The Last Dream

A mischievous and genre-spanning story collection from legendary film director Pedro Almodóvar 'Almodóvar’s mind seems to be reporting from another world to illuminate, clarify, and challenge our own’ KAVEH AKBAR 'Akin to a Spanish Angela Carter' TELEGRAPH The Last Dream brings together twelve unpublished stories from Almodóvar’s personal archive, written between the late sixties and the present day. Delivering a tantalising glimpse into Almodóvar’s world, this wildly inventive collection reflects his most intimate obsessions, as well as his daring evolution as an artist. Ranging from ‘The Last Dream’ - a beautiful chronicle of the death of Almodóvar’s mother - to a love story between Jesus and Barabbas;, a cult film director out in search of painkillers on a bank holiday weekend, the original story behind the film Bad Education, and a gothic tale of a repentant vampire, these stories delight and surprise. The Last Dream is a celebration of the relationship between life and art, fiction and reality from an artist unafraid to write about our most intimate moments. Translated by Frank Wynne *Readers love THE LAST DREAM * ‘Dive into a world where vibrant characters and deep emotions come to life on the page’ ‘An intriguing blend of the personal, thoughts, his remarkable professional film career and more from the superb Pedro Almodóvar' ‘Colourful characters and situations, a little madness. Warmth, humour and strangeness' ‘Highly recommended’

A mischievous and genre-spanning story collection from legendary film director Pedro Almodóvar 'Almodóvar’s mind seems to be reporting from another world to illuminate, clarify, and challenge our own’ KAVEH AKBAR 'Akin to a Spanish Angela Carter' TELEGRAPH The Last Dream brings together twelve unpublished stories from Almodóvar’s personal archive, written between the late sixties and the present day. Delivering a tantalising glimpse into Almodóvar’s world, this wildly inventive collection reflects his most intimate obsessions, as well as his daring evolution as an artist. Ranging from ‘The Last Dream’ - a beautiful chronicle of the death of Almodóvar’s mother - to a love story between Jesus and Barabbas;, a cult film director out in search of painkillers on a bank holiday weekend, the original story behind the film Bad Education, and a gothic tale of a repentant vampire, these stories delight and surprise. The Last Dream is a celebration of the relationship between life and art, fiction and reality from an artist unafraid to write about our most intimate moments. Translated by Frank Wynne *Readers love THE LAST DREAM * ‘Dive into a world where vibrant characters and deep emotions come to life on the page’ ‘An intriguing blend of the personal, thoughts, his remarkable professional film career and more from the superb Pedro Almodóvar' ‘Colourful characters and situations, a little madness. Warmth, humour and strangeness' ‘Highly recommended’

"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 Almod?var 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. Almod?var 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 Almod?var's most intimate obsessions, as well as his evolution as an artist. In the title story, "The Last Dream," Almod?var 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

"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 Almod?var 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. Almod?var 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 Almod?var's most intimate obsessions, as well as his evolution as an artist. In the title story, "The Last Dream," Almod?var 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