Quote of the day by Javier Marías: 'We don't object to our date of birth, so why object to...' - Spanish author's powerful lesson on accepting life's uncertainty

Quote of the day by Javier Marías: Javier Marías had the unique gift of being able to make his readers ponder over issues that would have gone unnoticed otherwise. What could have been considered normal issues like love, betrayal, secrets, memory, and decisions become much more profound when told by Marías. With years of writing behind him, he became one of the best Spanish-language novelists of his era owing to his unique literary voice that attracted readers from across the world. He was born in Madrid on September 20, 1951, and was brought up in an environment rich in culture and intellectuality. His father, Julián Marías, was a respected philosopher of Spain, while his mother, Dolores Franco Manera, was an author and teacher. Some time of Javier's childhood was spent in the United States due to his father's problems during the reign of Francisco Franco.

Marías became a writer very early on in life. He actually wrote his first novel, 'The Dominions of the Wolf,' as a teenager, and the book was published in 1971. It is in the decades after that where he gained fame not only within but also outside of Spain. Some of his well-known books include 'A Heart So White', 'Tomorrow in the Battle Think on Me' and the large three-volume 'Your Face Tomorrow.' Marías' works tend to move at a very slow pace, as characters relive their conversations and experiences. Instead of rushing towards a solution, Marías encourages his readers to dwell within uncertainty.




Quote of the day

Quote of the day - "We don't object to our date of birth, so why object to our date of death, which is just as much a matter of chance," comes from Javier Marías' 2011 novel 'Los enamoramientos', which was published in English as 'The Infatuations' in 2013.

Meaning of the quote

The quote of the day by Javier Marías provides an amazing approach to the most uncertain question in life. We do not choose the day we were born. It is just something that we accept as the beginning of our story. It seems like Marías implies that maybe we need to think of death in a similar manner. There are things that may affect the timing of our end, which is not very pleasant information to hear. It is not about the acceptance of death and ignoring life; it is more about the acceptance of things we cannot control. The core message of the quote is we may not determine when our journey begins or ends, but we can influence what happens in between.

Marías was also a skilled translator. Some of the major authors whose works he translated from English to Spanish include Laurence Sterne, Joseph Conrad, Thomas Hardy, and Robert Louis Stevenson. Marías won Spain’s National Translation Award for his work on Sterne's Tristram Shandy in 1979. He received international recognition after his success as a literary figure. His works have been translated into several languages all around Europe. In 2012, he turned down Spain's National Narrative Award because he never accepted any award from the Spanish government using public money.


There was also a quirky side to Marías' literary life. In 1997, he accepted the title of 'King of Redonda', part of a playful literary tradition surrounding a small, uninhabited Caribbean island.

Marías died in Madrid on September 11, 2022, at age 70. Yet his work continues to resonate with readers because it explores questions that rarely disappear: How well do we really know another person? How much of our past should remain buried? And how can one decision quietly reshape an entire life?