the art of praise
“The Praise Book” by Sergio Bizzio and others. Vinilo Editora, 112 pgs. $3,400.
This small volume published by Vinilo (a recently created independent publisher) brings together texts by well-known writers, summoned under the slogan of praising “something”: a place, an activity, a defect. The result is a set of articles that are sometimes hilarious, sometimes thoughtful, that face the task of “praise” from different perspectives.
For example, Sergio Bizzio He writes in favor of his laundry room, the only place in the house where he can paint. Natalia Moret he praises the bad translations that allowed him to create an unexpected linguistic bond with his daughter. Martin Kohan rescues the political value of uniforms and Martín Zariello, that of the most emblematic city of Argentines: Mar del Plata. Camila Fabbri, Santiago Gobernori, actress Valeria Lois, Santiago Loza, Marina Mariasch and Eugenio Monjeau complete an unmissable menu.
community of women
“Misery” by Dolores Reyes. Alfaguara, 336 pgs. $5,899.
Dolores Reyes broke into Argentine literature in 2019, with an unforgettable novel, “Eat dirt”. The voice of the protagonist, a poor girl whose only wealth or curse was the gift of reading the fate of disappeared women, in the land they lived and stepped on; she captivated readers from all over the world. This year, Reyes was the cover of “Babelia” and, before that, her book was translated into the main languages of the planet. Now Cometierra returns and shares a story with Misery, his brother’s teenage girlfriend, who is expecting a child from him. The two alternate in this hypnotic narrative that speaks (as in the previous text) of the dark reality of women: gender violence and the difficulty of surviving on the margins. The Salvation? Take shelter in the protection of the group and not stop looking at the world from an incorruptible innocence. In “Miseria”, Reyes wisely combines his ingredients again and seduces us again with his magic.
an unknown story
“America” by Ariel Weiner. Tide, 184 pgs. $5,200.
A family tragedy encourages Ariel Weiner to write “America. Anarchy and tragedy in the Scarfó family”, with the feeling that a tragic past is replicated as a silent mandate, until someone sheds light on its secrets. The result was a complete biography of his grandmother, America Scarfoknown throughout the world as the love of the anarchist Severino di Giovanni, shot in 1931. The content of this story arises, above all, from the testimony of the author’s mother, who agreed to speak with him about that past. As Weiner points out, the source for most of what was written about America was Osvaldo Bayer’s research on Di Giovanni. “It’s three years, in a life that had 90 more,” he says, before revealing in his book how this exceptional woman lived the immense rest of her days, after the anarchist’s death.
The news
“The pediatrician” by Andréa del Fuego. Edhasa, 194 pgs. $5,500.
The title doctor practices her profession without love. Her ironic look at the world destroys any relationship of affection. Del Fuego, a Brazilian author who is beginning to be recognized here, writes a ferocious novel that laughs at any cliché about motherhood. Her previous book, “Los Malaquías” was a great success in Brazil. This one follows the same path.
“Interlanguage” by Monica Zwaig. Blatt & Rios, 168 pgs. $4,790.
Amanda, like the author of the book, was born and lived much of her life in France. But one day she decided to come and live in Argentina. And another, start studying Italian. A whole universe of multiplied misunderstandings are exhibited in this book about language and exile, but also about what defines identity. A little gem.
The most read
Fiction
1-
“The wind knows my name”
Isabel Allende
2-
“The Two of Us in the Storm”
Eduardo Sacheri
3-
“Before the coffee gets cold”
Toshikazu Kawaguchi
4-
“The Uruguayan”
Pedro Mairal
5-
“Bad blood”
Giselle Kruger
Non-fiction
1-
“Crazy”
Juan Luis Gonzalez
2-
“Born and Still”
Mary O’Donnell
3-
“The subtle art of not giving a shit”
Mark Manson
4-
“Country of Shit”
Augusto and Mateo Salvatto
5-
“The End of Inflation”
javier milei
Source: Yenny and El Ateneo bookstores.
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