September 23, 2025
fiction | pb | 218 pgs.
5.5" x 8.5"
978-1-960385-43-7
Winner of the 1987 Nadal Prize
Blanco the Magician is renowned across Europe for his astonishing telepathic feats, dazzling audiences with the power of his mind. But when a ruthless conspiracy exposes him as a fraud, his carefully constructed world shatters. Fleeing disgrace, Blanco escapes to the remote corners of Argentina, where he begins a new life in obscurity with the beguiling and enigmatic Gina.
As Blanco struggles to rebuild his identity, he finds himself entangled in a series of events that blur the line between illusion and reality. In The Event, Juan José Saer weaves a hypnotic tale of deception, exile, and the search for meaning in a world where nothing is as it seems. With his signature philosophical depth and luminous prose, Saer explores themes of love, identity, and the fragile constructs that hold our lives together.
Translated from the Spanish by Helen R. Lane
•
About the Author:
Juan José Saer (1937-2005) was one of Argentina's most influential and innovative writers, celebrated for his philosophical depth and masterful prose. Born in Serodino, Santa Fe, he spent much of his adult life in France, where he wrote works that bridged Argentine and European literary traditions. His major works include La Grande, Scars, and The Event, for which he was awarded Spain's prestigious Nadal Prize in 1987.
About the Translator:
Helen Lane (1921-2004) was a celebrated literary translator, renowned for bringing many of the world's greatest works of fiction into English. Over her distinguished career, she translated books from Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Italian, introducing Anglophone readers to major authors such as Mario Vargas Llosa, Octavio Paz, Juan Goytisolo, Luisa Valenzuela, and Jorge Amado. Her contributions to literature earned her numerous accolades, including a PEN Translation Prize.
•
Praise for Juan José Saer:
"Juan José Saer must be added to the list of the best South American writers." —Le Monde
"To say that Juan José Saer is the best Argentinian writer of today is to undervalue his work. It would be better to say that Saer is one of the best writers of today in any language." —Ricardo Piglia
"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
"The most important Argentinian writer since Borges." —The Independent
"What Saer presents marvelously is the experience of reality, and the characters' attempts to write their own narratives within its excess." —Bookforum
