Synopses & Reviews
“Right from the start I picked her for a thief, although that day she didnt take anything. . . . I knew shed be back,” the narrator/bookseller of
Severina recalls in this novels opening pages. Imagine a dark-haired book thief as alluring as she is dangerous. Imagine the mesmerized bookseller secretly tracking the volumes she steals, hoping for insight into her character, her motives, her love life. In Rodrigo Rey Rosas hands, this tale of obsessive love is told with almost breathless precision and economy. The bookstore owner is soon entangled in Severinas mystery: seductive and peripatetic, of uncertain nationality, she steals books to actually read them and to share with her purported grandfather, Señor Blanco.
In this unsettling exploration of the alienating and simultaneously liberating power of love, the booksellers monotonous existence is rocked by the enigmatic Severina. As in a dream, the disoriented man finds that the thin border between rational and irrational is no longer reliable. Severina confirms Rey Rosas privileged place in contemporary world literature.
Review
“Rey Rosa's book is both precious and precise. Its intense dreams, aphorisms, and literary lists are best read in one sitting. The author keeps readers on tenterhooks as issues of identity and desire ebb and flow along with a suspenseful episode involving the burying of a body. The fable here is a tale of love and forgiveness, which also includes the thievery of a book from Jorge Luis Borges's library. And while it would be impertinent to steal a copy, it is hard not to be tempted to grab a copy of this slim, terrific book.”—Publishers Weekly
Review
“Severina is a satisfying, nicely crafted, and entertaining small tale of bookish obsessions, recommended to all who like a bit of clever literary fun.”—Complete Review
Review
“Severina is a nuanced but passionate homage to the act of reading, to a life lived, as the narrator finally puts it, 'exclusively for and by books'.”—Zyzzyva
Review
“A complex meditation on books and why people read them; on the value of libraries, both public and private; and on how books contribute to the very essence of life for cultures, societies, and individuals.” —Seeing the World Through Books
Synopsis
A new translation of the Guatemalan author whom Roberto Bolano called "the most rigorous writer of my generation, the most transparent...the most luminous of all."
"Right from the start I picked her for a thief, although that day she didn't take anything. . . . I knew she'd be back," the narrator/bookseller of Severina recalls in this novel's opening pages. Imagine a dark-haired book thief as alluring as she is dangerous. Imagine the mesmerized bookseller secretly tracking the volumes she steals, hoping for insight into her character, her motives, her love life. In Rodrigo Rey Rosa's hands, this tale of obsessive love is told with almost breathless precision and economy. The bookstore owner is soon entangled in Severina's mystery: seductive and peripatetic, of uncertain nationality, she steals books to actually read them and to share with her purported grandfather, Senor Blanco.
In this unsettling exploration of the alienating and simultaneously liberating power of love, the bookseller's monotonous existence is rocked by the enigmatic Severina. As in a dream, the disoriented man finds that the thin border between rational and irrational is no longer reliable. Severina confirms Rey Rosa's privileged place in contemporary world literature.
Synopsis
A new translation of the Guatemalan author whom Roberto Bola o called "the most rigorous writer of my generation, the most transparent . . . the most luminous of all" "Severina is impeccably written. . . . Read this great novel."--Luis Alonso Girgado, El Ideal Gallego
"Right from the start I picked her for a thief, although that day she didn't take anything. . . . I knew she'd be back," the narrator/bookseller of Severina recalls in this novel's opening pages. Imagine a dark-haired book thief as alluring as she is dangerous. Imagine the mesmerized bookseller secretly tracking the volumes she steals, hoping for insight into her character, her motives, her love life. In Rodrigo Rey Rosa's hands, this tale of obsessive love is told with breathless precision. The bookstore owner is soon entangled in Severina's mystery: seductive and peripatetic, of uncertain nationality, she steals books to actually read them and to share with her purported grandfather, Se or Blanco.
In this unsettling exploration of the alienating and simultaneously liberating power of love, the bookseller's monotonous existence is rocked by the enigmatic Severina. As in a dream, the disoriented man finds that the thin border between rational and irrational is no longer reliable. Severina confirms Rey Rosa's privileged place in contemporary world literature.
Synopsis
Rodrigo Rey Rosa deals with obsessive love in this riveting novel, a theme not unfamiliar in literature. But in Rey Rosas hands, the tale is told with almost breathless precision and subtle suspense. The bookstore owner and aspiring novelist who narrates the book immediately notices the attractive woman who enters his store one rainy afternoon. Right from the start I picked her for a thief,” he says. He immediately falls in love with Severina, but her mystery unfolds only gradually. Seductive and peripatetic, of uncertain nationality, she steals books to read them with a man she claims is her father, Señor Blanco.
In this unsettling book about the alienating and simultaneously liberating power of love, the monotonous existence of the bookseller is rocked by the consummate book thief who hopes to solve the enigma of her life through stolen works. As in a dream, the borders between rational and irrational, commerce and gift culture, become blurred for the disoriented bookseller. Severina confirms Rodrigo Rey Rosas privileged place in contemporary world literature.
Synopsis
Admirers of Roberto Bolaño will be delighted to discover Guatemalan author Rey Rosa, whom Bolaño praises as the most luminous of all” writers of their generation
Synopsis
A new translation of the Guatemalan author whom Roberto Bolaño called “the most rigorous writer of my generation, the most transparent…the most luminous of all.”
About the Author
Rodrigo Rey Rosa is perhaps the most prominent writer on the Guatemalan literary scene. Along with the work of writers like Roberto Bolaño, Horacio Castellanos Moya, and Fernando Vallejo, Rey Rosas fiction has been widely translated and internationally acclaimed. His books include
Dust on Her Tongue, The Beggars Knife, and
The Pelcari Project, all of which were translated into English by the late Paul Bowles. In addition to his many novels and story collections, Rey Rosa has translated books by Bowles, Norman Lewis, François Augiéras, and Paul Léautaud.
Chris Andrews teaches at the University of Western Sydney and is a prize-winning poet. He has translated the works of numerous Latin American authors, among them Roberto Bolaño and César Aira.