Enrique Vila-Matas: Paradox of Loss in Dual Publications

Spanish author Enrique Vila-Matas simultaneously releases two books: a new novel, "Dublinesca," and a pocket edition of "Perdre des théories." Both open with the same anecdote—a protagonist stranded at a conference in Lyon—before diverging. In "Dublinesca," retired publisher Riba, nearing sixty, hides his firm's sale from his elderly parents by fabricating a trip to Dublin for Bloomsday, where he plans to bury the print era with three writer friends. The novel brims with literary allusions, humor, and a cast of real and fictional authors. In "Perdre des théories," a first-person narrator—a writer also stuck in Lyon—reflects on waiting, Kafka, and the value of literary theory, arguing that losing theories is like losing countries while traveling: paradoxically enriching. The book defends theory as a necessary foundation for contemporary writing, despite its apparent obsolescence. Both works showcase Vila-Matas's signature blend of metafiction, erudition, and playfulness.