Synopsis
At last, a noir novel from the Argentine master of suspense and surprises
Maxi, a middle-class, directionless ox of a young man who helps the trash pickers of Buenos Aires’s shantytown, attracts the attention of a corrupt, trigger-happy policeman who will use anyone ― including two innocent teenage girls ― to break a drug ring that he believes is operating within the slum. A strange new drug, a brightly lit carousel of a slum, the kindness of strangers, gunplay... no matter how serious the subject matter, and despite Aira’s “fascination with urban violence and the sinister underside of Latin American politics” (The Millions), Shantytown, like all of Aira’s mesmerizing work, is filled with wonder and mad invention."synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Authors
César Aira was born in Coronel Pringles, Argentina in 1949, and has lived in Buenos Aires since 1967. He won the 2021 Formentor Prize and was shortlisted for the 2015 Booker International Prize.
The poet and translator Chris Andrews has won the Valle Inclan Prize and the French-American Translation Prize for his work.
Reviews
From the prolific Argentinian author comes this intriguing short novel, originally published in 1991, set in a shantytown in Buenos Aires. At the story’s center is Maxi, a hulking young man from a middle-class family who spends his nights helping the shantytown’s collectors (read scavengers) cart their heavy loads of cardboard and other detritus. Maxi has come under the scrutiny of Inspector Cabezas of the Buenos Aires police, who’s desperate to find out who’s distributing drugs in the shantytown. To get to Maxi, the inspector takes a circuitous route, approaching Maxi’s sister posing as the grieving father of a young murder victim (the dead girl went to the same school as Maxi’s sister). Aira follows these two men, the cop and the kid, as they move through the slums in circles until they finally, and rather explosively, come together. Depending on how you read it, this is either a taut noir crime novel or a searing portrait of Buenos Aires’ poverty-stricken people. Either way, it’s compelling stuff. --David Pitt
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
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Shantytown
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Shantytown
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Shantytown
Published by
New Directions Publishing Corporation, 2013
ISBN 10: 0811219119
ISBN 13: 9780811219112
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Shantytown
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Shantytown
Published by
New Directions Publishing Corporation, US, 2013
ISBN 10: 0811219119
ISBN 13: 9780811219112
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Seller: Rarewaves USA, OSWEGO, IL, U.S.A.
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Paperback. Condition: New. Maxi, a middle-class, directionless ox of a young man who helps the trash pickers of Buenos Aires's shantytown, attracts the attention of a corrupt, trigger-happy policeman who will use anyone - including two innocent teenage girls - to break a drug ring that he believes is operating within the slum. A strange new drug, a brightly lit carousel of a slum, the kindness of strangers, gunplay. no matter how serious the subject matter, and despite Aira's "fascination with urban violence and the sinister underside of Latin American politics" (The Millions), Shantytown, like all of Aira's mesmerizing work, is filled with wonder and mad invention. Seller Inventory # LU-9780811219112