2. I never know what to expect when I crack open a new César Aira book. It’s not always love at first sight. Varamo grew on me over time. The Miracle Cures of Dr. Aira initially excited me, but now ranks as least favorite. A reader on Trevor’s (of The Mookse & the Gripes) forums made the comment that in Spanish Aira tends to be … Continue reading Shantytown by Cesar Aira (Chris Andrews, translator)
César Aira is 63 years old. He has been, and continues to be, insanely prolific. Yet out of the 60+ books published in Spanish only eight have made their way into English. New Directions has brought out approximately one a year since 2006. The year 2012 was a banner one for Aira in the States – Varamo, a short story in The New Yorker and … Continue reading The Miracle Cures of Dr. Aira by César Aira (Katherine Silver, translator)
“Cinematic” is an overused adjective (I count myself among the guilty) that always makes me feel like someone is angling for a film deal. There is a scripted quality to César Aira’s lovely novel, Ghosts – in his descriptions more so than in his handling of dialogue – but I never saw this book as a film. It has more in common with a play … Continue reading GHOSTS by César Aira (translated by Chris Andrews)
READER AT LARGE 