first filmed entirely in English, starring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore.

A gift for movie lovers.

Ingrid and Martha were close friends when they were young. They worked at the same magazine, but Ingrid went on to become a novelist and Martha a war reporter. They drifted apart but, many years after losing touch, they meet again in New York in dire but strangely touching circumstances. Martha, an imperfect mother who is estranged from her daughter, is gravely ill. Ingrid becomes her companion for the next few months, during which time they have long discussions about death, friendship and sexual pleasure as hedges against the cruelty and horror of a world bent on destruction.

This edition includes the Spanish-language script for the film and an epilogue by Almodóvar containing his never-before-published reflections about grief. It also features color stills from the film, scenes from the set and excerpts from the storyboard. The Room Next Door is the perfect companion to the film and a treat for movie fans and cultural aficionados.