'A searing tale of seduction and betrayal, both wryly comic and deeply serious' Sigrid Nunez, National Book Award-winning author of The Friend 'Intimate, irreverent, fast-paced and raw' Sunday Times Lucas Pereyra, an unemployed writer in his forties, embarks on a day trip from Buenos Aires to Montevideo to pick up a fifteen thousand dollar advance in cash. This small fortune might solve his problems, most importantly the unbearable tension in his marriage. While his wife spends her days at work and her nights out on the town - with a lover, perhaps - Lucas is stuck at home all day staring at the blank page, caring for his son Maiko and fantasizing about the one thing that keeps him going: the Uruguayan woman he recently met at a conference and who he longs to see on this trip. The Woman from Uruguay is the surprising and moving story of one transformative day in Lucas' life. An international bestseller, it is the masterpiece of one of Latin America's most beloved writers, translated by Man Booker International winner Jennifer Croft. 'At once a picaresque comedy and a penetrating study of a man on the verge of middle age' Colm Toibin

From internationally bestselling Argentine author Pedro Mairal and Man Booker International-winning translator Jennifer Croft, the unforgettable story of two would-be lovers over the course of a single day. 'A searing tale of seduction and betrayal, both wryly comic and deeply serious' Sigrid Nunez, National Book Award-winning author of The Friend Lucas Pereyra, an unemployed writer in his forties, embarks on a day trip from Buenos Aires to Montevideo to pick up fifteen thousand dollars in cash. An advance due to him on his upcoming novel, the small fortune might mean the solution to his problems, most importantly the unbearable tension he has with his wife. While she spends her days at work and her nights out on the town-with a lover, perhaps, he doesn't know for sure- Lucas is stuck at home all day staring at the blank page, caring for his son Maiko and fantasizing about the one thing that keeps him going: the Uruguayan woman he met at a conference several months back and who he is longing to see on his day trip to Montevideo. The surprising, moving story of this incredibly impactful day in Lucas' life, The Woman from Uruguay is both a gripping narrative and tender, thought-provoking exploration of the nature of relationships. An international bestseller published in twelve countries, it is the masterpiece of one of Latin America's most beloved writers. 'At once a picaresque comedy and a penetrating study of a man on the verge of middle age' Colm Toibin

The New Republic Best Books of 2013 and World Literature Today Best Books of 2013. "A simple mystery constructed very cleverly ...an atmospheric and understated book with vivid settings and characters, a true delight to read."--10 Best Books Shorter than 150 Pages, Publishers Weekly "Mairal's quickening prose moves from the ordinary to the opulent ...without skipping a beat."--Jed Perl, The New Republic "Mairal isn't your old college literature professor's idea of an Argentine novelist."--Los Angeles Times "Affirms Pedro Mairal's stature as one of the most significant Argentine writers working today."--David Leavitt, author of The Two Hotel Francforts At age nine, Juan Salvatierra became mute following a horse riding accident. At twenty, he began secretly painting a series of long rolls of canvas, minutely detailing six decades of life in his village on Argentina's river frontier with Uruguay. After the death of Salvatierra, his sons return to the village from Buenos Aires to deal with their inheritance: a shed packed with canvases stretching over two miles in length, depicting personal and communal history. Museum curators come calling to acquire this strange, gargantuan artwork but an essential one of its rolls is missing. A search that illuminates the links between art and life ensues, as an intrigue of family secrets buried in the past cast their shadows on the present. Pedro Mairal, born in Buenos Aires in 1970, is one of the most exciting Argentine novelists of his generation. In 2007 he was included in the Bogota 39, which named the best Latin American authors.

El ano del desierto is the story of a year in the life of Maria Valdes Neylan, narrated by herself, from somewhere in Ireland or England. The novel narrates the (literal) dissolution of a city (Buenos Aires), of a nation (Argentina) and of a life story (that of Maria). The agent of this dissolution is the Wilderness (la intemperie). But, what is the Wilderness? The novel does not provide any definition or clarification regarding its nature. We do not know if it's a natural or supernatural phenomenon. We do not know if it's a sentient phenomenon, an instrument animated by an evil design or just an impersonal force. Furthermore, nobody witnesses the Wilderness in action. Only its effects are recorded: the gradual (but fast-paced) degradation and disappearance of buildings, streets, of all trace of human work or habitation, and its replacement by a nature (certainly not Mother Nature) out of control. Because of the Wilderness, the city disappears and the Desert reclaims what always belonged to it. This novel by Pedro Mairal (Buenos Aires, 1970) is a brilliant tour de force. On the one hand, it captures the Zeitgeist of post-2001, pre-Kirchner Argentina. But, as happens in Kafka's fictions (or in any work of literature worthy of that name) Mairal takes the allegory well beyond the mere document of the present. In these pages the reader will find a story that is simultaneously familiar and infinitely strange, the sights and sounds of Buenos Aires' everyday life, but also the peculiar taste of a nightmare. The novel is also a sui generis archive of Argentina's historical, cultural and literary experience (its events and characters, as well as its founding tropes and obsessions are all there). Susan Hallstead and Juan Pablo Dabove have exhaustively annotated the novel to allow the reader access to the myriad allusions and meanings embedded in the novel. However, in spite of Mairal's totalizing ambition, El ano del desierto never ceases to be a highly legible novel, with a capacity to move us with the vicissitudes of Maria's individual destiny. The introduction (also by Hallstead and Dabove) locates Mairal in his historical and literary context, and gives numerous clues for a complete understanding (and enjoyment) of this novel, one of the best in recent Argentine narrative.