TAMBIÉN ESTO PASARÁ (THIS TOO SHALL PASS) by Milena Busquets is the poignant and intense but short novel that Milena Busquets wrote just after the death of her mother that became the hot book at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2014, when Hogarth Press (publishers of Gone Girl and The Dinner, part of Random House US) pre-empted US rights and Harvill Secker, also part of Random House UK, acquired the UK & Commonwealth rights. After this deal, THIS TOO SHALL PASS experienced a true ‘explosion’ on an international level and more sales ensued, bringing the number of international publishers up to 29 at the moment, all of whom will publish in 2015 or 2016. It is now a truly global phenomenon! Click here to read the piece about this on Publishers Weekly here. Several film producers are seriously considering its adaptation at the moment.
However, a book has to be published to become a real phenomenon among readers. THIS TOO SHALL PASS by Milena Busquets was published on January 14th 2015 in Spanish by Editorial Anagrama and in Catalan by Amsterdam Llibres and since then, it’s the Nº 1 bestselling novel on both the Spanish and Catalan best-seller lists and has been among the top 5 for three consecutive weeks –basically, since it was published. The Spanish edition is just now entering its 3rd reprint, with more than 40,000 copies distributed in the country in less than one month. The Catalan edition has reprinted once, totaling the sum of 6,000 copies.
The impact of the publication of the novel has been huge. Literary critics and anonymous readers are highly acclaiming the novel and all falling for Milena Busquets’ literary style, honesty and the truth that breathes through each sentence:
Carme Riera, La Vanguardia “Very few novel writers achieve such an impressive success among the most prestigious international publishing houses. (…) So, what does Milena Busquets’ novel have to do such a thing? The response to this question is really easy: read it!”
Silvia Marimon, ARA“A literary tsunami”
Sergi Pàmies, La Vanguardia “The first impression of the tone is that of a French-style of comedy with moments of light snobbery. But don’t be fooled: once you bite the hook, the text will get stuck to your palate, it will drag you along, making you taste the salt, the blood, the horizon and the abyss of a sea…”
Llàtzer Moix, La Vanguardia “A mix of Eros and Thanatos, a smartly articulated celebration of vitality and grief.”
Vis Molina, El Cultural “An intense novel, with a delicate prose, both touching and deeply funny.”
Antonio Lozano, Culturas “Ultimately, the novel is the search of the right words to express a complex and intrinsicate mother-daughter love.”
La cueva del erizo, blog, “A direct style, a stark use of language that beats you up like a Thai massage, and shamelessly modern in content and form, she (Milena) confesses the un-confessable – the same sins that we all hide – and she even promisses us that everything, even this, too, shall pass.”
You can now watch the book-trailer for the novel, which real pictures of Milena and her mother, and Cadaqués, the picturesque town where the novel takes place. Click here to watch it!
Many of the editions will be coming out in the up-coming months. Check the list of international publishers here and keep posted for more reviews and translations.
More information: Marina Penalva - marina@pontas-agency.com