Alan Pauls' 'Le passé': A Novel of Love, Jealousy, and Time

Alan Pauls, born in Buenos Aires in 1959, is celebrated as one of the most brilliant and innovative writers of the Spanish-American literary scene. His novel 'Le passé' (published by Éditions Christian Bourgois) is a sprawling work that explores love, jealousy, time, and memory. The story follows Rimini and Sofia, separated for twelve years, with Rimini as a translator-interpreter haunted by flashbacks and letters from Sofia. The narrative moves between present and past, structured like a sonata, with stylistic echoes of Proust and Badalamenti. Rimini's relationships with Vera, Carmen (with whom he has a child), and Nancy are marked by erotic epiphanies and cocaine-fueled scenes. A subplot parallels the biography of Austrian painter Jeremy Riltse, a Sick Art artist obsessed with organs. Sofia joins a group called 'Women Who Love Too Much,' and the novel maintains a humorous tone amid tragedy. The ending leaves the reader astonished.