Guillermo Fadanelli's Noir Novels Published in France

Mexican writer Guillermo Fadanelli, born in Mexico City in 1963, sees two of his works published for the first time in France by Éditions Christian Bourgois: the novel "L'Autre visage de Rock Hudson" and the short story collection "Un scorpion en février." Fadanelli founded the magazine Moho in 1989, which later became a publishing house, and is known for his polemical chronicles on global overinformation. His novel follows Juan Johnny Ramirez, a criminal who fascinates a young adolescent fan of the video game Mortal Kombat, leading him into Mexico City's underworld. The narrative, with rapid pacing and sharp dialogue, evokes comparisons to William S. Burroughs and the film "Amores perros." The short stories, reminiscent of Paula Fox's desperate characters, use humor and absurdity to explore ordinary lives constrained by social norms. One story, "Interrogez Samantha," features an eleven-year-old girl threatened with expulsion for locking herself in a bathroom with a classmate; her father's defiant response leaves the headmistress disconcerted. Fadanelli belongs to a new generation of Mexican writers, alongside Guillermo Arriaga, who have traveled between continents. Also noted is the first French translation of Argentine writer Fogwill's "Muchacha punk" by Passage du Nord/Ouest.