Description: The first English-language collection of short stories by award-winning Peruvian author Edgardo Rivera Martínez
The stories in Marayrasu stage fantastical, mysterious encounters that belie the characters' often harsh economic and political realities as they seek belonging in modern Peru through art, music, and relationships. Depicted in poetic prose, these characters are loners, orphans, and outcasts experiencing quiet, tender encounters with other people and animals, the creative arts, and the land they find themselves depending on. Living vibrantly within these stories, the leviathan of Inca lore considers its own form, a young boy moves to a mining town and gets involved with a local union leader's fight for worker rights while feeling the powerful pull of a large mountain overlooking the town, and a Persian cat captures the attention of a family down on its luck. Amy Olen's translation smoothly captures Rivera Martínez's impressive stories, offering a unique lens into the region at the heart of this canonical author's inimitable work.Review Quotes:
"The prolific Edgardo Rivera Martínez has been celebrated as one of Peru's most daring writers for decades. Marayrasu, his first collection of stories to receive an English translation, expands his reach, introducing readers to his tough yet richly poetic world." --Entertainment Weekly
"[For] readers interested in broadening their familiarity with Latin American writers and all who appreciate short stories crafted like jewels." --Booklist
"This remarkable collection highlights the isolation that comes with trying to find creativity and connection amid harsh economic and political realities. Readers will surely feel the weight of history in Marínez's powerful stories, as his characters continually persevere in the face of hardship." --Chicago Review of Books
"Throughout the eight stories in this collection, Rivera Martínez expertly renders the ontological depths of his characters--most of whom are stranded, physically or spiritually or socially--with the aid of mythology, fantasy, and fable--all of which are melded, in true Andean fashion, with the surrounding overwhelm. Within this context, he speaks powerfully of class alienation, of loneliness, and of heritage." --Asymptote
"Marayrasu is a much-needed translation of the literary work of one of the most important Peruvian writers of the twentieth century. This is a remarkable achievement and serves as a wonderful presentation of Rivera Martínez's oeuvre." --Javier Garcia Liendo, Washington University in St. Louis