Bienvenidos a/Welcome to
Spanish Lit Month 2014, a month-long celebration of Spanish language literature read in the original
español or in translation in the language of your choice. Thanks to Stu of
Winstonsdad's Blog for coming up with the idea for the event in the first place and for asking me to co-host it with him back in 2012 and now again in 2014. Thanks as well to all of you who have agreed to read and review a work for the festivities this year. By the way, the link above should include the names of almost everybody who's said they'll be participating; however, there's always room for more if anybody else would like to join us during the course of the month. Feel free to leave a comment here if I've missed you or if you'd like to make sure I know about any of your Spanish Lit Month posts. For now, I'm planning on running weekly links round-ups on Sundays throughout July. As far as what I'll be reading for the event, your guess is as good as mine! However, the closest things to a certainty at the moment are a) Guillermo Cabrera Infante's
Tres tristes tigres [
Three Trapped Tigers], one of our two group read choices for the end of the month alongside Gabriel García Márquez's
Noticia de un secuestro [
News of a Kidnapping], and b) a new César Aira book that was brought back from Chile for me just yesterday thanks to a very kind coworker. Anyway, hope to see you around during the event. ¡Saludos!/Cheers!
Entradas
I'll be reading Felisberto Hernandez' Piano Stories, and we'll see what else.
ResponderBorrarScott, great to hear the news! Naturally, I look forward to hearing what you make of Felisberto (his best stuff makes me feel quite fond of him for reasons I'm not sure I can even explain).
BorrarA little Miguel Hernández collection, the Tirso de Molina play, and The House of Ulloa - that'll do for me.
ResponderBorrarTom, thanks for the company! I had to look Miguel Hernández up, but I look forward to reading your thoughts about all of these.
BorrarHi Richard, I'm looking forward to reading your reviews and those of other participants in Spanish Lit Month! I'll be reading: Carmen Laforet's Nada - review next week, hopefully; also Rodrigo Rey Rosa's Severina; and possibly the latest Vila-Matas, if I have time.
ResponderBorrarJacquiWine, likewise I'm sure! I hope to squeeze in another Vila-Matas myself this month (probably an earlier title, though), and Nada and Rodrigo Rey Rosa bring up good memories for me. Happy reading!
BorrarHalf way through the Impac Award winning The Sound of Things Falling and hoping also to read at least the first part of Galeano's Memory of Fire.
ResponderBorrar(I won my signed copy of The Sound of Things Falling on Twitter)
I've heard good things about both of those, Séamus, so I hope they live up to the hype for you. I see that I read my first Vásquez novel three years ago now, so maybe I'll try and work him into the rotation again if The Sound of Things Falling gets a thumbs-up from you (or if somebody gives me a free copy on Twitter!).
BorrarThis year I'm prepared. I've already read two books. A novel and a play. But I won't tell what. Not yet. :)
ResponderBorrarVery glad to hear that, Caroline, and I'm OK with the mystery! For somebody who spent much of last month thinking about what I'd like to read during the month, I'm woefully unprepared myself. Local heatwave isn't helping either...
BorrarHopefully Medardo Fraile will count even though I posted about him last month. I have another post I'm hoping to wrap up this week and a couple other books in progress.
ResponderBorrarScott, Medardo Fraile will certainly count as will the handful of other works I know about that were read in anticipation of Spanish Lit Month. Look forward to seeing what your other choices will include.
BorrarI've just finished Torrente Ballester's Las Islas Extraordinarias and I think I can squeeze another book by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón.
ResponderBorrarExcellent news, Miguel, and I haven't forgotten about your DQ post either. Interesting to hear about such a variety of choices from you and the others so far. P.S. I should have a long awaited Borges post or two for you coming later in the month as compensation for that terrible Danish crime novel I reviewed last year in lieu of Borges (and anything else of quality).
BorrarI'm making my way through El burlador de Sevilla, in Spanish--first act done!--and have already finished Gabriel García Márquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold, so I'm trying to decide what else to read this month. Of course, I need to remember to post about my reading, too!
ResponderBorrarAmanda, thanks for your Burlador de Sevilla post (props to you for reading it in English and Spanish!) and sorry about the delay in getting back to you about this comment. I haven't read that García Márquez in so long that I look forward to you reminding me about how much I liked the novel or not. Cheers!
Borrar