Author: Silvina Ocampo (Translated by
Daniel Balderston)
Genre: Fiction, Short Stories
About the book…
A collection of short stories and a novella by Argentine author Silvina Ocampo, compiled
from seven of her collections written from 1937 to 1988.
What I think…
This was an interesting collection. While she remains a strong writer
through all the works included, the earlier stories are better, in my opinion.
These
are not feel good type stories, but are often dark and have unexpected twists,
which overall adds to the fantastical elements she integrates into many of them.
Her poetical style also makes them a pleasure to read.
The novella included,
from Autobiography of Irene, called “The
Imposter,” stands out to me as being one of the best things in this collection
with a slow building suspense that keeps you on edge about the direction the
story will end.
A good many are written in first person, which if you’re
reading multiple stories at once can get tiresome. On the other hand, while
similar themes are addressed in some of the stories there is a very clear
distinction between all of them.
To sum it all up…
A unique
collection of stories from an author that I don’t think gets as much attention
as she should and that I wish more translated works were available for. ♥
What a lovely review and way to shed light on an author that doesn't get their just dues in the English speaking (reading :)) world. Thank you for sharing about Ocampo's work with us. Your book reviews are always so informative and enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteMany hugs & happy springtime wishes
♥ Jessica
I'm glad the New York Review publishes books like this so I have the ability to share them! Thank you for your kind comment!
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