La nueva novela de Javier Marias.Un dia cualquiera, un dia estupido, condicionara el resto de su existencia.
La envolvente y apasionante historia de una espera.
Durante un tiempo no estuvo segura de si su marido era su marido. A veces creia que si, a veces creia que no, y a veces decidia no creer nada y seguir viviendo su vida con el, o con aquel hombre semejante a el, mayor que el. Pero tambien ella se habia hecho mayor por su cuenta, en su ausencia, era muy joven cuando se caso.
Muy jovenes se conocieron Berta Isla y Tomas Nevinson en Madrid, y muy pronta fue su determinacion de pasar la vida juntos, sin sospechar que los aguardaba una convivencia intermitente y despues una desaparicion. Tomas, medio espanol y medio ingles, es un superdotado para las lenguas y los acentos, y eso hace que, durante sus estudios en Oxford, la Corona ponga sus ojos en el. Un dia cualquiera, un dia estupido que se podria haber ahorrado, condicionara el resto de su existencia, asi como la de su mujer.
Berta Isla es la envolvente y apasionante historia de una espera y de una evolucion, la de su protagonista. Tambien de la fragilidad y la tenacidad de una relacion amorosa condenada al secreto y a la ocultacion, al fingimiento y a la conjetura, y en ultima instancia al resentimiento mezclado con la lealtad.
O, como dice una cita de Dickens hacia el final del libro, es la muestra de que cada corazon palpitante es un secreto para el corazon mas proximo, el que dormita y late a su lado. Y es tambien la historia de quienes quieren parar desgracias e intervenir en el universo, para acabar encontrandose desterrados de el.
Resenas:
Berta Isla es una de las mas complejas y atrevidas novelas del autor y, sin duda, la mas inquietante y desolada.
Jose-Carlos Mainer, Babelia
Marias ha forjado una obra maestra ...]. La gran literatura vuelve a estar escrita en espanol, para privilegio nuestro.
Jose Maria Pozuelo Yvancos, ABC Cultural
Javier Marias debe ser un firme candidato para ganar el Nobel.
J.M. Coetzee
Un escritor profundamente necesario, un caballero andante, divertido, punzante, lleno de ira y amor.
The Guardian
Javier Marias es un escritor maravilloso.
John Banville
Independientemente de nuestras expectativas, al leer elegimos pasar tiempo en compania de un autor. En el caso de Javier Marias, se trata de una buena decision: su mente es profunda, aguda, a veces turbadora, a veces hilarante, y siempre inteligente.
Edward St Aubyn, The New York Times Book Review
Hechizante... evoca a creadores de acertijos como Borges, y las tramas de Marias, ingeniosas como jugadas de ajedrez, traen a la mente al gran maestro estratega del siglo XX, Vladimir Nabokov.
Los Angeles Times
ENGLISH DESCRIPTION
The new novel by Javier Marias.
A typical day, "a stupid day," will determine the rest of their existence.
The engrossing, thrilling story of waiting.
"For awhile, she wasn't sure if her husband was her husband. Sometimes she thought so, sometimes she thought not, and sometimes she decided not to believe anything and to keep living her life with him, or with that man who seemed like him, but older. But she had also become older because of him, in his absence; she had been very young when they got married."
Berta Isla and Tomas Nevinson met each other in Madrid at a very early age, and quickly decided to spend their lives together, never suspecting that an intermittent coexistence--and later, a disappearance--awaited them. Tomas, half Spanish and half English, is exceptionally gifted at languages and accents, which attracts the eye of the Crown during his studies at Oxford. One typical day, "a stupid day," which could have been spared, will determine the rest of his existence, as well as that of his wife.
Berta Island is the engrossing, thrilling story of a wait and an evolution: that of its protagonist. And also of the fragility and tenacity of a loving relationship condemned to secrets and concealment, to pretenses and speculation, and finally, to resentment mixed with loyalty.
Or, as a Dickens quote toward the end of the book states, it is the proof that "every beating heart ...] is, in some of its imaginings, a secret to the heart nearest it." And it is also the story of those who want to stop misfortune and intervene in the universe, only to end up finding themselves banished from it.
Reviews:
"Berta Island is one of the author's most complex, daring novels and, without a doubt, the most unsettling and devastating."
-Jose-Carlos Mainer, Babelia
"Marias has wrought a masterpiece ...]. Great literature is once again written in Spanish, much to our benefit."
-Jose Maria Pozuelo Yvancos, ABC Cultural
"Javier Marias should be a definite Nobel candidate."
-J.M. Coetzee
"A profoundly necessary writer, a knight-errant, funny, caustic, full of rage and love."
-The Guardian
"Javier Marias is a marvelous writer."
-John Banville
"Regardless of our expectations, as we read, we choose to spend time in an author's company. In the case of Javier Marias, this is a good decision: his mind is deep, clever, sometimes upsetting, sometimes hilarious, and always intelligent."
-Edward St. Aubyn, The New York Times Book Review
"Bewitching... it is reminiscent of riddle creators like Borges, and Marias's plots, ingenious as chess moves, bring to mind the great master strategist, Vladimir Nabokov."
-Los Angeles Times
MEJOR LIBRO DEL A O SEG N BABELIA (EL PA S) Seleccionado entre los mejores libros del a o en ABC Cultural y La Vanguardia.
Recomendado entre los libros del a o por El Peri dico y La Raz n.
La nueva novela de Javier Mar as.
Un d a cualquiera, un d a est pido , condicionar el resto de su existencia.
La envolvente y apasionante historia de una espera.
Durante un tiempo no estuvo segura de si su marido era su marido. A veces cre a que s , a veces cre a que no, y a veces decid a no creer nada y seguir viviendo su vida con l, o con aquel hombre semejante a l, mayor que l. Pero tambi n ella se hab a hecho mayor por su cuenta, en su ausencia, era muy joven cuando se cas .
Muy j venes se conocieron Berta Isla y Tom s Nevinson en Madrid, y muy pronta fue su determinaci n de pasar la vida juntos, sin sospechar que los aguardaba una convivencia intermitente y despu s una desaparici n. Tom s, medio espa ol y medio ingl s, es un superdotado para las lenguas y los acentos, y eso hace que, durante sus estudios en Oxford, la Corona ponga sus ojos en l. Un d a cualquiera, un d a est pido que se podr a haber ahorrado, condicionar el resto de su existencia, as como la de su mujer.
Berta Isla es la envolvente y apasionante historia de una espera y de una evoluci n, la de su protagonista. Tambi n de la fragilidad y la tenacidad de una relaci n amorosa condenada al secreto y a la ocultaci n, al fingimiento y a la conjetura, y en ltima instancia al resentimiento mezclado con la lealtad. O, como dice una cita de Dickens hacia el final del libro, es la muestra de que cada coraz n palpitante es un secreto para el coraz n m s pr ximo, el que dormita y late a su lado . Y es tambi n la historia de quienes quieren parar desgracias e intervenir en el universo, para acabar encontr ndose desterrados de l.
ENGLISH DESCRIPTION
The new novel by Javier Mar as.
A typical day, "a stupid day," will determine the rest of their existence.
The engrossing, thrilling story of waiting.
"For awhile, she wasn't sure if her husband was her husband. Sometimes she thought so, sometimes she thought not, and sometimes she decided not to believe anything and to keep living her life with him, or with that man who seemed like him, but older. But she had also become older because of him, in his absence; she had been very young when they got married."
Berta Isla and Tom s Nevinson met each other in Madrid at a very early age, and quickly decided to spend their lives together, never suspecting that an intermittent coexistence--and later, a disappearance--awaited them. Tom s, half Spanish and half English, is exceptionally gifted at languages and accents, which attracts the eye of the Crown during his studies at Oxford. One typical day, "a stupid day," which could have been spared, will determine the rest of his existence, as well as that of his wife.
Berta Isla is the engrossing, thrilling story of a wait and an evolution: that of its protagonist. And also of the fragility and tenacity of a loving relationship condemned to secrets and concealment, to pretenses and speculation, and finally, to resentment mixed with loyalty. Or, as a Dickens quote toward the end of the book states, it is the proof that "every beating heart ...] is, in some of its imaginings, a secret to the heart nearest it." And it is also the story of those who want to stop misfortune and intervene in the universe, only to end up finding themselves banished from it.