Libro de bolsillo Delirium de Laura Restrepo (inglés)

EUR 26,96 ¡Cómpralo ya!, EUR 4,17 Envío, 30-Día Devoluciones, Garantía al cliente de eBay
Vendedor: the_nile ✉️ (1.208.578) 98.2%, Ubicación del artículo: Melbourne, AU, Realiza envíos a: WORLDWIDE, Número de artículo: 155236625072 Libro de bolsillo Delirium de Laura Restrepo (inglés). The Nile on eBay  

Delirium

by Laura Restrepo

In this remarkably nuanced novel, both a gripping detective story and a passionate, devastating tale of eros and insanity in Colombia, internationally acclaimed author Laura Restrepo delves into the minds of four characters. There's Agustina, a beautiful woman from an upper-class family who is caught in the throes of madness; her husband Aguilar, a man passionately in love with his wife and determined to rescue her from insanity; Agustina's former lover Midas, a drug-trafficker and money-launderer; and Nicolas, Agustina's grandfather. Through the blend of these distinct voices, Restrepo creates a searing portrait of a society battered by war and corruption, as well as an intimate look at the daily lives of people struggling to stay sane in an unstable reality.

FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New

Publisher Description

In this remarkably nuanced novel, both a gripping detective story and a passionate, devastating tale of eros and insanity in Colombia, internationally acclaimed author Laura Restrepo delves into the minds of four characters. There's Agustina, a beautiful woman from an upper-class family who is caught in the throes of madness; her husband Aguilar, a man passionately in love with his wife and determined to rescue her from insanity; Agustina's former lover Midas, a drug-trafficker and money-launderer; and Nicolás, Agustina's grandfather. Through the blend of these distinct voices, Restrepo creates a searing portrait of a society battered by war and corruption, as well as an intimate look at the daily lives of people struggling to stay sane in an unstable reality.

Author Biography

Laura Restrepo is the bestselling author of several prizewinning novels published in over a dozen languages, including Leopard in the Sun, which won the Arzobispo San Clemente Prize, The Angel of Galilea, which won the Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz Prize in Mexico and the Prix France Culture in France, and Delirium, which won the 2004 Alfaguara Prize, the Grinzane Cavour Prize in Italy, and was shortlisted for the Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger in France. She lives in Mexico City.

Review

"Stunning, dense, complex, mind-blowing. . . . This novel goes far above politics, right up into high art." —The Washington Post Book World"One of the finest novels written in recent memory." —Jose Saramago"Masterful. . . . Literary dynamite." —The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel "Every word in Delirium is perfectly chosen, painfully honest and brutally effective. Restrepo chooses her words like a poet, with infinite care." —The Philadelphia Inquirer"A disconcertingly lovely book, and its depiction of Colombian society at an awful moment in its history is sharp, vivid, utterly persuasive." —The New York Times Book Review

Long Description

In this remarkably nuanced novel, both a gripping detective story and a passionate, devastating tale of eros and insanity in Colombia, internationally acclaimed author Laura Restrepo delves into the minds of four characters. There's Agustina, a beautiful woman from an upper-class family who is caught in the throes of madness; her husband Aguilar, a man passionately in love with his wife and determined to rescue her from insanity; Agustina's former lover Midas, a drug-trafficker and money-launderer; and Nicolas, Agustina's grandfather. Through the blend of these distinct voices, Restrepo creates a searing portrait of a society battered by war and corruption, as well as an intimate look at the daily lives of people struggling to stay sane in an unstable reality.

Review Quote

"Stunning, dense, complex, mind-blowing. . . . This novel goes far above politics, right up into high art." The Washington Post Book World "Oneof the finest novels written in recent memory." Jose Saramago"Masterful. . . . Literary dynamite." The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel "Every word in Delirium is perfectly chosen, painfully honest and brutally effective. Restrepo chooses her words like a poet, with infinite care." The Philadelphia Inquirer "Adisconcertingly lovely book, and its depiction of Colombian society at an awful moment in its history is sharp, vivid, utterly persuasive." The New York Times Book Review From the Trade Paperback edition.

Description for Reading Group Guide

"Stunning, dense, complex, mind-blowing. . . . This novel goes far above politics, right up into high art." -- The Washington Post Book World The introduction, discussion questions, and suggestions for further reading that follow are intended to enhance your group's discussion of Delirium , a haunting, revelatory story of a young woman's decline into madness. Set in Colombia during the 1980s, it traces the interlocking lives of the upper and criminal classes against the turmoil of a country held in thrall by the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar.

Discussion Question for Reading Group Guide

1. The multiple narratives in Delirium are presented without transition. Discuss the elements--for example, the use of recurring images both actual and metaphorical--that connect one section to the next. 2. How would you describe the tone and style of the various threads of the novel? What does Aguilar''s account demonstrate about the way he thinks and looks at the world? Are Agustina''s monologues simply the ramblings of an unbalanced woman or do they reveal something about her character, intelligence, and perceptiveness? What stylistic oddities bring out her state of mind and self-awareness? What effect does Midas''s slangy language and casual, conversational style have on his credibility as a narrator? How would you compare Aguilar and Midas in terms of their reliability and the sympathy they evoke in readers? What literary qualities distinguish the vignettes about Nicholas and Blanca from the other narratives? Are they as powerful and engaging as the other stories? 3. In what ways do Aguilar''s and Sofi''s reactions to Agustina''s behavior differ? What principles (or beliefs) shape their responses? What roles do their personal histories with Agustina play in the way they interpret her rages and compulsive rituals? 4. Aguilar says, "I never bothered to ask [Agustina] about her past, her family, or her memories. . . . I mourn the questions I didn''t ask" [p. 21]. Do you think that Agustina would have been open with him about the negative sides of her upbringing or would her own confusion and guilt have made that impossible? What insights does Aguilar''s list of the faults her family finds with him provide into why he and Agustina were attracted to one another? To what extent did each of them act out of willfulness and self-interest? 5. How does Agustina see her father? Does her portrait of him change as the novel progresses? In what ways is their relationship shaped by the dynamics in the household, the family''s status, and traditional Latin American culture? Are there moments or incidents that capture familiar experiences? Discuss, for example, what their ritual of locking their doors together [pp. 75-6] and their interactions when Agustina begins dating [pp. 192-8] illustrate about the nature and complexities of many father-daughter relationships. 6. What do Agustina''s efforts to protect Bichi show about her inner conflicts? What is the significance of the juxtaposition of religious and sexual elements in the secret ceremonies they conduct [p. 33]? 7. Eugenia is presented from various perspectives, from Aguilar''s view of her as a cold, uncaring mother [pp. 22-4] to Agustina''s memory of watching her prepare for an evening out [pp. 97-100], to Sofi''s description of her sister''s isolation within the family [p. 108]. How do the personalities, needs, and prejudices of each influence their impressions of her? In a society built on the unquestioned authority of men, could Eugenia have played a larger, more effective role in the family? Could she have prevented his brutal treatment of Bichi or at least mitigated the effects of his blatant preference for the macho Joaco? What does her reaction to Agustina''s first period [pp. 151-2], and especially to the confrontation that ultimately tears the family apart [p. 300], reveal about her own sexuality and the repression of upper-class women in Colombia? Does the exposure of lies and deceptions the family harbors change your opinion of Eugenia? 8. Class and money are central to the plot of Delirium , as well as the interactions among the characters. How does Midas capture this, both in his dealings with Escobar, Spider, and the other thugs, and in his behavior with and observations about the Londo

Excerpt from Book

I KNEW SOMETHING irreparable had happened the moment a man opened the door to that hotel room and I saw my wife sitting at the far end of the room, looking out the window in the strangest way. I''d just returned from a short trip, four days away on business, and I swear that Agustina was fine when I left, I swear nothing odd was going on, or at least nothing out of the ordinary, certainly nothing to suggest what would happen to her while I was gone, except for her own premonitions, of course, but how was I to believe her when Agustina is always predicting some catastrophe; I''ve tried everything to make her see reason, but she won''t be swayed, insisting that ever since she was little she''s had what she calls the gift of sight, or the ability to see the future, and God only knows the trouble that''s caused us. This time, as usual, my Agustina predicted that something would go wrong, and once again, I ignored her prediction; I went away on a Wednesday, leaving her painting the apartment walls green, and on Sunday, when I returned, I found her in a hotel in the north of the city, transformed into someone terrified and terrifying, a being I barely recognized. I haven''t been able to find out what happened to her while I was gone because when I ask she turns on me, it''s incredible how fierce she can be when she''s upset, she treats me as if I''m not me and she''s not who she used to be, or at least that''s how I try to explain it, and if I can''t it''s because I don''t understand it myself. The woman I love is lost inside her own head and for fourteen days now I''ve been searching for her, wearing myself out trying to find her, but it''s excruciating and impossibly difficult; it''s as if Agustina were living on a plane parallel to reality, close but just out of reach, as if she were speaking a strange language that I vaguely recognize but can''t quite comprehend. My wife''s unhinged mind is a dog snapping at me, but at the same time its barking is a call for help, a call to which I''m unable to respond; Agustina is a hurt and starving dog who wants to go home but can''t, and the next minute she''s a stray dog who can''t even remember it once had a home. *** I''M GOING TO TELL YOU this point-blank because you have the right to know it, Agustina sweetheart, and anyway what do I have to lose talking about it all, when I''ve got nothing left anymore. Your husband is spinning in circles trying to find out what the hell happened to you and there''s so much even you don''t know, because listen, Agustina darling, all stories are like a big cake, with everybody''s eyes on the piece they''re eating, and the only one who sees the whole thing is the baker. But before I start, let me tell you that I''m happy to see you, despite everything I''ve always been happy to see you, and the truth is that after what happened you''re the only person I wanted to see. Will you believe me if I tell you that this disaster started with a simple bet? It''s almost embarrassing to confess, Agustina doll, because you took it all so seriously and were hurt so badly by it, but it was the lowest kind of bet, a dirty joke if we''re going to call things by their true names, a prank that turned bloody. We dubbed it Operation Lazarus, because the idea was to see whether we could breathe life back into Spider Salazar''s pecker, which had been dead between his legs since the accident at the Las Lomas Polo Club. Do you remember the scandal, Agustina darling? The truth is, it was a stupid, ordinary accident, although later people tried to make it seem more heroic by spreading the story that Spider fell off his horse during a match against a Chilean team, but the rough stuff actually came later, during a drunken free-for-all, because the match was in the morning and Spider had watched it from one of the bottom rows of the stands since he''s too fat to make it up to the top, and I can tell you that the closest he got to the action was betting on the Chileans and against the locals. The Chileans won and then were treated to a typical Colombian lunch that they probably choked down out of politeness, who knows what folk dishes were foisted on them--suckling pig, tamales, fritters, figs with caramel cream, or all of the above--and then they went back to their hotel to digest it while at the club the revelry went on, everyone getting drunker by the minute. Rivers of whiskey flowed, it got dark, and the only people left were the local polo players and the club regulars when Spider and his pals decided to saddle up, and I''m guessing, or actually I know, that when the happy pack rode into the night they were all as drunk as cossacks, a gang of juiced-up clowns; I don''t know whether your brother Joaco was with them, Agustina doll, though probably he was, because Joaco never misses the chance for a spree. They mounted the horses, which are high-strung to begin with and don''t appreciate overweight brutes squashing their kidneys and making them gallop in the dark along muddy paths, followed by a procession of Toyota 4x4s full of bodyguards, you know how it is, angel, because you come from that world and escaped it only when you''d had all you could stomach, but does the aftertaste ever go away?, no, sweetheart, the taste of shit lingers in your mouth no matter how many times you gargle with Listerine. Every fat cat from Las Lomas Polo is shadowed wherever he goes by five or six escorts, and Spider Salazar is even worse; ever since he struck it rich he''s had himself protected by a troop of thugs trained in Israel, and that night Spider, who hadn''t been on a horse for months because he was clogged with cholesterol and had to content himself with watching from the stands, that night Spider, who was completely plastered, ordered them to bring him the most spirited horse, a big, imperious bay called Parsley, and if I say "called," Agustina princess, it''s because no one calls it anything anymore, since in the darkness, the mud, and the commotion, Parsley lost his temper and threw Spider, slamming him against a rock, and then some genius of a bodyguard, a guy they call the Sucker, had the brilliant idea of teaching the horse a lesson by blasting it with his machine gun, leaving it riddled like a sieve with its hooves pointing up at the moon, the most pathetic little scene imaginable. In a single burst the idiot pissed away the two hundred and fifty grand Parsley was worth, because that''s life, Agustina sweetheart, fortunes go down the drain in a single binge and nobody bats an eye. *** THE GIRL AGUSTINA hugs another, smaller child tight; it''s her brother Bichi, who has a head full of dark curls, a Christ Child, the kind artists paint with black hair instead of golden. It''s the last time, Bichito, Agustina promises him, my father will never hit you again because I''m going to stop him, don''t hold your arm like that, like a chicken with a broken wing, come here, Bichi, little brother, you have to forgive my father''s bad hands because his heart is good, you have to forgive him, Bichi, and not stare at him like that because if you do he''ll go away and it''ll be your fault, does your arm still hurt?, come here, it''s all right, if you stop crying your sister, Agustina, will summon you to the great ceremony of her powers, and we''ll do what we always do, she''ll get the pictures from their hiding place and Bichi will spread the black cloth on the bed, you and me preparing for the service that will make my eyes see, Agustina calls up the great Power that lets her know when her father is going to hurt her brother, you''re the Bichi I loved so much, Agustina repeats over and over again, the Bichi I love so very very much, my darling little brother, the beautiful boy who abandoned me a lifetime ago and is lost to me now. I''ll cure your broken wing, sings Agustina, rocking him against her, I''ll kiss it and make it better. The only problem is that the powers of divination come to her when they feel like it, not when she calls on them, that''s why the ceremony doesn''t always work the same way even though the two children put on their robes and do everything right, step by step, carefully performing each step, but it isn''t the same, Agustina complains, because the powers forsake me sometimes, the visions fade and Bichi is left defenseless, not knowing when the thing that''s sure to happen to him will happen. But when they''re going to come they announce their arrival with a flicker of the eyelids, the First Call, because Agustina''s powers were, are, her eyes'' ability to see beyond, to what''s still to come, to what hasn''t come yet. The Second Call is when the head tilts back of its own accord, as if it were descending a staircase, as if the neck were tugging it down and making it toss its hair like the Weeping Woman when she wanders the hills. I know Bichi is terrified by the Second Call, and he doesn''t want to know anything about the Weeping Woman or the wild rhythms of her flowing hair, which is why he begs me not to roll my eyes back in my head and toss my hair because If you keep doing that Agustina, I''ll go to my room, Don''t go Bichi Bichito, don''t go and I won''t do it anymore, I''ll control the shaking so I don''t scare you, because after all this is a ceremony of healing and comfort, I''d never hurt you, I only want to protect you, and in return you have to promise me that you''ll forgive my father even when he hits you, my father says it''s for your own good and parents know things that children don''t. *** EVER SINCE MY WIFE has been acting so strange, I''ve dedicated myself to helping her, but I''ve only managed to irritate her with my futile selfless efforts. For example, yesterday, late at night, Agustina got angry because I wanted to take a cloth and dry the rug that she''d soaked, obsessed with the ide

Details ISBN0307278042 Author Laura Restrepo Short Title DELIRIUM Language English Translator Natasha Wimmer ISBN-10 0307278042 ISBN-13 9780307278043 Media Book Format Paperback DEWEY FIC Year 2008 Residence Wahsington Bogota, DC, US Birth 1950 DOI 10.1604/9780307278043 Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States AU Release Date 2008-03-11 NZ Release Date 2008-03-11 US Release Date 2008-03-11 UK Release Date 2008-03-11 Pages 336 Publisher Random House USA Inc Series Vintage International Publication Date 2008-03-11 Imprint Vintage Books Audience General

We've got this

At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love!


TheNile_Item_ID:138231431;
  • Condition: Nuevo
  • Format: Paperback
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-13: 9780307278043
  • Author: Laura Restrepo
  • Book Title: Delirium
  • ISBN: 9780307278043

PicClick Insights - Libro de bolsillo Delirium de Laura Restrepo (inglés) PicClick Exclusivo

  •  Popularidad - 1 seguidor, 0.0 nuevos seguidores por día, 513 days for sale on eBay. Cantidad normal en seguimiento. 0 vendidos, 7 disponibles.
  •  Mejor Precio -
  •  Vendedor - 1.208.578+ artículos vendidos. 1.8% votos negativos. Gran vendedor con la regeneración positiva muy buena y sobre 50 calificaciones.

La Gente También Amó PicClick Exclusivo