C'etait le jour des morts

1981. Omar et Elda fuient le Mexique pour les Etats-Unis. Mais il n'y a pas que la traversée de la frontière qui s'avère dangereuse... et ils ne sortiront pas indemnes de ce périple clandestin. 2012. Isabel épouse Martin, le jour de la Fête des morts. Lui apparaît alors le fantôme d'un homme qu'elle n'a jamais rencontré. Il lui dit être le père de son mari. Il souhaite qu'elle l'aide à renouer le contact avec les siens, qui l'ont tellement rejeté qu'il n'arrive pas à les atteindre. Par la suite, Omar apparaît ce jour-là à Isabel, et se livre à elle. Dans le monde des vivants, la jeune femme tâche de dénouer les noeuds, de recoller les morceaux, afin que chaque membre de cette famille meurtrie puisse trouver un certain apaisement... y compris ceux qui sont morts depuis longtemps. "Un roman magnifiquement écrit qui m'a totalement captivée". Roxane Gay, auteure de Bad Feminist "Sylvester brosse un tableau mémorable de l'existence précaire et des choix difficiles auxquels font face les sans-papiers en Amérique". Publisher's Weekly "Dans son oeuvre, Sylvester s'intéresse peu aux révélations et aux fins heureuses... Comme ses parents restés vagues sur les raisons de leur émigration, C'était le jour des morts joue avec l'incertitude et refuse les réponses faciles". The Village Voice "Un roman visionnaire qui aborde les questions de la séparation des familles, du laborieux passage d'un pays à un autre et des sacrifices que nous sommes prêts à faire en échange d'un avenir meilleur". Houston Chronicle

The Belgian painter René Magritte (1898-1967) was an outstanding figure in the Surrealist movement and is surely one of this century's major artists. Since the 1960s his work has had a massive and continuing influence, not only on art, but on the imagery of popular culture. This is the fifth and final volume of the critically acclaimed catalogue raisonné of the artist, edited by David Sylvester. This volume is the essential supplement to the series, including a cumulative index, an annotated select bibliography by Lynette Cawthra, exhibitions lists and important revisions and additions to the four earlier volumes, written by David Sylvester, Sarah Whitfield and Michael Raeburn. As a whole, the series (I-V) presents an authoritative survey of the artist's oeuvre, from 1916 to his death in 1967. The text offers a systematic survey of his oil paintings (I-III), objects (II-III), bronzes (III), gouaches, temperas, watercolours and papiers collés (IV), and Magritte's work as a commercial artist (V). Underpinning the entries on the individual works is a minutely detailed biographical chronology which constitutes a major contribution to the study of Surrealism in Belgium. The books include substantial and often unpublished extracts from Magritte's correspondence and writings, given both in the original French and in English translation. Volume V completes a series widely recognised as indispensable for Magritte scholars and admirers alike.

The Belgian painter René Magritte (1898-1967) was an outstanding figure in the Surrealist movement and is one of this century's major artists. Since the 1960s his work has had a massive influence, not only on art, but on the imagery of popular culture. Following the publication to critical acclaim of the first volume of René Magritte : Catalogue Raisonné, Volume 11, written by David Sylvester and Sarah Whitfield, presents a systematic survey of Magritte's paintings and objects between 1931 and 1948. As in Volume 1, an illustrated detailed chronology of the artist's career precedes over 370 illustrated entries which discuss the dating, genesis and history of each work. Substantial extracts are included from Magritte's largely unpublished correspondence, which reveal, in particular, how fearful the artist was of having his work condemned as `degenerate' by the Nazis during the period of occupation between 1940 and 1945. In addition, there follows an appendix consisting of forty four untraced works of which there is no photographic record. The subsequent three volumes, to be published later this year and in 1994, cover Magritte's oil paintings, objects and sculptures of 1949-1967 (Volume 111), works in water-based media (gouaches, temperas, watercolours and papiers collés) of 1920-1967 (Volume IV) and, finally, an annotated bibliography, supplement and indices (Volume V). Volumes III and IV are by Sarah Whitfield and Michael Raeburn. All five volumes are edited by David Sylvester.