Alejo Cuervo (A Song of Ice And Fire’s Spanish Publisher) Says Winds of Winter Expected “Next Year.”

Though we here at WiC have been going nuts with anticipation for Game of Thrones Season 6, we should not forget that there are actually *two* things fans are eagerly anticipating, now that the show has caught up—well, mostly caught up—with the end of A Dance with Dragons. Martin has made it clear that he wants to get book 6, The Winds of Winter, out prior to the next season (which is slated to start around the first week of April, 2016.) He’s even gone so far as to take some of his usual appearances off the docket in order to do so, including San Diego Comic Con last month and the World Fantasy Convention in November.

The Winds of Winter book cover

Some of us were hoping to have an announcement soon, in hopes of having the book by Christmas. But based on a tidbit dropped in an interview with Alejo Cuervo, who runs Ediciones Gigamesh, which licenses Spanish translation editions of A Song of Ice and Fire, we’re going to have to wait. He’s been told the book will be coming to them for translation work “next year.”

Cuervo was interviewed by the program Mon to RAC1, which airs on RAC1, a Catalan radio station. The subject was mostly about the local filming in Girona (some of which are definitely scenes from The Winds of Winter.) When asked about the next book he said the following:

(Spanish transcript via Los Siete Renios. Roughly translated by me.)

El sexto libro saldrá…?
Está previsto que el año que viene.*

And the sixth book?
We expect it next year.

En inglés, pero ¿en español cuándo estará?
Nos han prometido que nos pasarán el manuscrito con algo de antelación respecto a la fecha de salida en inglés, por lo que no habrá una gran diferencia.

In English? When will it be in Spanish?
We have been promised that we will be passed the manuscript somewhat in advance of the English publication, but there will be a big difference (in release dates.)

Pero, ¿igualmente será el año que viene seguro, no?
Sí. Bueno, a ver, seguro… podría caer un meteorito.

But both editions will be out next year?
Yes. Well, unless we get hit by a meteor…

This jives with some of the other rumors we’ve heard recently that Martin was nearly finished, and meeting with publishers last month. With foreign publishers on alert that the manuscript will be coming next year, can a release date for the English version be far behind?

(H/T Los Siete Renios)

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