Synopses & Reviews
Edmundo Paz Soldán, a young Bolivian-born, American-based, award-winning novelist, has become a leading spokesperson for the McOndo literary movement. Recently featured in major articles in the
New York Times,
Newsweek, and
Críticas, these writers stand in opposition to the rural-flavored magic realism of such writers as Gabriel García Márquez; instead they embrace an urban vision that incorporates the pervasive influence of American pop culture in today's Latin America. Paz Soldán's exemplary novel
The Matter of Desire shows off his mastery of popular literary forms and brilliantly elucidates the complex relationship between Latin America and the United States.
The Matter of Desire is the story of Pedro, a Bolivian-American political scientist who teaches at an upstate New York university.
Having become entangled in an erotically charged romance with
Ashley, a beautiful red-headed graduate student, he returns to Bolivia
to seek answers to his own life by investigating the mystery of his father's past. Trapped between two cultures, Pedro ultimately finds himself in an existential dilemma of tragic dimensions. The Matter of Desire combines elements of the political thriller and the family mystery with a torrid illicit love affair; its publication in the United States will generate attention, critical accolades, and a wide readership.
Review
"[A] bristling alternative to the magical realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Blending history, existentialism, and romantic and political passion, it offers an edgy, urban vision that sizzles from the start." Allison Block, Booklist
Review
"[I]nsightful and provocative..." James Polk, The Washington Post Book World
Review
"Bolivian author Paz Soldán...evokes a gritty urban milieu permeated by pop culture and technology....Pedro, like all overly cerebral protagonists, thinks more than he acts, and when he does act, he often gets it wrong. In all: more craft than art." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Especially insightful about the inexorable suffusion southwards of American pop culture and values, this novel is recommended for all collections." Library Journal
Synopsis
Paz Soldán leading spokesperson for the McOndo literary movement, which embraces an urban vision of American pop culture in today's Latin America combines elements of political thriller and family mystery with a torrid illicit love affair.
Synopsis
The Matter of Desire is the story of Pedro, a Bolivian-American political scientist who teaches at a university in upstate New York. Having become entangled in an erotically charged romance with Ashley, a beautiful red-headed graduate student, he returns to Bolivia to seek answers to his own life by investigating the mysteries of his father's past. Trapped between two cultures, Pedro ultimately finds himself in an existential dilemma of tragic dimensions. The Matter of Desire combines elements of the political thriller and the family mystery with a torrid illicit love affair and brilliantly elucidates the complex relationship between Latin America and the United States.
About the Author
Edmundo Paz Soldán is the author of six novels and two short story collections. He has won the National Book Award in Bolivia, the prestigious Juan Rulfo Award, and was a finalist for the Romulo Gállegos Award. He is an assistant professor at Cornell University. One of the few McOndo writers who live in the United States, he is frequently called upon as the movement's spokesperson by the American media. The Matter of Desire is his first work to be translated into English.