In the Wilderness - Softcover

Rivas, Manuel; Dunne, Jonathan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1843430142 ISBN 13: 9781843430148

Publisher: The Overlook Press, 2003

Synopsis

A glorious cast of animals and birds, as well as humans, relate the magical stories that form the plot of Manuel Rivas's extraordinary novel. An old lady, Misia, tells how the 300 ravens of Xallas are the warrior-poets of the last King of Galicia. A priest, Don Xil, explains to a peasant girl, Rosa, that the beautifully carved women in the local church are not saints, but represent the seven deadly sins. A mouse, Matac-ns, a poacher in his previous life, is chased by a cat, the bagpiper and anarchist, Arturo of Lousame. A bat, Gaspar, relates his own death to a lizard. In a nearby cellar, half the parish are found to have transmigrated into spiders, snails, toads-Manuel Rivas's story emerges like spirals of smoke, in a series of memorably poetic images. His characters have their roots deep in the traditions, legends and history of his beloved Galicia. Few contemporary storytellers share his power of vision and sense of cultural identity, or can narrate their tales with such tenderness and humour.

About this title

About the Author

Manuel Rivas was born in A Coruna, Spain in 1957.  He writes in the Galician language of northwest Spain and is well-known in his native country for his journalism and for teh films made of his prize-winning novles and short stories.

Edition details

• Publisher: The Overlook Press
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1843430142
• ISBN 13: 9781843430148
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192