The New York Times profiles Javier Marías, one of Spain’s most celebrated novelists and a perpetual contender for the Nobel Prize in literature. His novels have been translated into 42 languages and his latest book, “Así empieza lo malo” (“Thus Bad Begins”), comes out this month in Spain.

“Mr. Marías’s newest novel, “Así empieza lo malo” (“Thus Bad Begins”), comes out this month in Spain. While it will not appear in the United States for at least another year, Mr. Marías’s popularity there has been on a steady rise. His previous work, “The Infatuations,” a kind of meditative murder mystery, outsold all his earlier books in the United States and was named a finalist for the 2013 National Book Critics Circle Award.”

Read the complete profile here.