Peruvian writer and journalist Luis Eduardo García has sold out the initial print run of his third novel, Tres maneras de morir, within two months of its release by publishing house Seix Barral.
The novel centers on Facundo Montiel, a 60-year-old man traveling on a flight to Madrid to say goodbye to his recently deceased father. During the journey, Montiel uses his memories to confront internal scars and examine past losses that have shaped his life.
García explained that grief is a recurring theme in literature and that he sought to avoid repeating existing narrative formulas. Instead, he chose to focus on a character who has achieved success in life but continues to carry unresolved emotional wounds. Montiel addresses his grief through multiple avenues, including physical exertion, tarot cards, psychology, and personal rationality.
The author noted that the story draws from his own life, including the death of his father and several romantic breakups. Among the specific memories embedded in the text is a childhood recollection of killing butterflies, a detail that stayed in García's mind for years.
Exploring grief and narrative perspective
Addressing the use of the first-person perspective, García said he prefers an intimate narrative tone that avoids egocentrism. Citing Argentine writer Martín Caparrós, García noted that first-person writing should not serve merely to speak about oneself, but rather to convey how the narrator perceives reality. He added that this approach reduces the distance between the writer and the reader.
The narrative takes place while Montiel is seated on a flight to Madrid, creating what García described as a structural challenge. To counterbalance the protagonist's internal memories, the narrative incorporates reflections on contemporary events alongside references to philosophy, essays, and literature. García explained that as individuals grow closer to death, they retain the memories that leave the deepest impressions.
Although the novel draws on real experiences, García clarified that he is not directly represented by Montiel. He maintained that all literature is inherently autobiographical, as writers mold real events to craft their stories.
Transition to fiction and academic background
Born in the northern Peruvian city of Piura, García developed his professional career in Trujillo, a major coastal city in northwestern Peru. There, he trained and worked as an author, teacher, and journalist, educating generations of communications students and writing widely read opinion columns for the local newspaper La Industria.
García established his literary reputation primarily as a poet before turning to longer prose. He explained that early attempts at fiction felt constrained, as if he were trapped in a straitjacket, with prose that felt overly calculated and cautious. Over time, as he acquired narrative techniques and accumulated life experience, he gained the confidence to write freely about subjects he knew well.
The success of Tres maneras de morir follows previous recognition for García's narrative work. In 2022, his novel El lugar de la memoria won the prestigious novel award presented by the Central Reserve Bank of Peru (BCRP), the country's central monetary authority. García stated that he does not mind being considered a late fiction writer, noting that literature and poetry have provided his primary way of engaging with life.
