José Morella

A woman subjected to the dangerous, destructive harassment of a man filled with hatred.

Violeta is hounded by a stalker, Salva, the mayor's son, who makes her life impossible. Not only does he shadow her on the social networks, but he also travels to the capital, where he has no reason to go, to mark Violeta's territory with his viscous, menacing presence: the university where she studies Physics, the routes she takes every day, and even the apartment that Violeta shares with her girlfriend. An apparently inconsequential snub is what triggered off this increasingly persistent and dangerous persecution, but neither Violeta nor her family nor her friends will be truly aware of its gravity until it is too late.

After winning the prestigious Café Gijón Prize with his previous book, José Morella delves into the hell of sexist violence in this new novel, where he takes a radically original approach and lays out a surprising, unexpected finale.

Winner of the 2019 Café Gijón Novel Prize 

A lesson in humanity, as moving as Awakenings by Oliver Sacks, as real and desperate as life itself.

Inspired by his childhood memories of Ibiza’s West End in the 1970s and 80s, on a corner of the island inhabited by working families emigrated from Andalusia, hippies from around the world, and tourists looking to party, José Morella reconstructs the difficult life of his grandfather, Nicomedes, who suffered from mental illness. Morella delves into his family’s history and the combination of fear, lack of understanding, and shame that led them to build a wall of isolation around his grandfather.

With a heterogeneous mix of genres, from his own family stories and autofiction to essay, Morella offers an energetic and electrifying lesson in humanity and compassion. Drawing on testimony, personal experience, nods and references from throughout the cultural spectrum, this book is an unforgettable read.

“José Morella writes with poetic simplicity, and his anti-solemnity is a lesson to be followed.” Elena Poniatowska, Winner of the 2013 Cervantes Prize

"Une des belles surprises de cette année 2022." Des Livres

"Notre mémoire est aussi une île qui nous réserve d’incroyables surprises. D’une éctriture plein, claire, vibrionnante, West End en est une autre." Dominique Aussanac, Le matricule des anges

The riotous, tragic life of the founding grandfather of counterculture.

Following a breakup, Llerandi decides to realise his dream of directing a movie about a unique and unrepeatable historical figure: Otto Gross, psychiatrist, unruly disciple of Sigmund Freud, psychoanalyst, anarchist, utopian, bohemian, defender of sexual liberation and matriarchy.  For research, Llerandi visits the cities where his protagonist lived and explores the intense, over-the-top life of a man who, in the eyes of the society of his time, was an untamed madman who deserved to be confined to a psychiatric facility. But Gross was a visionary, and found an opportunity to put his libertarian, utopian ideas into practice in Mt. Verità, Switzerland, a sort of naturist community/spa that would be frequented by progressives and visionaries, eccentric physicians, artists and bohemians.

Otto Gross’s endless struggle against the society of his time is personified in the conflict with his father, Hans Gross, a pioneering forensic scientist with a pathologically strict personality. His father manages to have Otto put away in a mental hospital for years. This gives rise to a public campaign for his release, supported by intellectuals from all over Europe, such as Franz Kafka, Carl Jung, Blaise Cendrars and Herman Hesse, heirs of the influence of a man who was several decades ahead of his time.

“A brilliant novel about the figure of the Austrian psychoanalyst Otto Gross.” Ernesto Ayala-Dip

"Well structured, well narrated, the novel takes us into the life of Otto Gross, a real character whose real life is so unusual, it seems invented. An intelligent read for those seeking something more in a book." Alicia Giménez-Bartlett

Roberto es un hombre acostumbrado a hacer lo que le da la gana. Un hombre independiente. Se jubiló hace seis años, pero, a sus setenta y un años, sigue traduciendo. Y cada mañana se sienta delante del ordenador, y traduce durante horas. La señora Dolores, la portera, sube a limpiar el piso un par de veces por semana pero cuando sufre una embolia y ya no puede volver a trabajar, Isabel, la hija de Roberto, insiste en que su padre pida una asistenta. Un lunes, Jacinta llama a la puerta. Su belleza y su carácter impresionan a Roberto, y enseguida surge algo entre ellos. Entre esa mujer, que sabe que siempre será una extranjera que genera una sorda desconfianza entre los locales, y ese hombre culto, aún ávido de vida, surge una relación que subvierte sus vidas y las de los que les rodean. Porque su goce suscita odios y revela prejuicios que nadie cree tener, pone en cuestión el limbo terrible al que los hijos condenan a los padres, los jóvenes a los viejos, los iguales a los diferentes. Una elegante, sagaz fábula de la cotidianidad, llena de inesperadas facetas a descubrir.

El joven Bruno recibe el inquietante encargo de entrevistar a Juan Salazar, un conocido escritor argentino al que le quedan pocas semanas de vida. Bruno conocerá, por boca del viejo moribundo su última novela, una confesión que, de ser cierta, desmentiría por completo la biografía del escritor, que asegura no ser Juan Salazar. A través de este gran desmentido vital se abordan problemas como la rebelión contra las condiciones materiales de nuestras vidas o la resistencia ante la mediocridad generalizada del mundo. Los personajes se debaten entre lo real y lo ficticio, la aventura o el miedo, la autenticidad del individuo libre o las limitaciones de las convenciones sociales.

Tambor de luz es el primer libro de poemas de José Morella, un breve pero intenso recorrido literario sobre la oscuridad y la luz que plasma con formas breves y precisas un mundo donde el solitario y el amante se dan la mano en una comunicación de contenidos turbios y a veces espirituales.