David Roas



David Roas (born 1965 in Barcelona, Spain) is a Spanish writer and literary critic, specialising in fantastic literature. He is currently professor of Literary Theory and Comparative Literature at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, where he heads up the Fantastic Literature Studies Group (Grupo de Estudios sobre lo Fantástico – GEF).

He has published eight collections of short stories, the first in 1996 and the latest in April 2018, as well as several works of literary criticism, including an analysis of the influence of Edgar Allan Poe on the Spanish genre of fantastic literature, and a biography of the writer Enrique Jardiel Poncela, co-authored with Fernando Valls.

Roas has been described by the writer and journalist, Rubén Sánchez Trigos as "probably [Spain's] leading specialist in fantastic literature". His most recent collection of short stories was published by Editorial Páginas de Espuma, Madrid, in April 2018. In the words of Jose Oliva, in this latest collection Roas establishes "a permanent dialogue in the form of homages to other authors, such as Cristina Fernández Cubas, Rod Serling (of The Twilight Zone fame), Mercedes Abad, Eduardo Berti, or parodying George A. Romero." In this regard he has commented, "I don't know how to write in a vacuum. I read fantastic literature."

Awards

 * Setenil Award, 2011 for Distorsiones