Book Description

Based on a historic literary hoax, this “charming” novel is “a love letter to the creative process” from one of Spain’s most original authors (Kirkus Reviews). José Gálvez and Carlos Rodríguez are poets. Or, at least, they’d like to be. Sons of Lima’s elite in the early twentieth century, they scribble poorly constructed verses and read the greats: Rilke, Rimbaud, and, above all others, Juan Ramón Jímenez, the Spanish Maestro. Desperate for Jímenez’s latest work, unavailable in Lima, they decide to ask him for a copy. Certain Jímenez would never send his book to a couple of dilettantes, they concoct a plan à la Cyrano de Bergerac. They write to him posing as the lovely, imaginary Georgina Hübner. Incredibly, the poet takes the bait and responds with a book and letter. So begins the epistolary romance. As the maestro falls in love with Georgina, he writes his finest poetry. But when the mail delivery is stalled during the dockworkers’ strike, the scheme begins to unravel and reveal the vulgar truth. “This sweepingly beautiful translation will enchant readers. Gómez Bárcena’s style is both fresh and classic, delightful and mysterious, and his characters—who feel like living, breathing creatures—are sure to captivate even as they break your heart.” —Library Journal, starred review “Anyone who has ever wept over a poem or burned to write more and better and despaired because their talent let them down will read this novel and come away feeling understood.” —National Book Review “Gómez Bárcena tackles the most serious topics while masterfully showing how to write a story that’s simultaneously a comedy, a tragedy, and a portrait of another culture. The style is magnificent, the narration told with originality, pulse, and rhythm. There’s little more to say: read Gómez Bárcena.” —El Cultural