The Last Dream

“Instantly captivating, full of twisting narratives and unforgettable conclusions... The Last Dream firmly establishes a major literary talent's virtuosic debut.” —Kaveh Akbar, New York Times bestselling author of Martyr!

Making his English-language debut, two-time Academy Award-winning writer and director Pedro Almodóvar unveils his brilliant mind like never before in this collection of twelve extraordinary stories that blend memoir, comedy, autofiction, parody, pastiche, and gothic fiction.

In this debut collection, Almodóvar offers an intriguing glimpse into his world through twelve carefully selected stories from his personal writings, spanning from the late ’60s to the present. He reflects: “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 way, this book is something of a paradox. It could best be described as a fragmentary autobiography—unfinished and a little mysterious.”

Each story captures Almodóvar’s deepest obsessions and chronicles his artistic evolution. The title story, "The Last Dream," reflects on the death of his mother, while others include a love story between Jesus and Barabbas, a retribution tale that inspired Bad Education, a frantic adventure about a director searching for painkillers on a bank holiday, and a gothic story of a repentant vampire.

Translated from the Spanish by Frank Wynne.