The Last Dream

Narrated by Colman Domingo, Rachel Weisz, Michael Cera, Juan Diego Botto, Norbert Leo Butz, Taylour Paige, and Edoardo Ballerini“A major literary talent’s virtuosic debut” (Kaveh Akbar, New York Times bestselling author), the iconoclastic, two-time Academy award-winning writer and director reveals his singular mind as never before in this collection of twelve remarkable storiesWith this debut collection, film legend Pedro Almodóvar delivers a tantalizing glimpse into his world, formed by twelve stories carefully selected from his personal writings dating from the late ‘60s to the present. Almodóvar writes: “I’ve been asked to write my autobiography more than once, and I’ve always refused. . . . I’ve never kept a diary, and whenever I’ve tried, I’ve never made it to page two; in a sense, then, this book represents something of a paradox. It might be best described as a fragmentary autobiography, incomplete and a little enigmatic.”Each entry reflects Almodóvar's most intimate obsessions, as well as his evolution as an artist. In the title story, “The Last Dream,” Almodóvar reflects on the death of his mother. Other entries in the collection include a love story between Jesus and Barabbas, a story of retribution that formed the basis for the film Bad Education, a manic adventure about a film director searching for painkillers on a bank holiday weekend, and a gothic tale centered around a repentant vampire.Translated from the Spanish by Frank WynneTable of ContentsIntroduction —Juan Diego BottoThe Visit —Colman DomingoToo Many Gender Swaps —Colman DomingoThe Mirror Ceremony —Michael CeraJoanna, the Beautiful Madwoman —Rachel WeiszThe Last Dream —Juan Diego BottoThe Life and Death of Miguel —Edoardo BalleriniConfessions of a Sex Symbol —Taylour PaigeBitter Christmas —Rachel WeiszAdiós, Volcano —Juan Diego BottoRedemption —Edoardo BalleriniMemory of an Empty Day —Norbert Leo ButzA Bad Novel —Norbert Leo Butz