Wow! eBook
The Polish Boxer
Author(s): Eduardo Halfon (Author), Ollie Brock (Translator), Thomas Bunstead (Translator), Lisa Dillman (Translator), Daniel Hahn (Translator), Anne McLean (Translator)
- Publisher: Bellevue Literary Press
- Publication Date: 15 Nov. 2012
- Language: English
- Print length: 192 pages
- ISBN-10: 1934137537
- ISBN-13: 9781934137536
Book Description
The nomadic odyssey of Eduardo Halfon begins as he searches for information about his Polish grandfather’s imprisonment at Auschwitz
New York Times Editors’ Choice * International Latino Book Award Finalist
The Polish Boxer covers a vast landscape of human experience while enfolding a search for origins: a grandson tries to make sense of his Polish grandfather’s past and the story behind his numbered tattoo; a Serbian classical pianist longs for his forbidden heritage; a Mayan poet is torn between his studies and filial obligations; a striking young Israeli woman seeks answers in Central America; a university professor yearns for knowledge that he can’t find in books and discovers something unexpected at a Mark Twain conference. Drawn to what lies beyond the range of reason, they all reach for the beautiful and fleeting, whether through humor, music, poetry, or unspoken words. Across his encounters with each of them, the narrator―a Guatemalan literature professor and writer named Eduardo Halfon―pursues his most enigmatic subject: himself.
Mapping the geography of identity in a world scarred by a legacy of violence and exile, The Polish Boxer marks the debut of a major new Latin American voice in English.
Editorial Reviews
Review
Select Praise for The Polish Boxer
International Latino Book Award Finalist
New York Times “Editors’ Choice” selection
“A Borgesian, post-Communist-era, comic detective noir.” –New York Review of Books
More Praise for Eduardo Halfon
“One of the most talented and exciting writers of our time.” —Christopher Merrill, director of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa
“Halfon is a brilliant storyteller.” —Daniel Alarcóoacute;n
“Halfon’s prose is as delicate, precise, and ineffable as precocious art, a lighthouse that illuminates everything.” —Francisco Goldman
“It is not often that one encounters such a mix of personal engagement and literary passion, or pain and tenderness.” —Andréeacute;s Neuman
“Elegant.” —Marie Claire
“Engrossing.” —NBC Latino
“Fantastic.” —NPR Alt.Latino
“Revelatory.” —New York Times Book Review
“Deeply accessible, deeply moving.” —Los Angeles Times
“Offer[s] surprise and revelation at every turn.” —Reader’s Digest
“One senses Kafka’s ghost, along with Bolañntilde;o’s, lingering in the shadows. . . . [Halfon’s] books, which take on such dark subjects, are so enjoyable to read.” —New York Review of Books
Select Praise for The Polish Boxer
International Latino Book Award Finalist
New York Times “Editors’ Choice” selection
“A Borgesian, post-Communist-era, comic detective noir.” —New York Review of Books
More Praise for Eduardo Halfon
“One of the most talented and exciting writers of our time.” —Christopher Merrill, director of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa
“Halfon is a brilliant storyteller.” —Daniel Alarcón
“Halfon’s prose is as delicate, precise, and ineffable as precocious art, a lighthouse that illuminates everything.” —Francisco Goldman
“It is not often that one encounters such a mix of personal engagement and literary passion, or pain and tenderness.” —Andrés Neuman
“Elegant.” —Marie Claire
“Engrossing.” —NBC Latino
“Fantastic.” —NPR Alt.Latino
“Revelatory.” —New York Times Book Review
“Deeply accessible, deeply moving.” —Los Angeles Times
“Offer[s] surprise and revelation at every turn.” —Reader’s Digest
“One senses Kafka’s ghost, along with Bolaño’s, lingering in the shadows. . . . [Halfon’s] books, which take on such dark subjects, are so enjoyable to read.” —New York Review of Books
About the Author
Eduardo Halfon is the author of The Polish Boxer, Monastery, Mourning, Canción, and Tarantula. He is the recipient of the Guatemalan National Prize in Literature, International Latino Book Award, Edward Lewis Wallant Award, and Berman Literature Prize, among many other honors. A citizen of Guatemala and Spain, Halfon was born in Guatemala City, attended school in Florida and North Carolina, and has lived in Nebraska, Spain, Paris, and Berlin.
