Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Originally published in 1984, this is the story of Trotskyist revolutionary Alejandro Mayta, who was part of the guerrilla warfare movement in Latin America. The great Peruvian writer Vargas Llosa, whose conservative social preoccupations led him to run (unsuccessfully) for the presidency of his country, masterfully combines truth and fiction, drawing upon the history of a flawed, though well-intentioned figure who encountered only defeat and humiliation. In his search for the truth, the unnamed narrator, a novelist hoping to write a novel about a Marxist former classmate (Mayta), only encounters surprising, contradictory versions of Mayta's life and his participation in the ficticious siege of Peru by Cuban-backed rebels. The novelist, as well as readers, feel somewhat frustrated, though we do learn a lot about life in Peru during the Fifties, and also during the Eighties, when Vargas Llosa wrote the novel. A new generation of readers might be interested in these themes, and any library that does not possess the original would do well to acquire this edition; also recommended for bookstores.-Dolores Koch, New York City (The Journey)Valenzuela, Luisa.Originally published in 2001, Argentinian writer Valenzuela's novel is a reflection on memory, the intricacies of sharing intimacy, and the emotional and practical difficulties of reconstructing the past. Here, Marcela, an anthropologist who, while living in contemporary New York City, must face old wounds-and letters-from her past in her native Buenos Aires while trying, simultaneously, to make a new life in a different place. Having found relief in the anonymity of this new city, she believes she'll be able to hide her painful love affair with an older professor during the beginning of the military dictatorship of the 1970s. But an eccentric Polish artist whom she befriends in New York finds her love letters abandoned in her old apartment while exhibiting his art in Buenos Aires and plans to write an epistolary novel with them. As Marcela gradually and anxiously reflects on her past, and as she strives to get the letters back from her mysterious friend, the novel intertwines her memories with the solitary and complex life she leads in New York. Valenzuela creates wonderful moments of poetic reflection and explores themes of writing, nostalgia, intimacy, and nomadism in an interesting way, but also tends to be too long, monotonous, and sometimes repetitive, making her past novels stand out more. Recommended for academic libraries.María Ospina, Harvard Univ. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Mario Vargas Llosa was born in Arequipa, Peru on March 28, 1936. He studied literature and law at the National University of San Marcos and received a Ph.D from the University of Madrid in 1959. He is a writer, politician, and journalist. His works vary in genre from literary criticism and journalism to comedies, murder mysteries, historical novels, and political thrillers. His books include The Time of the Hero, The Green House, Conversation in the Cathedral, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, The Feast of the Goat, and The War of the End of the World. He has received numerous awards including the Rómulo Gallegos International Novel Prize, the Premio Leopoldo Alas in 1959, the Premio Biblioteca Breve in 1962, the Premio Planeta in 1993, the Miguel de Cervantes Prize in 1994, the Jerusalem Prize in 1995, and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2010.

(Bowker Author Biography)