{"title":"Catalonia","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"a-thousand-morons","title":"A Thousand Morons","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003eDecember 11, 2012\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003estories | pb | 111 pgs\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e5.5\" x 8.5\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e978-1-934824-41-2\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e“Today’s best known writer in Catalan. He is also, no exaggeration, one of the world’s great short-story writers.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e—\u003cem\u003eThe Independent\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA Thousand Morons\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, Quim Monzó’s latest collection of short stories, is rife with very unfortunate characters. There’s the young boy in “A Cut” who is upbraided by his teacher when he rudely shows up for class with a huge gash in his neck. And the prince in “One Night” who tries everything to awaken a sleeping princess—yet fails completely.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSeeing that this is a Quim Monzó collection, absurdity offsets the “moronic” sadness. Such as “Love Is Eternal,” which features a man who decides to finally overcome his commitment issues and marry his dying girlfriend, only to have everything backfire; or “The Fullness of Summer,” in which a family meticulously records every moment of their gathering.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAn excellent combination of longer, elegiac stories of “morons,” aging, and the passage of time—with short, flashier pieces that display Monzó’s wit and playfulness—make this one of the strongest collections in the oeuvre of Catalan’s short fiction master.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTranslated from the Catalan\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cb\u003e by Peter Bush\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eQuim Monzó was born in Barcelona in 1952. He has been awarded the National Award, the City of Barcelona Award, the Prudenci Bertrana Award, the El Temps Award, the Lletra d'Or Prize for the best book of the year, and the Catalan Writers' Award; he has been awarded \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eSerra d'Or\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003emagazine's prestigious Critics' Award four times. He has also translated numerous authors into Catalan, including Truman Capote, J.D. Salinger, and Ernest Hemingway.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Translator: \u003c\/strong\u003ePeter Bush is an award-winning translator who lives in Barcelona. His translations include Juan Goytisolo's \u003cem\u003eNíjar Country\u003c\/em\u003e, Teresa Solana's \u003cem\u003eA Shortcut to Paradise\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eAlain Badiou's \u003cem\u003eIn Praise of Love\u003c\/em\u003e. More recently, he translated Josep Pla's \u003cem\u003eThe Gray Notebook\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“A gifted writer, he draws well on the rich tradition of Spanish surrealism . . . to sustain the lyrical, visionary quality of his imagination.”\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Monzó delivers drollery on nearly every page, in observations that are incisive and hilarious and horrifying, often all at once.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003e—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Quim Monzó","offers":[{"title":"pb","offer_id":386483176,"sku":"","price":12.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0282\/5792\/products\/Thousand_Morons-front.jpg?v=1382818371"},{"product_id":"death-in-spring","title":"Death in Spring","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003eSeptember 15, 2015 (pb)\u003cbr\u003eMay 15, 2009 (hc, out of print)\u003cbr\u003enovel | pb | 150 pgs\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e5.5\" x 8.5\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e978-1-940953-28-1\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e\"The greatest contemporary Catalan novelist and possibly the best Mediterranean woman author since Sappho.\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e—David H. Rosenthal\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e• \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsidered by many to be the grand achievement of her later period, \u003cem\u003eDeath in Spring \u003c\/em\u003eis one of Mercè Rodoreda's most complex and beautifully constructed works. The novel tells the story of the bizarre and destructive customs of a nameless town—burying the dead in trees after filling their mouths with cement to prevent their soul from escaping, or sending a man to swim in the river that courses underneath the town to discover if they will be washed away by a flood—through the eyes of a fourteen-year-old boy who must come to terms with the rhyme and reason of this ritual violence, and with his wild, child-like, and teenaged stepmother, who becomes his playmate. It is through these rituals, and the developing relationships between the boy and the townspeople, that Rodoreda portrays a fully-articulated, though quite disturbing, society. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe horrific rituals, however, stand in stark contrast to the novel’s stunningly poetic language and lush descriptions. Written over a period of twenty years—after Rodoreda was forced into exile following the Spanish Civi War—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eDeath in Spring\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is musical and rhythmic, and truly the work of a writer at the height of her powers.\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003eTranslated from the Catalan by Martha Tennent\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003eAbout the Author:\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMercè Rodoreda (1908–1983) is widely regarded as the most important Catalan writer of the twentieth century. Exiled in France and Switzerland following the Spanish Civil War, Rodoreda began writing the novels and short stories—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eTwenty-two Short Stories\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Time of the Doves\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eCamellia Street\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eGarden by the Sea\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e—that would eventually make her internationally famous, while at the same time earning a living as a seamstress. In the mid-1960s she returned to Catalonia, where she continued to write. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eDeath in Spring\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, her final novel, is also available from Open Letter.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Translator: \u003c\/strong\u003eMartha Tennent is an English-language translator who works primarily from Catalan and Spanish. She was born in the United States, but has lived most of her life in Barcelona. She received a fellowship from the NEA for her translation of \u003cem\u003eThe Selected Storie\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003es of Mercè Rodoreda\u003c\/em\u003e. Her work has appeared in \u003cem\u003eEpiphany\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eTwo Lines\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eWords Without Borders\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eA Public Space\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eWorld Literature Today\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003ePEN America\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eReview of Contemporary Fiction\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e\"Rodoreda had bedazzled me by the sensuality with which she reveals things within the atmosphere of her novels. . . . A writer who still knows how to name things has already won half the battle, and Rodoreda knew how to do that as well as anyone who wrote in her mother tongue.\"\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e—Gabriel Garcia Márquez\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e\"Mercè Rodoreda is the writer I cannot stop talking about.\"\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e—Alberto Ríos\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Mercè Rodoreda","offers":[{"title":"pb","offer_id":386493338,"sku":"","price":13.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"ebook (epub)","offer_id":388278800,"sku":"","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0282\/5792\/products\/Death_in_Spring-front.jpg?v=1436296733"},{"product_id":"gasoline","title":"Gasoline","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003eMay 14, 2010\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003enovel | pb | 138 pgs\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e5.5\" x 8.5\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e978-1-934824-18-4\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e\"Monzó delivers drollery on nearly every page, in observations that are incisive and hilarious and horrifying, often all at once.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e—\u003cem\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFor the first time in his life, Heribert Juliá is unable to paint. On the eve of an important gallery exhibition, for which he’s created nothing, he’s bored with life: he falls asleep while making love with his mistress, wanders from bar to bar, drinking whatever comes to his attention first, and meets the evidence of his wife Helena’s infidelity with complete indifference. Humbert Herrera, an up-and-coming artist who can’t stop creating, picks up the threads of Heribert’s life, taking his wife, replacing him at the gallery, and pursuing his former mistress. Heribert is finally undone by a massive sculpture, while Humbert is planning the sculpture to end sculpture, the poem to end poetry, and the film to end film, all while mounting three simultaneous shows. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eA fun-house mirror through which he examines the creative process, the life and loves of artists, and the New York art scene, \u003cem\u003eGasoline\u003c\/em\u003e confirms Quim Monzó as the foremost Catalan writer of his generation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003eTranslated from the Catalan by \u003cspan color=\"#666666\"\u003eMary Ann Newman\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003eAbout the Author: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eQuim Monzó was born in Barcelona in 1952. He has been awarded the National Award, the City of Barcelona Award, the Prudenci Bertrana Award, the El Temps Award, the Lletra d'Or Prize for the best book of the year, and the Catalan Writers' Award; he has been awarded \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eSerra d'Or\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e magazine's prestigious Critics' Award four times. He has also translated numerous authors into Catalan, including Truman Capote, J.D. Salinger, and Ernest Hemingway.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Quim Monzó is today's best known writer in Catalan. He is also, no exaggeration, one the world’s great short-story writers. This novel shows all his idiosyncrasy and originality. We have at last gained the opportunity to read (in English) one of the most original writers of our time.”\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e—\u003cem\u003eThe Independent\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Quim Monzó","offers":[{"title":"pb","offer_id":404474113,"sku":"","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"ebook (epub)","offer_id":404474117,"sku":"","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0282\/5792\/products\/gasoline_highres.jpg?v=1384456393"},{"product_id":"the-selected-stories-of-merce-rodoreda","title":"The Selected Stories of Mercè Rodoreda","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003eFebruary 15, 2011\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003estories | pb | 250 pgs\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e5.5\" x 8.5\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e978-1-934824-31-3\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e\"The humor in the stories, as well as their thrill of realism, comes from a Nabokovian precision of observation and transformation of plain experience into enchanting prose.\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e—\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"line-height: 1.2;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCollected here are thirty of Mercè Rodoreda’s most moving and challenging stories, presented in chronological order of their publication from three of Rodoreda’s most beloved short story collections:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eTwenty-Two Stories\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eIt Seemed Like Silk and Other Stories\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eMy Christina and Other Stories\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. These stories capture Rodoreda’s full range of expression, from quiet literary realism to fragmentary impressionism to dark symbolism. Few writers have captured so clearly, or explored so deeply, the lives of women who are stuck somewhere between senseless modernity and suffocating tradition—Rodoreda’s “women are notable for their almost pathological lack of volition, but also for their acute sensitivity, a nearly painful awareness of beauty” (Natasha Wimmer).\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003eTranslated from the Catalan by Martha Tennent\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003eAbout the Author: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMercè Rodoreda (1908–1983) is widely regarded as the most important Catalan writer of the twentieth century. Exiled in France and Switzerland following the Spanish Civil War, Rodoreda began writing the novels and short stories—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eTwenty-two Short Stories\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Times of the Doves\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eCamellia Street\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eGarden by the Sea\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e—that would eventually make her internationally famous, while at the same time earning a living as a seamstress. In the mid-1960s she returned to Catalonia, where she continued to write. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eDeath in Spring\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, her final novel, is also available from Open Letter.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Translator\u003c\/strong\u003e: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eMartha Tennent is an English-language translator who works primarily from Catalan and Spanish. She was born in the United States, but has lived most of her life in Barcelona. She received a fellowship from the NEA for her translation of \u003cem\u003eThe Selected Storie\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003es of Mercè Rodoreda\u003c\/em\u003e. Her work has appeared in \u003cem\u003eEpiphany\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eTwo Lines\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eWords Without Borders\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eA Public Space\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eWorld Literature Today\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003ePEN America\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eReview of Contemporary Fiction\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Rodoreda plumbs a sadness that reaches beyond historic circumstances . . . an almost voluptuous vulnerability.\"\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Nation\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Mercè Rodoreda","offers":[{"title":"pb","offer_id":404575485,"sku":"","price":15.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"ebook (epub)","offer_id":404575489,"sku":"","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0282\/5792\/products\/stories_highres.jpg?v=1384460804"},{"product_id":"guadalajara","title":"Guadalajara","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003eJuly 12, 2011\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003estories | pb | 135 pgs\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e5.5\" x 8.5\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e978-1-934824-19-1\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e“A gifted writer, he draws well on the rich tradition of Spanish surrealism . . . to sustain the lyrical, visionary quality of his imagination.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e—\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"line-height: 1.2;\"\u003eAll the heroes of this story collection—the boy who refuses to follow the family tradition of having his ring finger cut off; the man who cannot escape his house, no matter what he tries; Robin Hood stealing so much from the rich that he ruins the rich and makes the poor wealthy; Gregor the cockroach, who wakes one day to discover he has become a human teenager; the prophet who can’t remember any of the prophecies that have been revealed to him; Ulysses and his minions trapped in the Trojan horse—are faced with a world that is always changing, where time and space move in circles, where language has become meaningless. Their stories are mazes from which they can't escape.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eThe simultaneously dark, grotesque, and funny \u003ci\u003eGuadalajara\u003c\/i\u003e reveals Quim Monzó at his acerbic and witty best.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003eTranslated from the Catalan by Peter Bush\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003eAbout the Author: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eQuim Monzó was born in Barcelona in 1952. He has been awarded the National Award, the City of Barcelona Award, the Prudenci Bertrana Award, the El Temps Award, the Lletra d'Or Prize for the best book of the year, and the Catalan Writers' Award; he has been awarded \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eSerra d'Or\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003emagazine's prestigious Critics' Award four times. He has also translated numerous authors into Catalan, including Truman Capote, J.D. Salinger, and Ernest Hemingway.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Translator: \u003c\/strong\u003ePeter Bush is an award-winning translator who lives in Barcelona. His translations include Juan Goytisolo's \u003cem\u003eNíjar Country\u003c\/em\u003e, Teresa Solana's \u003cem\u003eA Shortcut to Paradise\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eAlain Badiou's \u003cem\u003eIn Praise of Love\u003c\/em\u003e. More recently, he translated Josep Pla's \u003cem\u003eThe Gray Notebook\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Today’s best known writer in Catalan. He is also, no exaggeration, one of the world’s great short-story writers.” \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cem\u003eThe Independent\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Quim Monzó","offers":[{"title":"pb","offer_id":404642253,"sku":"","price":12.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"ebook (epub)","offer_id":404646197,"sku":"","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0282\/5792\/products\/guadalajara_highres.jpg?v=1384463608"},{"product_id":"war-so-much-war","title":"War, So Much War","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003eNovember 10, 2015\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003enovel | pb | 185 pgs\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e5.5\" x 8.5\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e978-1-940953-22-9\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e“Rodoreda had bedazzled me by the sensuality with which she reveals things within the atmosphere of her novels.”  \u003cbr\u003e—Gabriel García Marquez\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e“It is a total mystery to me why [Rodoreda] isn’t widely worshipped. . . . She’s on my list of authors whose works I intend to have read all of before I die. Tremendous, tremendous writer.”  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e—John Darnielle, The Mountain Goats\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDespite its title, there is little of war and much of the fantastic in this coming-of-age story, which was the last novel Mercè Rodoreda published during her lifetime.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe first meet its young protagonist, Adrià Guinart, as he is leaving Barcelona out of boredom and a thirst for freedom, embarking on a long journey through the backwaters of a rural land, accompanied by the interminable, distant rumblings of an indefinable war. In vignette-like chapters and a narrative style imbued with the fantastic, Guinart meets with numerous adventures and peculiar characters who offer him a surrealistic view of an impoverished, war-ravaged society and shape his perception of his place in the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLike Rodoreda’s \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.openletterbooks.org\/collections\/merce-rodoreda\/products\/death-in-spring\" title=\"Death in Spring by Mercè Rodoreda\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eDeath in Spring\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, nature and death play a fundamental role in this phantasmagoric narrative that seems to be a meditation on moral degradation and the often inescapable presence of evil.\u003cspan style=\"line-height: 1.4;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.openletterbooks.org\/pages\/war-so-much-war-excerpt\" title=\"War, So Much War - EXCERPT\" style=\"line-height: 1.4;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e(Read an Excerpt)\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTranslated from the Catalan by Maruxa Relaño \u0026amp; Martha Tennent\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003eAbout the Author:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e Mercè Rodoreda (1908–1983) is widely regarded as the most important Catalan writer of the twentieth century. Exiled in France and Switzerland following the Spanish Civil War, Rodoreda began writing the novels and short stories—\u003cem\u003eTwenty-Two Short Stories\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Time of the Doves\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eCamellia Street\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eGarden by the Sea\u003c\/em\u003e—that would eventually make her internationally famous, while at the same time earning a living as a seamstress. In the mid-1960s she returned to Catalonia, where she continued to write. \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.openletterbooks.org\/collections\/merce-rodoreda\/products\/death-in-spring\" title=\"Death in Spring by Mercè Rodoreda\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eDeath in Spring\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.openletterbooks.org\/collections\/merce-rodoreda\/products\/the-selected-stories-of-merce-rodoreda\" title=\"The Selected Stories of Mercè Rodoreda\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Selected Stories of Mercè Rodoreda\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e are also available from Open Letter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Translators: \u003c\/strong\u003eMaruxa Relaño is a journalist and English-language translator working from Spanish and Catalan. She was a translator for the \u003cem\u003eWall Street Journal \u003c\/em\u003eand wrote for the \u003cem\u003eNew York Daily News\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eNew York Sun\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eNew York Magazine\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eNewsday\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eHoy Newspaper\u003c\/em\u003e, among others. Her recent co-translations include the novels \u003cem\u003eA Man of His Word\u003c\/em\u003e by Imma Monsó and \u003cem\u003eThe Sea\u003c\/em\u003e by Blai Bonet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMartha Tennent is an English-language translator who works primarily from Catalan and Spanish. She was born in the United States, but has lived most of her life in Barcelona. She received a fellowship from the NEA for her translation of \u003cem\u003eThe Selected Storie\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003es of Mercè Rodoreda\u003c\/em\u003e. Her work has appeared in \u003cem\u003eEpiphany\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eTwo Lines\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eWords Without Borders\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eA Public Space\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eWorld Literature Today\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003ePEN America\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eReview of Contemporary Fiction\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e“Rodoreda plumbs a sadness that reaches beyond historic circumstances . . . an almost voluptuous vulnerability.”  \u003cbr\u003e—\u003cem\u003eThe Nation\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Mercè Rodoreda has been a favorite of mine ever since college. . . . \u003cem\u003eWar, So Much War\u003c\/em\u003e helps to expand our understanding of a world-class writer’s fiction, with, hopefully more to come.\"\u003cbr\u003e—Jeff VanderMeer, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Southern Reach Trilogy\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Mercè Rodoreda","offers":[{"title":"pb","offer_id":3577140549,"sku":"","price":13.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"ebook (epub)","offer_id":13561321488428,"sku":"","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0282\/5792\/products\/War_So_Much_War-front.jpg?v=1436284360"},{"product_id":"camellia-street","title":"Camellia Street","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003eNovember 20, 2018\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003enovel | pb | 186 pgs.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e5.5\" x 8.5\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan color=\"#b45f06\" style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e978-1-940953-86-1\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e“Rodoreda had bedazzled me by the sensuality with which she reveals things within the atmosphere of her novels.”  \u003cbr\u003e—Gabriel García Marquez\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFrom the Introduction by Sandra Cisneros:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCamellia Street\u003c\/em\u003e, published in 1966, is the starkest of all Rodoreda’s works. It chronicles the life and, obliquely, the times of Cecília C., a street-corner prostitute and later a kept woman in numb, exhausted postwar Barcelona. Cecília, a foundling whose name is written on a scrap of paper pinned to her bib, never takes to her adoptive parents. She flees their stifling attentions and obsessive chatter about her origins as soon as she can—first in search of her father, who has appeared to her in a vision, and then more definitively with her first lover, Eusebi. From this point on her life is, in her own words, \u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003espent searching for lost things and burying dead loves.\u003cspan\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e Incapable of either emotional attachment or shared sensual pleasure, Cecília lives frozen in her own narcissism and anomie. [. . .] Though not as much of a victim as Jean Rhys’s heroines, Cecília resembles them in her helpless, bitter drift through a world of lovers who either quickly bore her or whom she never liked in the first place.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTranslated from the Catalan by David Rosenthal\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction by Sandra Cisneros\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003eAbout the Author:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMercè Rodoreda is widely regarded as the most important Catalan writer of the twentieth century. Exiled to France during the Spanish Civil War, and only able to return to Catalonia in the mid-1960s, she wrote a number of highly praised works, including \u003cem\u003eThe Time of the Doves\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eDeath in Spring\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Translators: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDavid Rosenthal wrote mostly about jazz music and was one of the most\u003cbr\u003einfluential translators of Catalan in the twentieth century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“It is a total mystery to me why [Rodoreda] isn’t widely worshipped. . . . Tremendous, tremendous writer.”  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e—John Darnielle, The Mountain Goats\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e”When you read this book, read it for its beauty, for the way it will surprise and subvert your desires, and as a testament to the human spirit in the face of brutality and willful inhumanity.”\u003cbr\u003e—Jesmyn Ward, NPR\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Mercè Rodoreda","offers":[{"title":"pb","offer_id":9724841852972,"sku":"","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0282\/5792\/products\/Camillia_Street_cvr-27-29_Page_1.jpg?v=1528913212"},{"product_id":"why-why-why","title":"Why, Why, Why?","description":"\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003eOctober 15, 2019 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003enovel | pb | 114 pgs.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e5.5\" x 8.5\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e978-1-948830-04-1\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA man tries to teach a stone to speak through sheer force of will. An engaged couple makes a pact to never lie, and their union dissolves immediately. Over the course of a phone call, a man learns that his girlfriend died months ago, and that he’s been unknowingly seeing her twin sister. Prince Charming marries Cinderella, but then has an affair with the evil stepsisters. A psychopath's liver explodes after a night of heavy drinking, but instead of killing him, it allows him to be a better drinker.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese, and many more, strange and twisted characters populate the pages of \u003ci\u003eWhy, Why, Why?\u003c\/i\u003e, a delectable brew of dark humor and biting satire on human relationships. In these stories, the characters don’t start falling until they know they’re off the cliff. By then, rock bottom isn’t a long way off. Another stunning entry from Catalan’s greatest contemporary writer, Monzó’s stories dust themselves off and speed on to their next catastrophe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTranslated from the Catalan by Peter Bush\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003eAbout the Author:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eQuim Monzó was born in Barcelona in 1952. He has been awarded the National Award, the City of Barcelona Award, the Prudenci Bertrana Award, the El Temps Award, the Lletra d’Or Prize for the best book of the year, and the Catalan Writers’ Award, and he has been awarded Serra d’Or magazine’s prestigious Critics’ Award four times. He has also translated numerous authors into Catalan, including Truman Capote, J. D. Salinger, and Ernest Hemingway.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Translator:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePeter Bush\u003cspan\u003e is an award-winning translator who lives in Barcelona. His translations include Juan Goytisolo's \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eNíjar Country\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, Teresa Solana's \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Shortcut to Paradise\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, Alain Badiou's \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eIn Praise of Love\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and Josep Pla's \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Gray Notebook\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eWhy, Why, Why?\u003c\/em\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Today’s best known writer in Catalan. He is also, no exaggeration, one of the world’s great short-story writers.” —\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Independent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Monzó blends verve and precision in these stories while also posing bold philosophical questions.\" —\u003cem\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“A gifted writer, he draws well on the rich tradition of Spanish surrealism . . . to sustain the lyrical, visionary quality of his imagination.”—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Monzó delivers drollery on nearly every page, in observations that are incisive and hilarious and horrifying, often all at once.” —\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“\u003c\/span\u003eThe darkly strange stories in \u003cem\u003eWhy, Why, Why?\u003c\/em\u003e . . . expose the tragic absurdities of human relationships. . . . In tales as cautionary as they are wickedly humorous, Monzo's characters self-destruct, while readers can't help but bear witness, asking themselves: \u003cem\u003eWhy?\u003cspan\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e—Samantha Zaboski, \u003cem\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"book-meta-ctr clearfix\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"row\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Quim Monzó","offers":[{"title":"pb","offer_id":13622275113004,"sku":"","price":13.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"ebook (epub)","offer_id":31466508910707,"sku":"","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0282\/5792\/products\/9781948830041_FC.jpg?v=1578089332"},{"product_id":"garden-by-the-sea","title":"Garden by the Sea","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFebruary 18, 2020 \u003cbr\u003enovel | pb | 230 pgs.\u003cbr\u003e5.5\" x 8.5\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e978-1-948830-08-9 \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe novel that defined Mercè Rodoreda’s most prolific period is finally available in English for the first time. Set in 1920s Spain, \u003ci\u003eGarden by the Sea\u003c\/i\u003e takes place over six summers at a villa by the sea inhabited by a young couple and their beautiful, rich, joyous friends. They swim, drink, tease each other, and fully enjoy themselves. All the while, the guests are observed by the villa’s gardener, a widow who’s been tending the garden for several decades. As the true protagonist of the novel, we get to see the dissolution of these magical summers through his eyes, as a sense of darkness and ending creeps in, precipitated by the construction of a new, larger, more glamorous villa next door.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsidered by many to be one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century, Rodoreda has captivated readers for decades with her exacting descriptions of life—and nature—in post-war Spain, and this novel will further her reputation and fill in an important piece of oeuvre.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTranslated from the Catalan by \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMaruxa Relaño and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMartha Tennent \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003eAbout the Author:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMercè Rodoreda is widely regarded as the most important Catalan writer of the twentieth century. Exiled in France and Switzerland following the Spanish Civil War, Rodoreda began writing the novels and short stories—\u003ci\u003eTwenty-Two Short Storie\u003c\/i\u003es, \u003ci\u003eThe Time of the Doves\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eCamellia Street\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGarden by the Sea\u003c\/i\u003e—that would eventually make her internationally famous, while at the same time earning a living as a seamstress. In the mid-1960s, she returned to Catalonia, where she continued to write. \u003ci\u003eCamellia Street\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDeath in Spring\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Selected Stories of Mercè Rodoreda\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eWar, So Much War\u003c\/i\u003e are also available from Open Letter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Translators:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eThe mother and daughter translation team of Martha Tennent and Maruxa Relaño has translated a number of works from Spanish and Catalan into English, including \u003cspan color=\"#000000\" face=\"Fournier MT Std\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eWar, So Much War\u003c\/em\u003e by Mercè Rodoreda. Tennent also received a NEA fellowship for her translation of \u003cem\u003eThe Selected Stories of Mercè Rodoreda\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eGarden by the Sea\u003c\/em\u003e:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“When you read [\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eDeath in Spring\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e], read it for its beauty, for the way it will surprise and subvert your desires, and as a testament to the human spirit in the face of brutality and willful inhumanity.”—Jesmyn Ward, NPR\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“It is a total mystery to me why Rodoreda isn’t widely worshipped. . . . She’s on my list of authors whose works I intend to have read all of before I die.”—John Darnielle, The Mountain Goats\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Rodoreda has bedazzled me by the sensuality with which she reveals things within the atmosphere of her novels.”—Gabriel García Márquez\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Rodoreda plumbs a sadness that reaches beyond historic circumstances . . . an almost voluptuous vulnerability.”—Natasha Wimmer, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Nation\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Mercè Rodoreda is the writer I cannot stop talking about.”—Alberto Ríos\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“The humor in the stories, as well as their thrill of realism, comes from a Nabokovian precision of observation and transformation of plain experience into enchanting prose.”—\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“In a novel notable for its graceful, restrained prose—sensitively rendered by translators Tennent and Relaño—Catalan fiction writer Rodoreda creates a finely etched portrait of 1920s Spanish society, as seen through the eyes of a quietly attentive gardener. . . . A captivating tale gently spun.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Mercè Rodoreda","offers":[{"title":"pb","offer_id":14474917609516,"sku":"","price":15.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0282\/5792\/products\/9781948830089_FC.jpg?v=1556130567"},{"product_id":"the-adventures-and-misadventures-of-the-extraordinary-and-admirable-joan-orpi-conquistador-and-founder-of-new-catalonia","title":"The Adventures and Misadventures of the Extraordinary and Admirable Joan Orpí, Conquistador and Founder of New Catalonia","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003eJanuary 12, 2021\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003enovel | pb | 400 pgs\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e5.5\" x 8.5\" \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e978-1-948830-24-9\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“If Cervantes and the Monty Python guys were shoved into the Large Hadron Collider—and Earth didn’t explode—we might get something like Joan Orpí. How lucky are we to be alive! And to have Max Besora!”\u003cbr\u003e—Ryan Chapman, author of \u003ci\u003eRiots I Have Known\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJoan Orpí (Piera, 1593–New Barcelona, 1645) is one of the most unknown, yet fascinating, characters in Spanish history. In this torrential book we are told the odyssey that brought him first to Barcelona, later to Sevilla, and finally to America, where he would experience all kinds of outlandish situations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUsing historical facts as raw material, and with stellar appearances of characters such as Miguel de Cervantes or the brigand Serrallonga, among others, Besora converses with the satirical tradition of works such as \u003cem\u003eGargantua and Pantagruel\u003c\/em\u003e,\u003cem\u003e Gulliver's Travels\u003c\/em\u003e, or \u003cem\u003eDon Quixote\u003c\/em\u003e, to paint a fresco of Catalonia in the seventeenth century and the Golden Age of the Spanish empire, creating a novel that is fresh, sharp, and bursting with exuberant adventures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA triumphant, playful masterpiece brought into a unique style of English thanks to the astonishing creativity of translator Mara Faye Lethem.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003eTranslated from the Catalan by Mara Faye Lethem\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003eAbout the Author: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eMax Besora started his career as a poet, and has since gone on to publish three novels, including \u003cem\u003eVolcano\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Adventures and Misadventures of the Extraordinary and Admirable Joan Orpi, Conquistador and Founder of New Catalonia\u003c\/em\u003e, which received the 2018 City of Barcelona Prize for Catalan Literature. He also plays trumpet in a jazz band and is currently co-writing a non-fiction book about rap music.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Translator: \u003c\/strong\u003eMara Faye Lethem has translated novels by Jaume Cabré, David Trueba, Albert Sánchez Piñol, Javier Calvo, Patricio Pron, Marc Pastor, and Toni Sala, among others, and shorter fiction by such authors as Juan Marsé, Rodrigo Fresán, Pola Oloixarac, Teresa Colom and Alba Dedeu. Her translation of \u003cem\u003eThe Whispering City\u003c\/em\u003e, by Sara Moliner, recently received an English PEN Award and two of her translations were nominated for the 2016 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePraise for Max Besora:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Dark humor, history, fiction, and misadventures collide in Spanish writer Besora’s wildly imaginative and irreverent English-language debut. . . . Drama, unbelievable escapades, copious footnotes, and comedy blend together seamlessly, and they make Orpí’s life one of the most remarkable in contemporary literature.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eBesora delivers a delightful parody of the conquistadors’ reports of old, peppered with all manner of goofiness, from songs with lyrics such as “For we art the hardy foes \/ of abstemia \u0026amp; anemia” to a pseudo-Renaissance vocabulary that will make a language lover smile. Utterly improbable—and utterly delightful.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“Like Don Quixote, this is a chivalric novel, seasoned with the humor of an author with wit in spades. Besora grew up with the toxic style of the great US underground cartoonists, the 'Weirdo' gang, and you can tell.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—\u003ci\u003eTime Out\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“Joan Orpí mixes tomfoolery and satire, lampooning so many sacred cows, including empire, history, religion, and literature. Besora’s prose is the real star, merging language of yore with modern day slang. Boisterous, bright, freewheeling, and playful, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe Adventures and Misadventures of the Extraordinary and Admirable Joan Orpí, Conquistador and Founder of New Catalonia\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e, put simply, is a shit-tonne of fun.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—Jeremy Garber, Powell’s Books\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“Flagrant, shameless, high-voltage, and sometimes just consummately silly. I can’t think of another translator who could have pulled this off, but like any great writer who feels they have total license to do whatever the hell they want with their language, Lethem creates what the narrator describes as ‘a language that constitutes the topography of its own world’, not striving for an accurate period reconstruction, but an archaism that’s invented, anachronistic, bastardised, defiantly inconsistent and totally, gloriously fun.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e—Daniel Hahn\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“An heir to Rabelais, Cervantes, Sterne and Swift, Besora has conceived his novel as a giant neo-baroque container with room for everything and more besides. The combination of events, registers, genres and characters is manic in its variety.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—Pere Antoni Pons, \u003ci\u003eAra\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“This novel is here to atone for a glaring oversight in the history of Catalan literature, reviving a tradition that has seemed all but dead since the time of Tirant lo Blanc, since any language deserves, at the very least, two great satirical novels; and this one is so Catalan it hurts.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e—Montserrat Serra, \u003ci\u003eVila Web\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Max Besora","offers":[{"title":"pb","offer_id":31801671942259,"sku":"","price":17.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"ebook (epub)","offer_id":31801671975027,"sku":"","price":12.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0282\/5792\/products\/9781948830249_FC_591c7609-1281-4641-8c5a-203118ac9206.jpg?v=1606705683"},{"product_id":"a-film","title":"A Film","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMarch 29, 2022 \u003cbr\u003enovel | pb | 448 pgs.\u003cbr\u003e5.5\" x 8.5\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e978-1-948830-44-7\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eNonat Ventura, an orphan raised by nuns in Girona, Spain, embarks on a compulsive quest to uncover his origins, with the hope that he is destined for a higher social status. His search leads him from a successful apprenticeship, to factory work in Barcelona, and finally to a band of thieves that seeks to get rich by any means necessary. Nonat’s central story frames a series of stories, a kaleidoscopic effect within a \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOne Thousand and One Nights\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e narrative: fictional tropes of orphans, spinsters, maids seduced by masters, crooks, go-getting provincials combined with realist depictions of factory workers, haberdashers, street-porters, corrupt politicians, and Belle Époque high society.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eCatalà relishes describing the male proletarian ambience of small factories and capturing the fraught atmosphere, carnival of disguises, and class tensions on the city’s streets, in its households, Liceu opera house, and theaters. A rebellious artistic project that was set to shock and discomfort readers and critics, Català contests the prevailing ideas on space, class, language, art, and gender.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTranslated from the Catalan by \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePeter Bush\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003eAbout the Author:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVictor Català\u003c\/strong\u003e was the pseudonym of the novelist and short story writer, Caterina Albert (1869-1966). Her early works—especially \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eSolitude\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e—were representative of the Modernist movement in Spain and reflected her interest in writing about rural settings. As trends changed, she incorporated more elements of cinema and civic concern into her writings, most notably in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eA Film\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, first published in Catalan 1926.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePeter Bush\u003c\/strong\u003e is an award-winning translator who lives in Barcelona. His translations include Juan Goytisolo's \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eNíjar Country\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, Teresa Solana's \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eA Shortcut to Paradise\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, Alain Badiou's \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIn Praise of Love\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, Josep Pla's \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe Gray Notebook\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e, and several collections by Quim Monzó, among many others.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePraise for Victor Català:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e“The novel's folk tales, with their scent of cruelty, linger in the mind, as do the icy, unforgiving vistas below . . . It's this sense of place that gives \u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSolitude its power\u003c\/i\u003e.”\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“The seamless translation faithfully illuminates the lucid, brilliant prose of this Catalan author.”\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e on \u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSolitude\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“I swallowed the words as if swallowing the mighty, varied, inextinguishable sound of a solo like Duke Ellington's; and on every page I was tempted to stop, to laugh heartily with all my throat and clap. I had never read anything in Catalan that made me so euphoric.”\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—Maria Bohigas\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“From a perfectly assumed cultural position, with a clear literary consciousness and challenging boldness (the dignification of popular cultural consumption), Víctor Català offers us a mature work, which in his time could not be appreciated.”\u003cb data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—Lluís Busquets, \u003ci data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eDiari de Girona\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Víctor Català","offers":[{"title":"pb","offer_id":40852232339637,"sku":null,"price":15.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"ebook","offer_id":42494201299180,"sku":"","price":9.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0282\/5792\/products\/AFilmcvr.jpg?v=1646344233"},{"product_id":"left-parenthesis","title":"Left Parenthesis","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cspan style=\"color: #ff2a00;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #ff2a00;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003eAugust 16, 2022\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003enovel | pb | 96 pgs.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e5\" x 8\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e978-1-948830-52-2\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\" color=\"#b45f06\" data-mce-style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eThe narrator of this novel, a writer, arrives by train at Casetes Beach with her month-old daughter on her back. She prepares to spend a few weeks in one of the cottages by the sand. Her husband has recently passed away and she needs to open the parenthesis of her life: to forget something, and to discover something else. But the appearance of an overly assertive starfish precedes a series of disturbing events, and as the narrator begins to lose a hold on reality, we are immersed in the uncertain territory of allegory.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith a lively and direct style and overwhelming poetic force, Muriel Villanueva guides us through the daily motions of life, and at the same time a fantastic journey of a woman in search of her own maturity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTranslated from the Catalan by Megan Berkobien and María Cristina Hall\u003cbr\u003eIllustrations by Aitana Carrasco \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #444444;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #444444;\"\u003eAbout the Author:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMuriel Villanueva\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (Valencia, 1976) is a writer of novels, short stories, poetry and children's and youth literature. She has a degree in Literary Theory and Comparative Literature from the University of Barcelona, as well as a diploma in Music Education from the University of Valencia. In addition to writing, she also teaches courses in writing and is a music teacher. Her latest publications have been \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eLa gatera\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eMotril 86\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eDuna\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ediario d'un estiu\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and the trilogy \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eL'Esfera\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e.She has received several awards, including the JM Casero Award, the Valencian Writers' Critics Award, and The Talúries Poetry Award.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Translators: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMegan Berkobien\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eholds a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Michigan. She holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature from the same university, where she founded the school's undergraduate translation journal,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eCanon Translation Review.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eShe has worked as an assistant editor for the online magazine\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eAsymptote\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eas well as an editorial intern for\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eWords Without Borders\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eand\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eOpen Letter Books. Her translations have been published in\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eWords Without Borders, B O D Y,\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003ePalabras Errantes, Asymptote\u003c\/i\u003e, and\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eCatch \u0026amp; Release.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eShe was chosen as an ALTA Fellow for the 2014 Annual Conference.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMaría Cristina Hall\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis a Mexican-American poet, translator, and immigration activist. She has a bachelor's in creative writing and political science from Columbia University and a master's in translation studies from Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. A Catalan and Spanish translator, she currently works at Institut Ramon Llull's office in New York City. Her translations can be found in\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eWords Without Borders, Loch Raven Review\u003c\/i\u003e, and\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eAlchemy.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eHer poetry can be found in\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eSea Foam Mag, Leveler, The Fem, Reservoir, Apogee\u003c\/i\u003e, and\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eBrokn English.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Muriel Villanueva","offers":[{"title":"pb","offer_id":42135006970092,"sku":null,"price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"ebook","offer_id":42135144595692,"sku":"","price":9.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0282\/5792\/products\/TheLeftParenthesisCover2NEW.jpg?v=1638598702"},{"product_id":"the-fake-muse","title":"The Fake Muse","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #b45f06;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFebruary 18, 2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #b45f06;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003enovel | pb | 176 pgs.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #b45f06;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e5.5\" x 8.5\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b56006;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #b56006;\"\u003e978-1-960385-33-8\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eWinners of the Inaugural Spain-USA Foundation Translation Award\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInfused with the spirit of pulp fiction, b-movies, zines, and punk rock,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Fake Muse\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eis a linguistic tour-de-force from the author of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Adventures and Misadventures of the Extraordinary and Admirable Joan Orpí, Conquistador and Founder of New Catalonia.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book opens by introducing us, one by one, to an array of troubled characters, each with their own typographical voice. There’s Johnny (an Aries) who turns into a vampire at a showing of\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eNosferatu\u003c\/i\u003e, there’s Meritxell (a Leo) who falls in love with a giant mutant hamster-philosopher, Josep (Cancer) who is also known as the “King Kong of the Bronx,” and Amanda aka Maryjane (Scorpio) who has had it with the abuse she’s suffered at the hands of the . . . author, Max Besora (Aquarius), and who is ready to take whatever action necessary.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWildly inventive, with each character’s vignette more hilarious and explosive than the last,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Fake Muse\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eweaves these stories together into a thrilling cinema-like production à la Sonic Youth meets Quentin Tarantino, raising questions about power structures, victimization, and the role of the author in bringing it all to life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTranslated from the Catalan by Mara Faye Lethem\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAbout the Author:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tabpanel pb-0 pt-0\" role=\"tabpanel\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"tabpanel\" role=\"tabpanel\" id=\"MeetTheAuthor\" data-mce-tabindex=\"-1\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"row\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"expandable-section col-lg-12\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"text--medium summarized\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tabpanel pb-0 pt-0 focus\" role=\"tabpanel\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"false\" class=\"tabpanel\" role=\"tabpanel\" id=\"MeetTheAuthor\" data-mce-tabindex=\"-1\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"row\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"expandable-section col-lg-12\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"text--medium\"\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003eMax Besora\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e has written five novels: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eVolcano\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e(2011, rewritten and republished 2021), \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Marvelous Technique\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e(2014), \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Adventures and Misadventures of the Extraordinary and Admirable Joan Orpi, Conquistador and Founder of New Catalonia\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e(2017), \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Fake Muse\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e(2020), and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eHis Master's Voice\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e(2022) and one fictional essay on urban music, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eTrapology\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e(2018).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Translator:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003eMara Faye Lethem\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e has translated novels by Jaume Cabré, David Trueba, Albert Sánchez Piñol, Javier Calvo, Patricio Pron, Marc Pastor and Toni Sala, among others, and shorter fiction by such authors as Juan Marsé, Rodrigo Fresán, Pola Oloixarac, Teresa Colom and Alba Dedeu. Her translation of The Whispering City, by Sara Moliner, recently received an English PEN Award and two of her translations were nominated for the 2016 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. She also won the Spain-USA Foundation Translation Award for her translation of Max Besora's \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Adventures and Misadventures of the Extraordinary and Admirable Joan Orpi, Conquistador and Founder of New Catalonia.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #b45f06;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #b45f06;\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePraise for Max Besora:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\"If Cervantes and the Monty Python guys were shoved into the Large Hadron Collider—and Earth didn't explode—we might get something like \u003ci\u003eJoan Orpí\u003c\/i\u003e. How lucky are we to be alive! And to have Max Besora!\"\u003cstrong\u003e—Ryan Chapman, author of \u003ci\u003eRiots I Have Known\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"Dark humor, history, fiction, and misadventures collide in Spanish writer Besora's wildly imaginative and irreverent English-language debut. . . . Drama, unbelievable escapades, copious footnotes, and comedy blend together seamlessly, and they make Orpí's life one of the most remarkable in contemporary literature.\"—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Joan Orpí mixes tomfoolery and satire, lampooning so many sacred cows, including empire, history, religion, and literature. Besora's prose is the real star, merging language of yore with modern day slang. Boisterous, bright, freewheeling, and playful, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Adventures and Misadventures of the Extraordinary and Admirable Joan Orpí, Conquistador and Founder of New Catalonia\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"—\u003cb\u003eJeremy Garber, Powell's Books\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Flagrant, shameless, high-voltage, and sometimes just consummately silly. I can't think of another translator who could have pulled this off, but like any great writer who feels they have total license to do whatever the hell they want with their language, Lethem creates what the narrator describes as 'a language that constitutes the topography of its own world', not striving for an accurate period reconstruction, but an archaism that's invented, anachronistic, bastardized, defiantly inconsistent and totally, gloriously fun.\"—\u003cb\u003eDaniel Hahn\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cstyle type=\"text\/css\"\u003e\u003c!--\ntd {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}\n--\u003e\u003c\/style\u003e\n\u003cstyle type=\"text\/css\"\u003e\u003c!--\ntd {border: 1px solid #cccccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}\n--\u003e\u003c\/style\u003e","brand":"Max Besora","offers":[{"title":"pb","offer_id":45582570782956,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"epub","offer_id":46418828787948,"sku":null,"price":12.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0282\/5792\/files\/9781960385338_FC.jpg?v=1723051037"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.openletterbooks.org\/collections\/catalonia\/muriiel-villanueva+max-besora.oembed","provider":"Open Letter","version":"1.0","type":"link"}