Argentine writer Manuel Puig, the author of the famous novel “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” which was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film and a musical of the same name staged on Broadway, became a classic during his lifetime. According to the unanimous recognition of critics, not a single Latino after Borges he did not do as much to update Spanish-language prose. Puig, whose popularity has eclipsed even such established authors as García Márquez, has been called a “unique writer” and “No. 1 pop novelist.” He manages to present the soap opera in the language of Joyce, achieving a completely unexpected effect. “Painted Lips” is one of Puig’s most striking works. The characters in the novel, according to the writer, are very similar to the inhabitants of the town in which he grew up. And he grew up “in a bad dream, or, better said, in a useless Western.” “I didn’t doubt for a minute that my novel was really significant, that it would be recognized over time. It would be a bestseller, in fact, it already has become one.. .”, Puig said about “Painted Lips”. His prophecy came true: the novel was translated into many languages and received rave reviews all over the world.