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'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.
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