Synopses & Reviews
La Grande—Saer's final novel, which is also a fantastic entry-point to his world—centers around two related stories: that of Gutiérrez, his sudden departure from Argentina thirty years before, and his equally mysterious return; and that of "precisionism," a literary movement founded by a rather dangerous fraud.
Review
"This final novel by the renowned Argentine writer is a daring, idiosyncratic work that examines the idea of an individual person navigating the whirl of random events that helps shape everyone's lives."
KirkusThe experience, the joy, of reading this book comes from an appreciation of Saers ability to keep these various pieces in motion. Saer-as-maestro teases apart story lines only to carefully reconnect them hundreds of pages later. . . . The mundane becomes strange, significant, filled with meaning, so that each story, each character, each plot step even, appears consequential. Nothing is ever wasted.”Numéro Cinq
Synopsis
Saer's final novel, bringing together many prior themes and characters, and gathering them at a party with lots of wine.
Synopsis
"A cerebral explorer of the problems of narrative in the wake of Joyce and Woolf, of Borges, of Rulfo and Arlt, Saer is also a stunning poet of place."--The Nation
Saer's final novel, La Grande, is the grand culmination of his life's work, bringing together themes and characters explored throughout his career, yet presenting them in a way that is beautifully unique, and a wonderful entry-point to his literary world.
Moving between past and present, La Grande centers around two related stories: that of Gutierrez, his sudden departure from Argentina 30 years before, and his equally mysterious return; and that of "precisionism," a literary movement founded by a rather dangerous fraud. Dozens of characters populate these storylines, including Nula, the wine salesman, ladies' man, and part-time philosopher; Lucia, the woman he's lusted after for years; and Tomatis, a journalist whom Saer fans have encountered many times before.
Written in Saer's trademark style, this lyrically gorgeous book--which touches on politics, artistic beliefs, illicit love affairs, and everything else that makes up life--ends with one of the greatest lines in all of literature: "With the rain came the fall, and with the fall, the time of the wine."
Juan Jose Saer (1937-2005), born in Santa Fe, Argentina, was the leading Argentinian writer of the post-Borges generation. In 1968, he moved to Paris and taught literature at the University of Rennes. The author of numerous novels and short-story collections (including Sixty-Five Years of Washington, Scars, The One Before, The Clouds, all being published by Open Letter), Saer was awarded Spain's prestigious Nadal Prize in 1987 for The Event.
Steve Dolph is the founding editor of Calque, a journal of literature in translation. His translation of Saer's Scars was a finalist for the 2012 Best Translated Book Award. He lives in Philadelphia where he spends his summers rooting for the Phillies.
About the Author
Juan José Saer (19372005), born in Santa Fé, Argentina, was the leading Argentinian writer of the post-Borges generation. In 1968, he moved to Paris and taught literature at the University of Rennes. The author of numerous novels and short-story collections (including
Sixty-Five Years of Washington, Scars, The One Before, The Clouds, all being published by Open Letter), Saer was awarded Spains prestigious Nadal Prize in 1987 for
The Event.Steve Dolph is the founding editor of Calque, a journal of literature in translation. His translation of Saers Scars was a finalist for the 2012 Best Translated Book Award. He lives in Philadelphia where he spends his summers rooting for the Phillies.