Heart of Tango
Published on 29. July 2010
Book
Hardback
198 pages
978-1-906694-60-9 (ISBN)
Description
Natalia is to be married to a German sailor much older than herself, but two days before the wedding she meets Diego, a mysterious young dancer, and they fall immediately in love. When he serenades her on the eve of the ceremony, Natalia's father unwittingly invites him to the festivities. There they dance a tango charged with passion, before Diego vanishes, knowing she is lost to him. Soon after the marriage Natalia father dies, and her husband is lost at sea, presumed dead. Penniless and alone, she endures a desperate existence until she becomes a dancer in a tango hall. Diego discovers her there and vows to bring her away from this existence, but their reunion has devastating consequences. Many years later, the spirit of the dance and the lovers' longing for each other draws together two strangers in a haunting meeting, a fusion of time and identities, despair and hope.
Reviews / Votes
'A sad and magical story... Barcelo recaptures the past, restoring a voice which has all but disappeared... The novel moves as gracefully as a beautiful tango, in perfect rhythm. And its readers move with it' Maria Jose Obiol, El Pais. 'An evocative historical novella, and the lively pace of its plot - built around two dancing couples who are destined to meet on some metaphoric dance floor - drives things along towards a surprising conclusion' Chris Moss, Times Literary Supplement. 'Heart of Tango is a ghost-cum-love story, slipping effortlessly between past and present in luscious prose that echoes the sinuousness of the dance itself... The story takes many complicated steps back and forth, leaving the reader dizzy with elation, and enthralled by the possibilities presented' Alannah Hopkin, Irish Examiner. 'Barcelo captures perfectly the shoddy edges of the city, the rivalry between neighbourhood tango bands and the clubs where knife-wielding immigrants rub besuited shoulders with well-heeled aristos, all equally smitten with the new dance... Tango dancers, who like to keep their passions under control, will adore this book' Time Out Book of the Week.More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Quercus Publishing
Dimensions
Height: 190 mm
Width: 135 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-906694-60-9 (9781906694609)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Persons
Elia Barcelo was born in Alicante in 1957 and teaches Spanish Language and Literature at the University of Innsbruck. She made her name in science-fiction, but with books such as Heart of Tango she is fast gaining the wider readership that she so richly deserves. David Frye's translations include Thine Is the Kingdom (1999) and Distant Palaces (2004) by Cuban novelist Abilio Estevez, and The Curriculum Vitae of Aurora Ortiz (2005) by Spanish novelist Almudena Solana.