<DIV><p>In <i>A Cock-Eyed Comedy</i>, Father Trennes is like Virginia Woolf's Orlando, a spirit of the age moving through several centuries of Spain's history. His most recent incarnation is as an Opus Dei religious leader in present-day Spain, whose conformity Goytisolo delightfully savages. A cast of real people and invented characters, including Roland Barthes, Jean Genet, and Manuel Puig, are mixed up in a literary and historical melting pot. <i>A Cock-Eyed Comedy</i> is a transgressive dark comedy with a significant message about religion and sexuality.</p><p><b>Juan Goytisolo</b> was born in Barcelona in 1931. In 2004 he was awarded the prestigious Juan Rulfo Award for Literature. His most recent books are <i>State of Siege</i>, <i>The Garden of Secrets</i>, and <i>Landscapes of War</i>.</p></DIV>