"THE CONSUL OF SODOM" "s t true you're a poet?" "Well..." "I'd prefer to be thought of as a poem." "Ja me" "So what now?" "Now everything" "Excuse me." "Come in." "Go and sleep in your bedroom." "Don't make a noise. my mother's asleep." "How do you like it?" "Good morning." "Good morning." "Are you all right?" "Thank you" "Bye, Johnny." "Let's lower. ." "the percentage." "Abso utely not My father would never allow it." "Good for you Don't keep her wa ting any onger" "'m go ng to m ss all this." "Not as much as you think." "Why's that?" "What's going on, Vctor?" "Those are the least comprom sing" "Those are the least comprom sing" "Where did these come from?" "I don't know." "paid an ntermediary." "You're giv ng in to blackma over me?" "Sorry, Jaime." "But your father asked me to look out for you" "My father?" "He knows about this?" "Look, Jaime.." "Your prvate life is none of my business but .." "So keep out of it." "Then I heard that I'd be going, that wherever I went 'd have a bed and a book to read." "But others would not be eaving They would stay on for years without being ab e to wait furiously for 7 o'clock to come and so escape, to leap to the other side of life." "And that - the abject misery, a fe of constant harassment by the r needs - will be their ves, their whole existence." "Ladies, the commun st is back." "You haven't been there" "Many farmers have had to sell their ch dren as if they were s aves." "Jaime, please!" "That's so unpleasant" "When Dad comes. tell him to give the plantations to the peasants." "Don't talk polit cs at tab e!" "This sn't polit cs, mother." "It's justice." "Keep that for your poems." "Ja me. did you write anything new" "in the Philippines?" "Two verses in three months." "Mr Jaime, there are two men from the political brigade asking for you." "Show them through to the study" "' n the heat, after the th ckness, the river returns to the land '" "My grandfather, the Speaker of the House, during the Repub c" "Good evening." "'m Inspector Cre x" "This s Sub- nspector Garrido." "We just wanted to ta k to you for a moment." "What about?" "You write. ." "poetry. don't you?" "Yes. I try." "Do you assoc ate with other poets and wrters?" "With some." "Do you know these?" "I know them a ." "Some better than others." "You know they're a communists?" "Some have been arrested and it won't be long before the others are too." "Are you warn ng. ." "or threatening me?" "Leo." "' t seems we can declare ourselves to be men." "t seems we can say no." "To say no once n the street for all the other t mes we cou d not say it."" "Did you write that?" "Yes." "Leaflets like these were handed out at the students' strike" "Did you know that?" "I just got back from the Philippines." "An acquaintance of yours told us about you at the po ce station" "What did he say?" "That you're a queer." "And a very clever one." "Don't come to Barcelona at the moment." "t's quieter in Cadaques." "Jaime." "Manuel." "How are you?" "Hello." "Stay in hiding for the t me being." "There have been arrests." "But we're rid of the official candidates" "They'll process them. ." "it's a setback.." "then send them home." "All sons of winners." "Manue , I also regret the beat ngs" " 've never had." "Can't you see, Ja me?" "An enemy n the home changes everything know." "And I want to be part of that." "But really so." "Your gin and tonic." "Thank you" "Mr Mars,'s here." "Tell him to come in." "Well, we , the worker-writer." "Congratulations on your novel t's exce ent" "Thank you I hope can stop being the worker now and just be the writer." "The regime's tottering." "Juan." "Some have been saying that for 20 years" "Juan's a born sceptic." "That's why h s novel's so decadent." "only describe what I see, more or less" "Mr." "Baldwin on the phone." "Shit, 'd forgotten." "Jimmy's here He wants to see some n ghtlife and thought you .." "haven't seen Lu s yet." "Yvonne and I are celebrat ng our wedding anniversary ton ght" "All rght" "Want to come a ong, Juan?" "work from 7 AM to 3 PM then I go home to write." "don't have time." "Time. . the child that moves the pieces" "Heraclitus" "The galley proof." "Show him the Sagrada Familia then go home" "The Sagrada Familia?" "know more edifying places." "Ja me!" "expected you tomorrow." "just can't live without you." "What are you doing here?" "had a meeting... and came back for a nap." "You're doing pretty well." "l' get dressed." "Wait, wait, wait. ." "Let's put an end to th s terrible abstinence." "know you and your abstinence!" "Do you prefer billy boys or half-castes?" "prefer Spanish guys who forget they're doing it for money don't m nd paying." "But like... to be appreciated" "see the Philippines have changed your habits." "Look at me!" "Look at me!" "What's the matter?" "Nothing." "Nothing's the matter." "Let's go out for dinner and ta k" "We' ta k about.." "whatever you want." "But first... have to see a fore gner." "want you to come a ong." "Not aga n." "Go on." "We' show him a few sights and that'll be t" "All rght" "Hey, kids. I spy a black man." "A b ack man!" "Come on, stop showing off" "Let's go somewhere norma ." "This s normal" "Luis, could you get some more wine. please?" "You get it." "'m t red of your nonsense." "You could at least translate." "You wouldn't understand anyway." "Juan to, half a litre of m nt." "'m go ng to blow my Antonio." "salah" "Chapter 4, verse 6." "Morning, Mr. Jaime." "Yourfather asks if he can come n." "Of course he can." "want to talk to you" "Afrend of mine from Harlem." "Take that Caligula outf t off." "'ll wait outs de." "spoke to Inspector Creix on the phone." "That leaflet affa r's sorted out" "'Leave the rch alone, ' Franco said." "That depends." "They had people like you shot after the war" "Ja me .." "a scandal would ru n your career with the firm and the reputation of the whole family." "No-one's interested in the private life of a poet." "Yourfather's worred about t" "And so is your mother." "know you're ashamed of me." "'m not ashamed of you." "You're a G de Biedma." "But do wish things were different." "Where's J mmy?" "He eft." "sn't the s ut eaving too?" "Watch it!" "Here." "Get dressed quickly .." "and go." "No, don't" "Sit down." "Bloody-minded queers!" "What about me?" "How much are you going to g ve me?" "Nothing, now that I've got you a job." "When I found you, all you had was a suit." "A brown suit." "And you've always been an insufferab e little rich kid" "Nothing ke fucking a gypsy gir to d scover" "one's soc al conscience" "At least she's not foo ng anyone." "Right.." "You seem very fond of the whores' gu d." "Ja me .." "we need to talk." "Leave the keys n the vase and go." "Careful, that Lalique's worth a fortune." "We're through." "Wait.." "Wait, Lu s Wait." "'m sorry I'm sorry." "At least take the keys" "'One goes out, kisses a g rl or buys a book, wa ks happ y down the street and they strike him down." "How could he dare?" "The Architrave."" "Nobody'll understand this." "lt's clear enough." "The words of the tr be." "t's you who don't understand." "The book's a journey from the end of adolescence" "to adulthood." "Wth soc al issues too" "That's obvious." "As based on my experence and soc al class. though somet mes mistrust both." "think .." "dressing up as a poet and singing is a des re to place oneself in Mardi Gras situations." "' was born, if you'll excuse me," "in the age of the pergo a and tennis." -l'm trying to write a poem about Spa n while avoid ng the phantasmagoric." "Asestina." "A mediaeva sestina?" "They'll call you frivo ous ron c perhaps, but not frvo ous" "Spain's more like a mediaeval c ch, than a modern literary theme going beyond anyone's experience" "Hence the sestina." "So that what the poem is can be greater than what the poet says." "Franco's back ng the Opus Dei technocrats and withdraw ng the Fa angists" "They want to freeze wages and cut socia spending." "Right, Federico?" "Manue 's very cold towards me." "I don't understand." "He doesn't dare tell you, Jaime, but .." "you haven't been adm tted into the party." "Why?" "Things to do with comrade Len n." "What's he got to do w th t?" "They say homosexuals cou d be a threat to the safety of the party." "Queers might rat to the police." "l see." "'m sorry." "Jaime." "Orthodox economic remed es." "We need to turn labour str kes into po tica ones." "And the government's plan would fail" "What if t doesn't?" "We'd have European prosperity on a Span sh sca e." "Prosperity on a small and pretty miserable scale." "Of all the stores in history, the saddest of all is that of Spa n because of the unhappy ending t's as if a man, tired of struggling with h s inner demons, decided to p ace h s poverty n the government's hands" "Your post, sir." "Thank you." "Conch ta." "I'd like to think of th s bad government as a vu gar." "man-made affair and not a metaphys cal ssue, and that Spa n must and can rse out of its poverty." "There's still t me to change the course of its history before the demons drag it away." "Morning." "Mr. Ja me" "Morn ng." "This s for washing." "Sorry 'm late." "Dad." "Have you signed a manifesto for some miners?" "Yes." "This s from the army." "It's for you." "You have to report to the Bruch barracks urgently." "You're no onger a second lieutenant." "You've been demoted." "To me, that's an honour." "F nish your breakfast" "We have to go." "What' they do to you?" "Str p me of my stripes at a public ceremony on the parade ground." "Like Dreyfus." "Jaime, please!" "t's no joking matter." "A minister called your father and at work they're asking him questions." "May Spa n expel those demons." "and poverty affect the government .." "Sign here." "...and may men by the masters of their history." "You may go s that it?" "sn't it enough?" "particularly remember the end of the war." "My father stood at the window crying as General Yague's troops marched down the street." "was shit-scared." "For me, they were the happiest days of my life" "But th s was v rtua y on the front line." "No, it was in Segov a." "Aplace we oved visiting, fu of lieutenants with arms n s ngs" "For the k ds t was a way of coming close to the war." "t's been a long time, Mr. Jaime." "You get younger every day." "Austreberto." "Thank you kindly" "How do you do it?" "This way." "You'll f nd th s perfect for wrting" "Let's see today's y eld." "Here." "Shit, writ ng nove s is ke sitt ng for a really hard exam." "Yes. but poetry doesn't put food on the tab e." "That's why I'm a Sunday poet with a Monday conscience." "I spend the rest of the week in an office push ng pens" "l'm a practica man." " try to be too." "By writing seriously" "What's 'seriously' for you?" "Making a liv ng from what I write." "So you th nk a writer writes so that soc ety" "w buy books?" "That's rght" "Why pub sh your work?" "To inf uence others. I suppose" "t's a rather Dickensian story." "The doctor told her she cou dn't have children." "They came out. hailed a taxi," "and my father was nside." "lncred ble." "You look gorgeous tonight." "Yvonne!" "Thank you." "Excuse me." "Thank you" "Who's that?" "Marcelino." "He says he's a Manhattan broker but I don't believe him think the guy's a gigolo." "Ja me. who's she?" "The marchioness." "She has a suite at the Wellington." "She throws the w dest parties in Madrid" "No, the one next to her." "Ah, Joaquina, her compan on." "The only normal person here." "Carlos is getting horny." "Careful or he'll stand behind the muse and dedicate another and another and another of his love poems to you" "That's all you learned at Oxford?" "Ja me's unbearable tonight." "We've all had a bit to drink." "Brit sh hypocrisy imported by an berlan consumed by petty passions!" "Carlos!" "Let him be" "What's wrong, Red Riding Hood?" "Noth ng." "t's this wine t really makes me cry." "Would you like something e se?" "Awolf to eat me." "There's nothing more sexy than a woman with eye shadow smeared with tears" "'ll cry all you want" "The. ." "character of Teresa..." "Marvellous." "But the boyfriend from outside Catalonia..." "I'm not conv nced." "It's my version of the 19th-century nove ." "A man who wants to be someone but can only succeed by winning over a rich girl" "And your girl.." "what does she expect of him?" "To have a great t me in another word." "The king of the party." "He who dances w th everyone." "He who can handle everyone." "A knight in shining armour." "Even though the armour's a brown suit." "Because deep down, he's just a street urchin." "Here." "A portrait of your Pijoaparte." "'Pink sh rt, jeans, a provocative attitude and a sm e that's just too winning." "From Murc a." "Smell: of wild cat." "The bastard does smell like that." "Like a wild cat." "Thank you." "Jaime." "Come in, my boy." "How was your holiday?" "Comforting." "So you're br ng ng out another book." "'m trying to." "Through a publisher in Mex co." "n Mexico?" "The censors won't let me print it here 've been th nking of changing flats" "What about lives?" "That may not be so easy." "You know, son... need a change too" " 'm ret ring early." "But the tobacco company's your life know." "It's a ship that's harder and harder to steer." "Some young blood is called for." "Things are changing too fast and I'm t red." "But..." "Jaime." "Two books of poems n seven years don't make for a literary career." "Yourfuture lies w th the firm." "We all have a great deal of faith in you" "What's the point, I'd like to know, of changing flats?" "Of leaving behind a basement darker than my reputation ..?" "And that's say ng someth ng." "Putting up ace curtains and engaging a maid" "Giv ng up the bohem an way of life so that then you'll come along." "you great bore, my embarrassing guest, you foo dressed in my suits, you drone, you use ess id ot, with washed hands, to eat from my p ate and make the house d rty" "Among the shadows of my past is a star without redemption that never led my steps" "along the path of my dreams." "My eyes never looked up but down on the ground, where l lived... go with you to the ate-night bars." "The pimps. the flower-sellers, the dead streets of the sma hours." "The ye ow-lit lifts when you get home drunk and look at yourse f in the mirror, your face a ruin, with still violent eyes that you don't want to c ose" "And if rebuke you, you augh, you rem nd me of the past and tell me" "that I'm getting o d." "I might remind you that you're no longer funny, that your casua sty e and self-assurance are gruesome, being over thirty years of age." "And that that charming, *ldreamy-eyed boyish smile, wh ch everyone's bound to fa for." "is just a pit ab e vest ge, a pathetic sham" "As you ook at me with those true orphan's eyes you weep and prom se not to do it. ." "Dreams of clay, it's all a e," "those lips pretend to be full of passion .." "f you weren't such a slut and if didn't know, as have for some t me." "that you are strong when am weak, and weak when I am furious..." "My recollection of your home-com ngs fills me with confus on, pan c." "sorrow and dissatisfaction and the despair, impatience and resentment of suffering again." "Yet again the unforg vable humiliation of over-intimacy." "Like a man going to he 'll take you to bed to s eep w th you" "Dying with each step of impotence, bumping into furniture in the dark we'll cross the floor in a c umsy embrace, staggering from dr nk and stfled sobs." "F ower... of. ." "ev ." "Today the noble serv tude of loving human beings, and the most ignoble of a , which is oving oneself." "So, Ja me .." "first the d sco, then the magazine." "'Boccaccio" will show the world what Barcelona is. lt's a here .." "arch tects, writers. photographers, actresses, models. ." "Who make no contr bution to life" "Let's have done with complexes. in a year's time, this will be like London." "That's a fool's dream." "n London there's no Franco." "Franco's an old bastard." "We have a sole obligat on and f you're to be editor-in-chief, you have to be the biggest dreamer of all." "We should show people that culture is sexy," "especially those in Madrid." "Ho d on a minute" "They may not see culture as a way of life but they have marchionesses and knowing who the march oness has s ept with can be decisive." "So show some respect for the Cast an plateau." "Co ta!" "Come and have a drink w th me - can't." "l'm working." "Come on." "All rght. as t's you .." "Aren't I handsome enough for an artic e?" "More than enough." "As always." "Liar." "have to wait around to get a good shot." "Come on, et's have a drink can't." "But a friend of mine wants to meet you." "She's a fascinating woman" "Her name's Bel." "Are you hurt?" "l did it for you." "'To know about love, to learn love, one needs to have been alone. '" "'And with 400 different bodies on 400 different nights to have made ove '" "That's my favourte." "wrote t to prove that one can be unfa thful yet head over heels n love." "You can't go to bed w th anyone you're not in love with, can you?" "Yes, but I fall head over heels in love every night." "What happens when you wake up?" "look at myse f in the mirror and the spe is broken." "fee sorry for things that have broken." "You fix them but they still bear the scars." "hate wrinkles." "I wish I had a portrait aging for me in an attic." "That's strange .." "can't find your life line." "Then... let's not waste any more time." "Good morning." "What's wrong?" "Yourfather fainted" "What's wrong?" "Just high blood pressure." "Nothing too serous" "He's t red." "Ja me. perhaps this isn't the right t me. but he'd be very happy" "if you took over from him" "No" "No." "*l .." "could never take my father's place." "'m no good" "But you're a br ant negotiator" "And you know the business." "l don't care." "You know it too and you have all the skills." "You should volunteer." " 'm not in the fam y." " s he in the fami y?" "Migue ?" "The telegraphist's son?" "Times are chang ng." "got married when I was 18." "With an idiot, just to eave home" "They're gorgeous." "That's Marx's great-granddaughter." "She's scared the police will f nd out and jail her." "sn't that amaz ng?" "A pr*t-...-porter mode and Marx's great-granddaughter." "How does your des gn look on me" "Divine." "Have you met Jaime?" "No." "But 've heard all about you" "Scary!" "Have a good time." "You're full of surprises" "You design jewellery, have two k ds, know how to fall down..." "What else can you do?" "Wait... have my period." "So what?" "'m a vampire." "'m a vampire." "Hello, princess" "Hi." "Dad." "Hi." "What are you do ng here?" "said 'd pick them up" "Don't talk nonsense. okay?" "t's my turn today!" "t's my turn today!" "No way" "P ease!" "What's wrong?" "Please calm down." "Exact y." "Come on, baby." "Stop!" "Absinthe brings fe an hour of solemnity and ght to dark precip ces, said Baudelaire." "In France they call t 'la f,e verte", the green fairy." "n many countries it's forb dden." "love the forbidden." "Police!" "You know what's coming next." "Run!" "You know what's coming next." "Run!" "Toledo, Ohio." "That way his girlfriend won't find out" "The biggest whores n the world." "This is too crowded." "Yes" "We don't need any of them." "'d like to take care of you." "So what are you wa ting for?" "So f there are no more questions. ." "the board meeting's over." "Good afternoon." "Ja me" "Congratulations on your report" "Thank you" "Bye, Jaime." "Whoever sits here will be lucky having you by h s side." "I th nk what's needed is someone young, dynam c .." "with fresh ideas." "n short. a poet." "Are you sure, son?" "Yes." "The board will have to approve it but you have all my support" "The board will have to approve it but you have all my support" "S r?" "Yes?" "There's a young lady asking for you." "Ayoung ady?" "She says she's your girlfrend." "Not here." "They could be watching me 'll have to go to court to keep the custody of my children." "'ll have to go to court to keep the custody of my children." "wonder what k nd of ev dence that idiot will come up with don't know but he's really resentful." "Don't worry, know some very good lawyers." "She's pretty." "And strange." "Susan!" "How's our novelist?" "Hid ng beh nd that newspaper." "And I th nk t'll all be f ne." "How's t going?" "Well. in the end, a blonde n a convertible" "What about Pijoaparte?" "What about Pijoaparte?" "As if he didn't exist." "Advertis ng has ru es." "They don't want poor peop e." "They on y want pretty g rls from Pedralves" "But th s one isn't from Pedralves" "She's from Copenhagen." "Good" "With a V king g rl on the cover." "the book will be a h t" "Didn't I tell you so?" "Didn't I tell you so?" "Bring Jaime a glass." "You said Pjoaparte was missing" "There he s." "straight out of your book." "Don't even look at him" "Why?" "Will he hit me?" "Why?" "Will he hit me?" "Gypsies are very particu ar, espec ally about that." "Agypsy!" "Agypsy to boot!" "Give me another, Lorenzo" "Excuse me. are you Ja me G de Biedma, the poet?" "'m a company secretary genera , ke Stalin" "Apart from that." "'ve written two books of poems." "Who are you?" "work for a magazine, I just wanted to chat." "Don't waste your time." "Ta k to Garcia Marquez, he's 'in" th s season" "All I need is a snippet of goss p." "'m in charge of a section called 'Overheard at Boccacc o' ." "What's your name?" "Enrique." "What's your name?" "Enrique." "Well, Enrique, 'm going to let you nto a secret." "Know what all these people are doing here?" "nventing ves for themselves." "t's the only way they can put up with th s interm nable d ctatorsh p." "They a do the best they can." "Over there, Ricardo Bofill the arch tect" "They a do the best they can." "Over there, Ricardo Bofill the arch tect and communist." "Torn between making a film w th his lta an girlfrend and buying an Alfa Romeo" "There's another specimen." "With a highly-styled character" "Carlos Barral, poet, editor and ship's captain" "Dresses ke a Cuban guerr a and the police think he's mad" "Dresses ke a Cuban guerr a and the police think he's mad" "so they don't arrest him" "My character's a work of art." "But it's not a life. lt's literature" "Shall we talk of" "the d calage of life and literature?" "ln favour of life" "or literature?" "ln my case, n favour" "of literature" "Always." "He can give you some better goss p than me." "He can give you some better goss p than me." "Gossip?" "All right, but literary goss p." "What do you want to know?" "call Mr. Ja me G de Biedma y Alba." "Counsel for the plaintff may begin." "Thank you. my ord." "Mr. Gil de B edma, did you write a poem entitled 'AVery Young Separated Woman"?" "Yes, I did." "My lord, may read a few lines from that poem?" "'Today, dressed as a corsair," "'Today, dressed as a corsair, you were seen with six overs on each arm, lsabe , child lsabe , sitt ng stiff y on a stoo , rad ant." "your hair tousled by a wind that is yours alone." "pres ding over the merriment." "Take care, chi d lsabe , for we are in Spain, for they are one and the same those idiot lovers of yours and your beast of a husband."" "and the same those idiot lovers of yours and your beast of a husband."" "Mr Gil de Biedma." "am I to understand that the child sabel in this poem, is the woman accused of adultery in this case?" "Definitely not." "The sabel in the poem is fictit ous?" "Not fictitious but invented.." "which is different." "Not fictitious but invented.." "which is different." "have here a transcription of an interview n which you declare yourself a "poet of experience' That is.." "that you never invent but only wrte about what you see or experience." "Therefore, my lord, the verses 've just read the verses 've just read describe the defendant's adulterous way of fe, wh ch comp etely disqualifies her as a wife and mother." "My lord, may add something?" "Yes, p ease go ahead." "f the child Isabel in the poem were the defendant, then the "beast" of her husband would be were the defendant, then the "beast" of her husband would be this gent eman." "wh ch would lead us to be eve that the plaintiff has an uncivilised and possibly v olent nature." "And no decent mother shou d have to tolerate a savage." "And the ch dren come first." "And the ch dren come first." "You're a son of a b tch!" "Order!" "We're doing poetry" "at schoo ." "Rea y?" "How?" "We read it." "We read it." "Of course." "How silly of me." "Do you ke t?" "Yes." "Tell him why you ke it." "I ke t because it's like songs but without music." "Come on out. or you'll go all wrinkly." "Come on out. or you'll go all wrinkly." "Come on -l don't want to" "Let me." "Out we come." "So t's like that, is it?" "Just you wait." "The property's 15 years old but as you can see, in perfect cond tion Five bedrooms. two bathrooms, kitchen." "in perfect cond tion Five bedrooms. two bathrooms, kitchen." "living room and many nearby amenit es, inc ud ng two parks and two schoo s Have you got any children?" "Yes, two." "What's the matter, Conchita?" "Yourfather's wa ting for you." "Are you all right, Dad?" "The board's waiting for us" "All with an enve ope like this one." "f you don't want to, you don't have to come in." "The secretary will read out the agenda" "'One: review of our Man a office's fixed costs" "Two:" "the sale of the plantation in Equatoria Guinea." "Three: renewa of the credit with the Chase Manhattan Bank" "Four: proposal of candidates for the post of Director General '" "'m so sorry." "Jaime." "never thought they'd go that far" "Any idea who sent those photos?" "No, I don't know." "cou dn't stop them this time." "Did the blackmail fund dry up?" "don't understand." "Look, Victor... knew you were amb tious, but I never magined you were so resentful or a traitor" "The harm you've done my father .." "'ll never forgive you for that." "Sorry, Jaime, but I th nk you're a bit overwrought." "Are you're too calm." "You're making a mistake..." "Listen. you fool." "Even though you take the cha r as the next Director Genera , you' never be one of us." "Do you know what you've done?" "Handed it to Meler on a p ate" "We' see." "We' see." "Get out!" "All on your own?" "Without a sou in the world" "What's your name?" "Ja me" "Ja me G de Biedma." "Bel!" "You forgot we were having lunch together" "Yes, I did. I'm sorry." "Bye." "Bye." "Do you think it'd work?" "'ve already been married once. I'm no good for it." "Would you want me to wait" "at home for you. buy your ties?" "We cou d grow old together don't want to grow old." "Neither do you." "Having a p ace of our own and being the boss.." "that life wou d k you." "And you and me?" "Shall we go on as always?" "Sleeping together from time to time?" "sn't that good enough for you?" "'To know about love, to learn love. ."" "Look." "Bel." "'ve already heard that tune don't want to be alone s that all you can do?" "Pay and go?" "l'll throw myself at your feet and beg you to stay with me." "But am with you." "Hadn't you rea sed?" "That's why I don't want to spoil it." "Please stay." "Only seldom do you the dead attain freedom." "But the night when you return." "it is yours." "All yours." "Ja me" "Prom se me you won't do it again." "The hurt your smile rem nds me of." "There is so much hardness of m ne in your eyes." "You calm me, for at one time I was close to you." "The part of your death that give myse f." "the part of your death that I took from my harvest." "How could I pay you for it?" "Not even the part of the life we lived together." "How to know that you have forgiven with me alone at the scene of the crime?" "How to be ab e to sleep while you tremb e in the saddest corner of my room?" "'ll br ng you that whisky." "Don't let Ja me drink too much The doctor's forbidden him to drink." "Don't worry." "A rather untimely title." "Sign it for me, come on." "The ca s i've had!" "Everybody thinks you're dead." "And I am." "What?" "But you've recovered now" "And dr nking with friends." "Well.." "All this fuss to end up back here" "Do you want those new poets to get" "all the glory?" "Why not?" "A the new poets write about is Venice, rotten gondolas" "and Scipio's tomb." "Good for them" "No-one could be in love with reality." "In the end, death is the mother of reality." "Just s gn that book." "Start writ ng aga n. lt's not just me who wants to read your poems." "We're going to the cinema" "on Friday." "The c nema .." "Don't worry." "t's the one with Dietrich and the Murcian guy" "'Morocco'?" "Then count me in" "How are you, Josefa?" "Morn ng, Mr. Ja me" "No, not that one." "Have this one." "Thank you" "Mr. Ja me. we're all very worried." "Do you know what's going to happen?" "Don't you worry, Josefa." "Everyth ng will be fine." "Come in." "How's the monsoon?" "Ja me!" "Can't you sme it?" "You can feel it n the a r" "You know it's coming but it doesn't." "It's like a constant threat. ." "Like everything in th s country." "Wh sky?" "No, thanks" "Too early in the day?" "No, too late." "At this time.." "prefer opium." "I'm glad you've still got a sense of humour." "You're go ng to need it." "We're closing the Luzon factory and the Mindanao premises." "They're all out of date, the who e process s wrong from production to distribution." "Asenseless waste of resources." "Well, th s is a colonia concern Waste is part of the legend t sn't a colonial concern any more." "Or a family one either" "The world's changed but we're still n t me to adapt." "Sure.." "Are these n t me to adapt?" "Arjona, Barata." "Charlie de la Cruz.." "I know nearly all of them." "That's why I called you" "want you to look after t 'm no good at that." "And Anglada?" "He's no longer with us, I'm afraid think he's a photographer now" "Jaime. ." "do it any way you want." "How's t going, Ja me?" "'m just fin shing." "If you get a move on, 'll take you to lunch at a place where the food is de clous." "Rea y?" "Yes." "Where?" "ln lntramuros t's fantastic." "Excuse me a minute .." "t s not mine th s age." "And if that sound of birds outside n the garden were mine, their profusion in small leaves moving me like intimat ons." "it wou d no longer say the same." "awake ke someone hear ng obscene breathing." "Day is dawning." "Another day dawns in which I shall not be inv ted to happy moments or to repentance which, a though not anc ent .." "Ah, Se gneur. donnez-moi la force et le courage... invites me to repent with some vest ge of sincerity" "For I have nothing left to fear but my mistakes." "remember life. but where s it?" "For me, writ ng a poem is like hav ng a secret." "t's like mak ng love and delaying orgasm as ong as possible f nd it hard now" "My poetry is the result of the invent on of an identity." "Once identity is assumed, noth ng st mulates the imagination less than being what you are." "Furthermore. ." "one's maturity is a silly time n life when the on y intimacy is headaches, and paradoxica y life starts becom ng a armingly short because you spend the whole day worrying about yourfear of death." "Excuse me a moment." "Ja me. please. ." "Yes?" "Will you sign this?" "Of course What's your name?" "Benjamin." "The look on those new poets' faces!" "It was as if they'd seen God" "They're young and very mpressionable" "Do you know my ass stant?" "Less than 'd like to" "Have you read Sagarra's column?" "No." ""The presentation of Tusquet Editors ast night was attended by the who e "Gauche Divine' ." "What do you think of the name?" "Agood labe , with a future." "That's what "Tele-Express" says." "So I' do a photo session with you as one of its most outstanding members f t's on the eft 'm not connected and as for "divine", even less so." "l' take my jacket off, shall I?" "Yes." "I'll do the session but on one condit on." "You rea y don't mind me doing this?" "Co ta knows me inside out." "Shit, you ook so much ke my father." "That's a good start." "'m not calling you old, you know only knew him when he was young." "What's the matter?" "Do you fee old?" "Old and a fa ure." "For fuck's sake!" "You've got money, people listen to you." "love you" "Then vanish and leave me on my own." "No profile shots." "They show my double chin." "Your troub e is no-one's ever looked after you properly" "You gyps es are so c ever." "Who sa d l was a gypsy?" "Look .." "you and I shou dn't waste any more time." "Or the next t me we meet, 'll be too old." "Go on, please, turn sideways." "Was it your first t me?" "Yeah." "Don't lie to me so soon." "The first t me I've fe t something" "Pleasure?" "Love?" "Yeah." "Yeah what?" "Yeah" "Te me about yourse f" "What else do you want to know?" "Shit!" "f l'm late they' kill me!" "Did you do military service?" "n Galicia, as a second lieutenant." "So stand to attention and present arms." "For the taxi" "All that?" "You want me to buy one?" "Take it." "Shall I see you again?" "You'd better 'm leaving my equipment here." "Hey.." "could you end me?" "* some cash to buy a motorbike?" "We're incapable of seeing a andscape except literarily" "There's no such thing as unspo t nature" "Will you leave nature a one?" "Nature s a that literature s not." "lt might be reality." "The same thing" "Nature evokes the idea of what is the same as tse f but reality .." "changes" "The use of the word probab y comes from the Counter-Reformation" "No, I think it's 19th-century" "Only after Kant and Newton, when the religious worldv ew disappeared, was the concept of reality accepted." "s t true you're a photographer?" "Yes, but I left all that beh nd." "I didn't like" "the people." "Why?" "Too many queers." "Know what the sa ors are saying" "in the taverns?" "No." "That you've been made consu ." "Yes, Honorary Consul of the Philippines n Barcelona." "What the devil does that mean?" "l don't know." "Till now I'd only felt like the Consu of Sodom." "Where's Sodom?" "Sodom is everywhere, dear." "Are you a consul too?" "No." "Toni's a prince." "How romantic." "And I want to be a princess" "You already are." "The most beautiful princess of the Mare Nostrum." "Wanna dance." "Your Highness?" "What do you want now, youth." "you impudent delight of life?" "What br ngs you to the beach?" "We old ones were content until you came along to wound us by reviving the most fearful of impossib e dreams." "You come to rummage through our imaginations." "You'd better like this place because it's our house now." "Not here!" "What?" "Don't I eat like your frends?" "don't know how they eat." "'ll ook next time." "embarrass you, don't I?" "Very much." "blush all the time." "Ja me" "Show me how to do it." "Do what?" "Te me how to dress, what cologne to use." "t's important to me." "All rght f you insist." "*lranzo cuts my hair." "There are more modern sty es now." "A razor cut would be best for you." "have my suits made by Santa Eulalia but I give them the cloth." "bring t from Hong Kong." "Shoes?" "That depends." "Shoes at Sebaga's go up in ha f-s zes, as in Amerca but who can resist the fee of Lotus leather?" "Co ogne .. neither too sweet-smelling nor with too much alcohol." "wear Eau Sauvage but... someth ng like Dandy Parera would be better for you." "Rioja is a classic." "They haven't discovered Valladolid wines yet." "Remember this, Toni." "the future lies in Duero wines." "Don't st ck your nose in it!" "Hey, you're supposed to be with me. aren't you?" "So what are you looking at?" "He must be stupid." "t's on green for him." "Come on, mate!" "Cross!" "Dad!" "Where are you going?" "What are you doing here?" "Dad, t's me, Jaime." "I have to get to work." "like to be the f rst to get in" "Mum said you're go ng to Segovia tomorrow." "t' do you both a world of good." "Come on." "Come here, Adonis." "Here." "f you don't ke t. too fucking bad." "because can't swop it." "Come here." "You mean "exchange t'." "Okay. but open it." "You rea y shouldn't have." "t's beautful." "Time is all I ask of you." "Do you love me?" "Ca m down, Luis, p ease." "Mum's had enough." "Don't upset her any more" "Mr Jaime!" "My dear friend." "Where were you?" "He asked for you till the very end." "He's here." "Go and see him. my son" "What are you doing?" "You thank me. father, by accompanying me with this trust that your death has created between the two of us." "You can give me noth ng." "can give you nothing" "That is why you understand me. '" "'What do you want now, youth." "you impudent delight of life?" "'" "Dead dogs don't bite." "Atoast to our host." "Ja me G de Biedma." "Cheers!" "Francisco Franco Bahamonde." "Dead!" "*l won't drink to Franco's death." "After all, we let him die n his s eep." "t' be hard for women to bury him." "Shut up!" "You've always got V rg nia Woo f up your cunt." "Don't be vulgar." "Let's drop the subject, shall we?" "All this talk ng m ght bring him back to life." "You lot d dn't have t so bad." "The trouble is, you want it all." "Money." "a clear conscience.." "Why don't you admit you're all right-wing?" "don't have any troub e about it." "'m right-wing." "want a good car, a good house." "want to be rich 'm right-wing want to be rich 'm right-wing" "You lout." "The lad d d his military serv ce n the ,lite corps and that left its mark on him." "The oven's use ess 've told h m t needs changing" "but he won't sten." " t smells good" "You're a great cook." "Are you all right?" "Everyone's th rsty." "The most charming lady of the party." "Go on." "s he angry?" "My little soldier boy!" "Can't you see I'm doing the food?" "One day the food, then the ironing." "then the wash ng. ." "Fuck off!" "Don't g ve me advice." "G ve me addresses" "Where's the ce?" "Te me, Juan." "What would have happened if Teresa had married Pijoaparte?" "He'd have beaten her to death" "Don't provoke him, Jaime." "think that democracy w see the birth of a modern, new nation .." "but at the wrong moment." "And that nothing we do will make us any younger." "But Ja me." "everyone's expecting you to make a comeback as a poet." "'d already said all I had to say." "And that's all, folks" "Three short books of poems that fit into a single vo ume." "But. ." "Drop it." "With each unwrtten book his fame increases." "l suggest we found a new religion." "By God, no!" "l'm still traumatised by Catho cism" "Don't worry." "n my relig on the faithful will meet at nightfall to dr nk and forget about each day's shame." "All will be love and poetry." "'ll trans ate: everybody will fuck more. I'll dr nk to that." "Cheers" "Cheers" "What a snowfall!" "And we hadn't realised." "Take care." "Jaime." "You too." "The end of an age." "Bye, Jaime." "What about them?" "Why aren't they leaving?" "They've got chains" "Toni!" "We have a bad poem." "As we're not doing t for cash, no-one will justify us." "You think 'm an unjustified poet." "No, no, no" "You're a tutti-frutt poet" "'Beneath the zenithal lemons." "my joy saved by strawberries." "Eat ng plum .."" "What does your family do?" "Don't you ke poetry?" "'m not as clever as your boyfriend" "He's not my boyfriend" "So who is he?" "Aspec al friend." "You're one too, aren't you?" "No." "'m his s ave." "His slave?" "But he doesn't mistreat you" "Slaves shou dn't be mistreated. ." "just treated ke slaves, that's a ." "Really?" "How are slaves treated?" "Like this?" "Or this...?" "You a planned this!" "What are you doing?" "What. .?" "Keep away from him!" "What are you doing, you animal?" "Hit me aga n and we're through" "Let's get out of here!" "What's the matter?" "Get out!" "All right, all right." "All rght!" "Oh dear .." "just when I'd found a ne with no fru t" "You think th s is funny?" "This s appalling." "What the hell have you done?" "Who are you to throw people out of my home?" "Our home!" "Ah. really?" "The Count and Countess of U tramont?" "Don't treat me like a faggot!" "No?" "How shall I treat you?" "Like a .." "gypsy?" "Say that again." "Well. well, the little gypsy bastard's pissed off." "The one who was go ng to look after me" "Get out!" "Out of my house!" "What are you laughing at?" "Pijoaparte." "Take the car keys." "Go" "The fact that life was to be taken seriously we understand only later" "Like all young people, was go ng to change the world." "wanted to make my mark and withdraw to applause." "Grow ng old. dying.." "t was all a question of the s ze of the theatre." "But time has passed and I see the unpleasant truth." "Grow ng old. dying.." "is the play's only plot" "You can't wa t here." "Sit in the stalls" "or wait for me in the caf,." "All right." "Why have you left your retinue and your snow-wh te horses to stroll through such a dark place n the company of a barbarian?" "Ho d on." "Ho d on a minute, Pep." "I don't know what's wrong with you, Pep" "You're a good actor, all right?" "Right." "From now on, when you come out here, do me a fucking favour and eave your personal problems in the dressing room." "want to get out, Jaime. ." "don't know what I want." "Didn't you want to get experience in Los Ange es or New York?" "And didn't you talk me out of it?" "No." "Pep." "t's a question of what you want." "What you want" "What are you doing?" "can't always be th nking of peop e." "f l want to kiss you, w ." "Just remember that till my mother d es 'm not a queer." "Bah!" "Come on" "CONSULS OF SODOM" "t could be that new v rus." "A DS." "The one that affects homosexuals?" "Yes." "Kaposi's sarcoma s one of the nesses deriving from the virus." "We could ask for more tests but there's no point here" "Go to Paris or New York." "Pars then." "Don't they call it the d sease of love?" "'ll go to the H*tel des Invalides f poss ble." "Will I ose my mental faculties?" "It's possib e." "Have you any relatives?" "Or close friends?" "Yes." "No interruptions" "What's the matter?" "'ve got Kaposi's cancer" "I don't want you going through th s." "Pep." "ought to d e on my own." "'m not leaving you on your own." "'ll take care of you" "Who'll ook after you when you're sick?" "That's n the future." "Maybe there'll be a cure by then." "Have you ever taken time out to look at swans with their disproportionately long necks?" "They look almost monstrous.." "but end just n t me" "That's how Bel was." "So beautiful" "Bursting with energy... and with a tragic aura and a c ownish side to her that was always there." "wonder how many I've given it to." "Don't think about that" "The past doesn't matter now" "Life is sometimes so short and comp ete that a m nute, when let it and you let it, runs faster and lasts a ong t me" "Life is sometimes richer and during the week inv tes us both to go together into ts palace or on Sundays to jerk and jolt." "t's then that life can be counted n units of your love so small that they are forgotten amid the happiness." "amid the confusion" "Life somet mes is so litt e and so intense." "if that's your pleasure..." "Even the pain you cause me brings another meaning to being of this word." "Life, then, is us to the most evil extreme" "For lov ng each other s a punishment and ving together an abyss." "thought so." "Love poems." "Don't worry, you'll grow out of it." "Don't listen to me." "Deep down. I envy you" "There's on y one way to experience poetry and that's when you're young." "Write about love or trams.." "But wrte." "Jaime." "Yes?" "They're waiting for us." "Thank you." "Not at all." "Pep .." "Yes?" "After supper.." "I want to get lost in the darkness of the night." "Alone." "So what now?" "Nothing." "jaime G L DE BlEDMA died AT his HOME in BARCELONA" "jaime G L DE BlEDMA died AT his HOME in BARCELONA" "ON 8TH JANUARY, 1990." "AT THE AGE OF 60"