for readers Sunday VillarInspector Leo Caldas will forever remain in the living room of his apartment. vigo, In the third and final episode of the literary series starring the succinct detective, Mónica falls asleep sitting on the sofa after solving Andrade’s disappearance case, “The last ship”. On May 18, 2022, a stroke cut off the writer from Vigo. He was 50 years old and took with him many stories that would never see the light of day. In fact, despite leaving a posthumous gift, he plunged into a new novel when surprised by death: “Síbaris,” a theatrical comedy due next fall, which confirms the versatility of his first novel, Villar. “Ollos de auga” (“Ojos de agua”, Spanish) has already made it a bestseller, and his last published work in his life was the short story book “Some complete stories” (2021). Carlos Baonza.
Both Francisco Castro, director of Galaxia, and Ofelia Grande, director of Siruela, publishers of Villar’s works in Galician and Spanish, respectively, agree that the critical and public success of the Vigo writer lies in his work. tremendous literary quality. “Domingo Villar is a great writer. And I’m speaking right now because right now there are no dark novels in Galicia or the Province, there is no one to control the level of work, so good that in the plot of the noir, where there are many crooks, who confuses with writing moita, a corpse you go around”, confirms Castro.
Castro highlights the universe he created around the character of inspector Leo Caldas, his Galician temperament and the city of Vigo, where he managed to reach readers from half the world. “He has succeeded in entrusting millions of people from different language latitudes to him and his talents,” says the editor and author.
His early death snatched a reference writer of full creative maturity from Galician letters. “It was a great moment to give the best of what he did. Tiña moi moved on to Leo Caldas’ new story and I was happy with the way it was going and we would doubt everything or that I wouldn’t be able to write it and hence wouldn’t be able to enjoy it either. ‘ adds Castro, who describes him as a ‘master of the word’, a perfectionist who weaves the plot in ‘slow fire’.
For all these reasons, Anna Soler-Pont, director of the Pontas literary agency, said Villar was a A must read author. “The best respect we can have between us is to talk about her books, recommend them, buy them, and distribute them nonstop,” she says.
Villar was one of the first authors to manage to publish his novels simultaneously in Galician and Spanish. Spanish editor Ofelia Grande, director of Siruela, assures that Villar continues. “It is fully alive and will continue to be in bookstores”. “His work continues to be read because his novels have a very high literary quality and also have the advantage of being police stories with interesting plots put together very well. Although he writes detective novels, he is a writer who has transcended this genre. His books are appreciated by all kinds of literature readers,” she confirms.
That explains why you’re selling 100,000 to 150,000 copies of each title in SpanishBetween regular edition and paperback, according to Siruela, and Galician remains number one in sales, with thousands of copies sold each year, according to Galaxia.
Xurxo Patiño of the Librouro de Vigo bookstore assures that it continues to gain readers. “He was one of the best novelists in Spain, Unfortunately, he was not very productive, and he drew some characters that left a lasting impression on us, such as Inspector Caldas and his assistant”.
According to the bookstore, his novels were among the bestsellers at the time, and demand has only increased. “He was always one of the best-selling authors in Galician, and even more so since his death,” he says.
Reading the adventures of Leo Caldas is also getting lost in the streets of Vigo, getting to know its estuary and the temperament of its people.This adds value to his work, according to Vigo writer Pedro Feijoo, of whom Villar is a reference for himself as a reader and a writer. “Beginning with the fact that he was the last author to put the city on the map, we still don’t realize the huge debt we owe for everything he puts on the table. Many cruise passengers visit the city, following in the footsteps of Leo Caldas. “I don’t remember any other Galician writer who cared so much about their city,” he says.
The author of “Un fuego azul” admits he owes “half of his career” to Villar. “He confirmed to me that they can count Bestselling stories set in Vigo and there is a public willing to read them”.
Feijoo is one of the lucky ones to be able to read Villar’s posthumous “Síbaris,” which he wrote in the decade between “La playa de los ahogados” and “El último barco.” FARO’s author and collaborator may prove to be a work that is as funny as it is intelligible, reaffirming his mastery of the pen and his determination to excel. “He had so much talent that it fell out of his pocket,” he says.
The last Novel and Film Noir Congress in Salamanca, by its author “Domingo Villar. The not-for-sale “Wordmaster” Siruela, drawn by Carlos Baonza and written by the Editor, which brings together texts by Francisco Castro, Carlos Zanón and others, as well as the texts of the late Alexis Ravelo and Villar’s wife, Beatriz Lozano. Villar won the Pata Negra award for “The Last Boat” from this convention in 2019.
Carlos Blanco to Star in “Síbaris”
With “Síbaris” the curtain will be drawn on the literary legacy of Domingo Villar, who suffered a stroke in full literary maturity. The work has not yet come to light – it is expected to appear simultaneously in Galician (Galaxia) and Spanish (Siruela), as is customary for the author from Vigo, on September 20, but his future readers are already in the face and voice of him. protagonist: those of the actor Charles White. “It’s work he finished before he died, and he was very excited about it,” says his representative, Anne Soler-Pont.
“Síbaris” is not a black species. Nor is it a novel. It’s a comedy. theatrical Of course, he retains the distinctive features of his author: the reticent and calm style in which he weaves his stories. This has been confirmed by those who have the privilege to read this. posthumous work, It is a sharp, funny and sometimes brutal but always clear reflection on literature and everything that surrounds it. Many writers’ passions and phobias run through it, and those who dedicate themselves to writing need to relate to their fears, insecurities, and paranoia. Who knows, so are Villar’s.
In this game, Carlos Blanco plays a newly awarded writer. Nobel Prize but those who have been immersed in a creative block for years. The piece is currently in the middle of production and will premiere next fall in Vigo, Galician. After a few weeks touring in Galicia, it will be staged in Spanish in Madrid.